About Us

Terrance Private Investigator & Associates is a leading private investigation firm serving clients nationwide. We provide professional investigative services for individuals, attorneys, businesses, and insurance professionals, specializing in infidelity investigations, criminal defense support, surveillance, background checks, asset searches, missing persons, and complex investigative assignments. Our reputation is built on integrity, discretion, professionalism, and delivering results that matter. Every investigation is handled with precision, thorough documentation, and a commitment to helping our clients get answers and uncover the truth.

As our firm continues to grow across multiple markets, we are seeking a National Investigations Manager to own investigative operations across the entire firm. This is the person who sets the standard every case is held to, builds the leadership beneath them, and makes sure a file worked in one market looks exactly as professional as a file worked in another. It is a senior role for an investigator who has done the work, led the people who do the work, and is ready to be accountable for it firm-wide. If you can hold a national operation to one standard without ever having personally touched most of the cases, we would like to hear from you.

Position Overview

This is a full-time salaried senior management position reporting to the National Investigations Director and the Director of Investigation. The National Investigations Manager holds accountability for investigative operations, quality, capacity, licensing compliance, and client outcomes across all firm markets. The role leads regional investigative leadership, owns firm-wide investigative standards and training, manages national and multi-market client relationships, and supports firm investigative leadership on growth, staffing, and strategy. The role requires availability outside standard business hours, as escalations and active operations across multiple time zones do not observe a schedule, and requires regular travel between markets.

Required Qualifications, Experience & Licensing

Minimum of 7 years of professional private investigation experience, including substantial field surveillance and casework
Minimum of 3 years leading investigators, case managers, or investigative operations, including managing other managers or supervisors
Active Private Investigator license in good standing; qualified manager designation under applicable state private security regulations, or the eligibility and willingness to serve as qualified manager of record where required
Demonstrated ownership of investigative quality across multiple investigators or markets, not just personal casework
Proven command of surveillance methodology, report standards, evidentiary requirements, and chain of custody across case types
Direct experience managing relationships with attorneys, insurance carriers, SIU units, or corporate clients at an account level
Working knowledge of multi-state private security licensing, permissible purpose requirements, and the compliance obligations of a multi-market firm
Experience building or running investigator training, onboarding, and quality assurance programs
Experience testifying at deposition or trial
Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, business, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered in lieu
Valid driver's license with a clean driving record
Ability to pass a background check and maintain confidentiality at all times
Preferred: multi-market or national investigative operations leadership
Preferred: professional investigative credentials and multi-state licensing

Equipment & Resources

The firm provides the tools required for the role:

Laptop, mobile device, and full access to firm systems and the case management platform
Firm database, records, and research resource access
Access to firm-wide equipment, evidence, and case infrastructure
Secure evidence storage and cloud infrastructure
Vehicle allowance or mileage reimbursement, and travel budget for inter-market operations

You are expected to maintain a personal vehicle in good mechanical condition and to be capable of stepping into field or market operations when the situation demands it.

Core Responsibilities

Own investigative output across the entire firm, the quality, timeliness, and defensibility of every file that leaves any market
Set, document, and enforce firm-wide investigative standards for surveillance, reporting, evidence handling, and client deliverables
Lead and develop regional investigative leadership; hold each region accountable for its results and its bench
Build and run firm-wide investigator training, onboarding, and quality assurance programs
Establish quality assurance review structure and audit case files across markets to confirm the standard is real, not stated
Own investigative capacity planning across markets, ensuring the firm can staff demand ahead of it rather than scrambling behind it
Serve as the senior escalation point for the most serious field incidents, safety matters, client issues, and complex or sensitive cases
Manage national and multi-market client accounts, including carriers, TPAs, and law firms operating across the firm's footprint
Own firm-wide licensing compliance, ensuring investigators and markets operate lawfully under applicable state private security regulations
Support the National Investigations Director and Director of Investigation on growth strategy, market expansion, staffing, and investigative capability decisions
Track and report firm-wide investigative metrics: volume, close rates, report turnaround, quality findings, client retention, and utilization
Recruit, evaluate, and develop investigative leadership and senior investigators across markets
Step into high-sensitivity or high-complexity investigations directly when the matter requires the firm's most senior investigator
Protect the firm's reputation, ensuring every market delivers work that would survive scrutiny by opposing counsel, a fraud bureau, or a court
Represent Terrance Private Investigator & Associates at a senior level in client, industry, and professional settings

Investigation Specialties

The firm and this role span the full scope of practice areas:

Infidelity investigations · Surveillance operations · Workers' compensation fraud · Insurance fraud · Child custody investigations · Criminal defense investigations · Background checks · Asset searches · Missing person investigations · Process serving · Witness locates · Fraud investigations · Claims and SIU investigations · Other complex investigative assignments

Depth in insurance defense, SIU, or criminal defense operations at scale is strongly valued.

Required Skills & Attributes

Senior investigative judgment, the ability to look at any file from any market and know immediately whether it meets standard and what it needs
Proven ability to build leaders, not just manage individual contributors; you develop the people who develop the investigators
Command of what defensible investigative work product looks like across every case type the firm handles
Ability to set a standard, document it, teach it, and enforce it consistently across markets and personalities
Strong analytical and operational reasoning; comfortable running the firm's investigative function by metrics and audits, not impressions
Excellent written and verbal communication; capable of both producing and correcting court-admissible work product
Command of surveillance, evidence, licensing, and compliance requirements across multiple states
Strong client-facing presence; able to own a difficult conversation with a national account and keep the relationship
Sound decision-making under pressure and ambiguity, including real-time safety, legal, and reputational calls
Proficient with case management, research, and reporting technology at an operational-oversight level
Exceptional attention to detail paired with the ability to see the whole operation
High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism
Ability to hold accountability firm-wide while keeping the National Investigations Director and Director of Investigation informed and aligned
Strong organization and prioritization across concurrent markets, cases, and initiatives
Self-motivated with an ownership mentality and a commitment to investigative excellence at scale

Physical Requirements

Ability to conduct field investigation and surveillance when a matter requires direct senior involvement, including remaining stationary for prolonged periods
Ability to safely operate surveillance and investigative equipment
Ability to work outdoors in varying weather and environmental conditions during field involvement
Ability to travel frequently between markets, including air travel and multi-day trips
Ability to drive for extended periods during field and market operations
Valid driver's license with a clean driving record and reliable transportation
Ability to occasionally lift and carry investigative equipment weighing up to 30 pounds

What We Offer

Ownership of investigative operations for an entire growing firm, real authority over how the work is done
Competitive base salary plus performance incentive tied to firm-wide investigative quality, capacity, and client retention
Direct partnership with senior firm leadership and genuine influence on firm strategy and expansion
Established client base and diverse, substantive casework across multiple markets
The mandate and the resources to build the investigative operation you know a firm this size should have
Firm-provided equipment, database access, and administrative and operational support
A leadership team that values investigative quality as the foundation of the business
A professional environment where the standard you set becomes the firm's reputation

Compensation Structure

Compensation includes a competitive base salary commensurate with senior investigative leadership experience, licensing credentials, and firm-wide scope, plus performance incentive tied to investigative quality, operational capacity, client retention, and firm growth. Total compensation is discussed during the interview process. Vehicle allowance or mileage reimbursement and a travel budget are provided for inter-market operations.

Safety & Professional Standards

The National Investigations Manager is accountable for the standard held across the entire firm, not only for personal conduct but for the conduct and compliance of every market and investigator. This includes full compliance with applicable state private security licensing requirements across all markets, permissible purpose requirements under FCRA, DPPA, and GLBA, surveillance and recording consent law, company safety policies, confidentiality and data security protocols, evidence handling and chain of custody standards, and our professional code of ethics, and ensuring every investigator in the firm operates within them. The National Investigations Manager is the senior escalation point for safety and legal-boundary matters, is expected to make and defend real-time judgment calls firm-wide, and is responsible for immediately elevating significant developments to the National Investigations Director and the Director of Investigation.

Equal Opportunity

Terrance Private Investigator & Associates is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds. All applicants will be considered based on qualifications, experience, and professional merit.

At a glance

Category: Operations
Location: Houston
Hours: Full time

National Investigations Manager