Description
POSITION OVERVIEW:
At the Texas Education Agency’s Office of Governance (OG), we are driven by a powerful mission: to proactively support school systems, keep students safe, and uphold Texas education law with integrity, objectivity, and excellence. Our core workstreams—Field Support and Compliance & Investigations—focus on strengthening governance, fostering a culture of accountability, and promoting continuous improvement across Texas schools. By working closely with school systems and agency teams, we help ensure every Texas public school student has access to a safe, high-quality education.
On behalf of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and the Commissioner of Education, the Educator Investigations Division (EID) is committed to protecting the safety and welfare of students across Texas. By investigating allegations of misconduct involving educators and school employees, EID plays a vital role in maintaining a secure and trustworthy learning environment. The division is structured into two primary units: Intake and Investigations.
EID is organized into two specialized units: Intake and Investigations. The Intake Unit helps ensure that school districts follow state law when reporting and investigating educator misconduct, as required by Senate Bill 571 and Texas Education Code §22A.156. The Intake Unit is the first line of review, evaluating reports of misconduct, conducting preliminary assessments, and determining whether cases warrant formal investigation while maintaining a strong focus on student safety and adherence to policy. The investigations unit takes on formal investigations into reports of alleged misconduct by SBEC-certified educators and non-certified school employees, ensuring due process and upholding the integrity of the education profession.
The Manager of the Child Abuse Reporting and Investigation Monitoring Unit leads a team of approximately three senior investigators. This position is responsible for planning and managing the team’s work to ensure schools are complying with state laws related to educator misconduct and child abuse. The manager sets team goals, develops and improves policies and procedures, supervises and supports staff, and oversees the progress of investigations and referrals. The role also involves coordinating with other TEA teams and external agencies, and identifying training needs to support staff development.
This position reports to the Director of Intake in the Educator Investigations Division and works with limited supervision. It requires strong leadership, sound judgment, and a commitment to protecting students across Texas.
Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.
Please note that a resume, tailored cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to fingerprinting and a national criminal history background check.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.
- Team Management and Supervision: coaches and manages the performance of a high-performing, mission-driven team; fosters a culture of strategic thinking, collaboration, accountability, and continuous growth; partners with unit directors to define clear data-informed objectives; inspires team members and tracks progress against performance metrics and competency benchmarks to achieve shared and individual goals; actively supports professional development for each team member; applies subject matter expertise to prepare and empower senior investigators to train, lead, assign, and prioritize work as needed
2. Case Management and Quality Assurance: ensures investigative practices comply with legislative mandates and align with SBEC and agency policy and best practices; reviews and approves investigative reports, recommendations, and referrals related to child abuse cases; manages the team’s docket of reports involving alleged child abuse, misconduct, and criminal history; oversees tracking, case initiation recommendations, and thorough administrative investigations; leads the team in maintaining strict compliance with newly enacted child abuse reporting requirements
3. Process Improvement and Optimization: leads ongoing evaluation of workflows and operational practices; recommends and drives change management initiatives to improve efficiency, accuracy, and overall effectiveness; ensures consistent compliance with legislative requirements, analyzes historical and current case data to identify risks, gaps, and emerging trends; develops standardized structures for decision-making, including multi-level review and approval processes; models and fosters a culture of continuous improvement and cross-functional collaboration to advance the agency’s mission
4. Internal/External Stakeholder Collaboration: initiates and sustains strategic partnerships to support legislative priorities and agency goals; responds promptly and accurately to inquiries from stakeholders including school administrators, attorneys, complainants, and other key parties; represents the team in cross-divisional and interagency collaborations while keeping leadership informed; contributes to the design and delivery of child abuse training for internal and external stakeholders, including statewide conferences and cross-divisional sessions; oversees all training conducted by senior field investigators to ensure consistency and quality
Salary - $5,797.66 to $7,653.00 (monthly)
Requirements
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
- Experience: At least four [4] years of experience in reviewing criminal histories, conducting background checks, reviewing allegations of misconduct, specifically as it relates to child abuse; and conducting complex investigations relating to child abuse. Experience must include at least two [2] years of experience in a supervisory or trainer role and evidence of a solid and strategic skill set in navigating public school investigations.
- Substitutions: Education and experience may substitute for one another on a year-for-year basis.
OTHER QUALIFICATIONS:
- Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military.
- Strong understanding of the Texas Administrative Code; 19 TAC §249 and §153 related to misconduct reporting and 40 TAC §707, Subchapter B related to school investigations, and familiarity with the Texas Education Code and Texas Family Code, and relevant laws pertaining to penal code violations, criminal procedure, and confidentiality.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively interview witnesses and accused individuals regarding alleged acts of misconduct.
- Aptitude for gathering and analyzing information from multiple sources, presenting the information in detailed, factual, concise, and professionally written reports, and making sound recommendations by required deadlines.
- Demonstrated success in providing guidance and/or training to staff on best practices in investigative or related functions.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills that establish and maintain effective working relationships with school districts, law enforcement and court personnel as well as the agency's Legal staff and other TEA divisions.
- Willingness to seek efficiency in an office environment; stay organized and prioritize tasks to achieve goals and objectives; eager to deliver requirements to internal/external customers and contribute to the agency's priorities.
- A desire to self-reflect, give/receive feedback, and continuously improve.
- Must satisfy the Texas Department of Public Safety's criteria for access to the TX DPS secure website and Clearinghouse.
- Relevant experience in an administrative or regulatory environment and investigating allegations of child abuse, school misconduct, financial fraud, and licensure violations, preferred.
- Experienced in coordinating with and maintaining effective working relationships with school districts, DFPS and law enforcement to ensure thorough investigative outcomes, preferred.
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) certification, Tx Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) license, or similar designations, preferred.
