Public Disclosure Officer
The City of Seattle is seeking candidates for a Public Disclosure Officer with the Privacy Division in Seattle Information Technology (Seattle IT) to support the Mayor’s Office public disclosure requests. This position reports to the Chief Privacy Officer and daily work assignments will be directed by the Public Disclosure Program Manager. This position is Civil Service Exempt and serves at the discretion of the Appointing Authority, provisions of employment are subject to change.
As a city, Seattle is known as a progressive leader in technology, innovation, and the environment. As an employer, the City of Seattle is leading local government in environmental stewardship and social justice amongst other things, making our City what it is today and shaping our exciting future. The organization's workforce plays a critical role in making this possible.
Seattle IT is the technology backbone of the City of Seattle's complex operations and its ability to deliver a wide array of services for the residents of Seattle. The 600+ strong professionals in Seattle IT are involved in the full spectrum of a modern IT enterprise offering many dynamic career opportunities. Our vision is simple: be a Best-in-Class digital services delivery team and set best practices for others to follow.
The Public Disclosure Officer ensures accurate and timely responses to public disclosure requests in compliance with the Washington state Public Records Act, or PRA (RCW 42.56). The Public Disclosure Officer manages records requests, with expertise, discretion, and coordinates requests; searches for, collects, and reviews records for responsiveness and exemptions; and prepares responses and installments for disclosure with maintaining effective communication with the public, media requestors, private attorneys; and City-staff, among others to clarify and respond to complex information requests.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Receive and interpret public disclosure requests, and coordinate collection, review and release of responsive records in accordance with state law and city policy.
- Locate and gather large volumes of records.
- Interpret requests and generate search terms for Boolean and other electronic searches in City systems and databases.
- Communicate with requestors, members of the media, records custodians, the City's Attorney's Office, other public disclosure officers, and various agencies or third parties.
- Organize, process, review, and redact records, and prepare installments of disclosure using various document review platforms.
- Identify applicable exemptions during record review, apply redactions, and generate exemption logs.
- Use GovQA to track requests, communicate with and invoice requestor, and provide records via the Public Records Request Center.
- Use NUIX advanced e-discovery platform for processing of PDRs.
- Provide organized tracking and timely updates on the status of PDR requests.
Qualifications
Your effectiveness in this role will depend on your ability to:
- Be a team player
- Work efficiently and independently with little direction
- Know how to prioritize
- Manage high volume of tasks and projects with shifting deadlines
- React with appropriate urgency to situations and events that require a quick response or turnaround
- Think creatively and be proactive in solving problems
- Have great attention to detail while still meeting tight deadlines
- Work with a high level of professionalism, integrity, and discretion in handling confidential information
- Communicate effectively on high profile and sensitive matters including with members of the media
- Be adept in using technology solutions and tools to effectively process workload
You will be prepared for this role if you have the following knowledge and skills:
- Current knowledge of the Washington State Public Records Act and other statutes, case law, rules and regulations related to public records requests
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Acrobat Pro, SharePoint and GovQA or other public records databases
- Proficiency and strong working knowledge of all software or electronic management systems, e-discovery platforms, used for collection, redaction, production of public records
You will be most successful in this role if you have experience in the below areas:
- Experience and knowledge of principles and best practices of public disclosure in a public sector environment
- Electronic records search and retrieval in various digital media such as Core or Advanced eDiscovery
- Municipal records management
- Current Washington Certified Public Records Officer (WAPRO Certification or the ability to obtain certification within 6 months of hire.
- Experience with electronic review tools such as Nuix, Relativity, Disco, Sightline, etc.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The work of this position requires knowledge of the statutes, case law, rules and regulations related to public records requests. Experience conducting legal research; electronic records search and retrieval; and data mining in various digital media is essential. Knowledge of public record keeping practices; familiarity with the operations of municipal government is also required.
The successful candidate will have strong critical thinking and analytical skills, strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail, including the ability to independently set priorities. They possess exceptional verbal, written, analytic, research, problem-solving, political and project management skills. Their professional work demonstrates the ability to manage multiple priorities and spontaneously respond to inquiries on difficult issues and problems. They have a reputation as a strong collaborative partner, exercising a high level of tact, good judgment, discretion, diplomacy and cooperative working relationships with diverse groups of people.
Additional Information
Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Please submit the following with your online application:
- A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement.
- A resume of your educational and professional work experience.
Please submit your application, resume and cover letter to https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/seattle/.
This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. The Seattle Department of Human Resources values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans and those with diverse life experiences.