CRIME LABORATORY DIRECTOR, SHERIFF

Job Description

Position/Program Information

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:
We welcome applications from everyone.

FILING PERIOD:
The application filing period will begin on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 8:00 A.M. (PT) - Continuous.

We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled. The application window may close unexpectedly once we have enough qualified applicants.

EXAM NUMBER:
J4343D

SPECIAL SALARY INFORMATION

This position is subject to the provisions of the Management Appraisal of Performance Plan (MAPP). Initial salary placement and subsequent salary adjustments will be made in accordance with MAPP guidelines and regulations.

Check Out Our Outstanding Benefits
Los Angeles County offers one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the nation.
https://hr.lacounty.gov/benefits/

Why work for us?

With almost 10 million residents, Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the nation! As the largest employer in Southern California with over 100,000 employees in 39 departments, we provide vital and diverse public services like law enforcement, property assessment, public health protection, water conservation, and cultural activities.

The County has more than 2,100 different job types, offering a lifetime of opportunities and careers! We are dedicated professionals committed to preserving the dignity and integrity of the workplace as well as protecting the rights of each employee. Join us and discover one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the county with a rich selection of health care options, robust retirement plans and the flexibility to work, relax, and rejuvenate to reach your fullest personal and professional potential.

Essential Job Functions

• Reviews, revises, and establishes laboratory policies and procedures to ensure the laboratory meets quality standards and maintains accreditation.
  
• Provides overall technical and administrative direction to the Scientific Services Bureau.
  
• Develops, implements, and tracks compliance with operating policies for the bureau.
  
• Evaluates forensic science procedures and approves adoption of new methods.
  
• Directs research into new methods, procedures, and techniques of scientific criminal investigation.
  
• Establishes and maintains working relationships with other units within the Sheriff’s Department, other law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney's Office, Office of Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner, Superior Courts, other criminal justice agencies, and municipal, state and federal forensic science organizations.
  
• Consults with police officers, attorneys, judges, private experts, and scientific associations on the solution of problems involving forensic science matters.
  
• Reviews employees’ grievances or conducts investigations that can be resolved at the bureau level or forwards to higher divisional/regional executive for further action; recommends and implements discipline; and provides guidance/mentoring to correct deficiencies.
  
• Develops employees to prepare them for higher level positions to meet the staffing needs of the bureau.
  
• Ensures the bureau's activities comply with the law, scientific standards and best practices, Departmental rules and regulations, and established law enforcement practices and procedures.
  
• Ensures the bureau operates within budgetary limitations, including overtime expenditures, and meets grant and contractual obligations.
  
• Takes immediate charge of bureau activities at the scene of a major emergency or in the event of an unusually complex problem.
  

For more information, please view the classification specification: Crime Laboratory Director, Sheriff .

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree* or higher in chemistry, criminalistics, biology, biochemistry, toxicology or other closely related field -AND- five years of experience in forensic science, including two years of administrative responsibility in the form of program management, budget planning and preparation, and personnel selection in a forensic science laboratory at the level of Crime Laboratory Assistant Director**, Sheriff.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AT THE TIME OF FILING. NO WITHHOLDS WILL BE ALLOWED FOR THIS EXAMINATION.

LICENSE
A valid California Class C Driver License or can use an alternate method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential duties.

Physical Class II - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION

*To receive credit for the required degree, you MUST include a legible copy of the official degree, official transcripts, or official letter from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization at the time of filing, or within seven (7) calendar days from the date of application filing. You may submit documentation to sheriffexamsunit@lasd.org and indicate your name, the exam title, and exam number. Failure to provide the required documentation will result in application rejection. Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted to meet the educational requirements.

The document should show the date the degree was conferred and be in English. If not in English, then translation is required. International degrees must be evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. Documents marked as unofficial will not be accepted. For more information on our standards for educational documents, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/070812_PPG123.pdf . (Download PDF reader) .

We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to sheriffexamsunit@lasd.org .

**For a full description of the class specification of Los Angeles County's class Crime Laboratory Assistant Director, Sheriff (Item #4341) , please click on the hyperlink on the job title under Requirements OR go to the Department of Human Resources website at https://hr.lacounty.gov/ and type the job title or item number under "FIND JOB DESCRIPTIONS" search box.

You may still qualify even if your job title isn't exactly the same as the one listed. What matters is that your experience is at a similar level - meaning your job involves similar responsibilities, requires comparable skills and knowledge, and takes place within a similar organizational structure. Please provide a clear explanation of your experience to demonstrate that it is at the appropriate level.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Credit will be given to applicants who possess DESIRABLE qualifications as indicated on their application at the time of filing.

• Experience in Forensic Science beyond the Requirements
  

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
As part of this application process, applicants will be required to complete a supplemental questionnaire. The questionnaire contains a pre-investigative questionnaire which will be utilized as part of the background investigation process to ensure applicants meet the standards set forth by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Applicants who fail the pre-investigative questionnaire will be disqualified and will have to wait three (3) months from the date of the disqualification in order to reapply.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT

PART I:
This examination will consist of a Structured Interview worth 70% assessing:

• The Ability to Ensure Compliance with Laws, Policies, and Regulations
• The Ability to Ensure Compliance with Accreditation Requirements
• Decision-making Skills
• Problem-solving Skills
• Resource Management Skills
• The Ability to Review Procedures for Efficiency
• Delegation Skills
• The Ability to Provide Feedback and Training
• The Ability to Encourage Open Expression
• Verbal Communication Skills

APPLICANTS MUST RECEIVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70% OR HIGHER ON PART I TO PROCEED TO PART II.

PART II:

An evaluation of training and experience based on application information and desirable qualifications worth 30%.

APPLICANTS MUST RECEIVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70% OR HIGHER ON EACH WEIGHTED PART OF THE EXAMINATION TO BE PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST.

TESTING ACCOMMODATION
If you require an accommodation to fairly compete in any part of the examination process, you will be required to submit documentation from a qualified medical provider or other qualified professional to support your request for a testing accommodation. Please note, you will be contacted at a later time by a Sheriff's Department representative that will guide you through the process. You will be provided with an initial deadline to submit documentation. Failure to submit the required documentation by the deadline will delay your participation in the examination process and consideration for initial placement on the eligible list.

VETERAN'S CREDIT
If you are a veteran, you may be eligible for veteran's credit, which is an additional 10% of the total points added to a passing score. We will need a copy of your form DD214 to review, so please include that with your application or email it to the exam analyst at sheriffexamsunit@lasd.org as soon as possible so, if you are eligible for veteran's credit, we can include it before the list is available.

ELIGIBILITY AND VACANCY INFORMATION
Applicants who passed the assessment(s) are placed on a list in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months. Applications will be processed as they are received and added to the list accordingly. We will use this list to fill vacancies in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Technology and Support Division, Scientific Services Bureau.

NO PERSON MAY COMPETE IN THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWELVE (12) MONTHS.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS MUST COMPLETE A THOROUGH BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING FINGERPRINT SEARCH. Examples of disqualifying factors include: Any felony convictions; job related misdemeanor convictions; certain serious traffic convictions or patterns of traffic violations (3 moving violations in one year; failure to appear; at fault accidents; suspended license; driving under the influence); poor credit history; poor employment history; substance abuse; anyone on probation.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY IF HIRED
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (Department) has a "zero tolerance" policy for its employees for the following:

• use of narcotics, controlled substances, and/or prescription drugs without a prescription.

Any employee found in violation of this policy will be subject to discharge.

AVAILABLE SHIFT Any Shift

APPOINTEES MUST BE WILLING TO WORK ANY SHIFT, INCLUDING EVENINGS, NIGHTS WEEKENDS, AND HOLIDAYS.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION
We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. This website can also be used to get application status updates. Your application and supplemental questionnaire must be submitted electronically before 5:00 P.M., PT, on the last day of filing.

Please fill out the application completely. Provide relevant job experience including employer's name and address, job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed.

Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your work experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements. We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of information on your application and any attachments will result in refusal of application, rescission of appointment, or restriction of application to future recruitments.

We will send notifications to the email address provided on the application, so it is required that you provide a valid email address. If you choose to unsubscribe or opt out from receiving our emails, it is possible to view notices by logging into governmentjobs.com and checking the profile inbox. It is every applicant's responsibility to take steps to view correspondence, and we will not consider claims of missing notices to be a valid reason for re-scheduling an exam part. Register the below domains as approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk mail.

• cacontre@lasd.org
• info@governmentjobs.com
• noreply@governmentjobs.com

New email addresses need to be verified. This only needs to be done once per email address and can be done at any time by logging in to www.governmentjobs.com and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of the online application and to prevent incorrectly entered email addresses.

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED OUTSIDE THE OFFICIAL APPLICATION FILING PERIOD, NO EXCEPTIONS.

TO ENSURE THAT YOUR APPLICATION HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED, YOU MUST HAVE RECEIVED A CONFIRMATION EMAIL AS VERIFICATION.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:
Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number, so include yours when applying.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCES AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
For applicants who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
NO SHARING OF USER ID, EMAIL, AND PASSWORD:
All applicants must file their application using their OWN user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922

ADA Coordinator Phone: (213) 229-1621

Teletype Phone: (213) 626-0251

Department Contact Name: Professional Examinations Unit

Department Contact Phone: (323) 526-5611

Department Contact Email: sheriffexamsunit@lasd.org

For detailed information, please click here