(a) After consulting with the board, the department shall employ two persons who are not members of the board; one shall be assigned as the investigator for the board; the other shall be assigned as the executive secretary for the board. The investigator shall
(1) conduct investigations into alleged violations of this chapter and into alleged violations of regulations and orders of the board;
(2) at the request of the board, conduct investigations based on complaints filed with the department or with the board; and
(3) be directly responsible and accountable to the board, except that only the department has authority to terminate the investigator's employment and the department shall provide day to day and administrative supervision of the investigator.
(b) The executive secretary is the principal executive officer of the board and shall perform duties as prescribed by the board. The executive secretary is in the partially exempt service under AS 39.25.120 and is entitled to receive a monthly salary equal to a step in Range 23 on the salary schedule set out in AS 39.27.011(a).