POSITION SUMMARY:
The Public Records Officer reports to the Director of Finance and serves as Skagit Transit’s lead for public records, records retention, and records governance. This position administers the Agency’s Public Records Act program in compliance with RCW 42.56, RCW 40.14, state retention schedules, and Agency policy by coordinating records requests, managing records preservation and disclosure processes, reviewing records for exemptions and redactions, and maintaining auditable compliance records. The role provides guidance to leadership on disclosure obligations, records governance, compliance risk, and policy implementation; exercises independent judgment on complex matters; and collaborates with legal counsel as needed. The Public Records Officer promotes transparency, accountability, public trust, and consistent agency-wide records management practices in support of Skagit Transit’s mission and values.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Serve as Skagit Transit’s designated Public Records Officer, responsible for agency-wide Public Records Act compliance, disclosure operations, and auditable PRA documentation.
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Administer public records requests and records management processes, ensuring compliance with statutory timelines, retention requirements, and agency governance standards.
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Interpret and apply applicable public disclosure, retention, confidentiality, and exemption requirements to public records requests and related records issues.
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Analyze requested materials for responsiveness; review responsive records for exempt or confidential information; apply legally defensible redactions; and prepare exemption logs or other supporting documentation.
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Exercise independent judgment in determining the applicability of exemptions, redactions, third-party notice, installment production, and disclosure risk, with guidance from legal counsel as needed.
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Communicate with requestors in a clear, timely, respectful, and customer-focused manner, including acknowledgments, clarifications, installment deliveries, cost estimates, and closure notices.
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Prepare and distribute required correspondence, including third-party notices, commercial use declarations, records hold notices, search affidavits, exemption explanations, and related PRA documentation.
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Maintain the public records tracking system to ensure timely response, accurate workload monitoring, defensible documentation, and continuous improvement of PRA processes.
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Track legal holds and coordinates with departments, executive leadership, and legal counsel to preserve records required for litigation, investigations, audits, or anticipated claims.
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Stay informed on legislative changes, case law, Attorney General guidance, and best practices affecting public disclosure; provide practical updates and guidance to Skagit Transit staff.
- Lead and administer Skagit Transit’s records retention program, ensuring compliance with Washington State Archives retention schedules and lawful records destruction requirements.
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Coordinate with departments to ensure proper creation, storage, classification, retrieval, and destruction of agency records.
- Identify and safeguard “essential records” needed for continuity of operations and long-term preservation.
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Develop and maintain procedures for logically organized searchable, user-friendly recordkeeping systems.
- Develop and implement agency-wide records policy, governance standards, standard operating procedures, and quality controls for consistent records creation, maintenance, retrieval, retention, archiving, and disposition.
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Promote consistent records practices that support safety, service excellence, fiscal responsibility, innovation, sustainability, integrity, and teamwork across departments.
- Work closely with IT to manage retention, retrieval, preservation, and lawful disposition of electronic records, including email, Microsoft 365 content, device records, shared drives, metadata, and other agency systems.
- Support e-discovery processes, defensible search documentation, digital redactions, metadata preservation, secure file transfer, and confidentiality controls.
- Ensure metadata practices, access controls, digital filing structures, and retention workflows support practical records governance.
- Develop, update, and implement internal PRA procedures, records retention procedures, manuals, templates, workflow guidance, and agency-wide records policy standards.
- Provide practical guidance to staff to support accurate, timely, respectful, and legally compliant interactions with requestors, community members, and partner agencies.
BENEFITS:
All employees are eligible to receive:
- Employee Assistance Program
- Department of Retirement Systems PERS2 or PERS3 enrollment
- Voluntary Flexible Spending Account
Benefits begin the first day of the month following the date of hire.
Skagit Transit is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug Free Business
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any equivalent combination of education and experience that provide the knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the job.
A typical way to meet this requirement would be:
- Associate’s degree in public administration, business administration, records management, legal studies, communications, information management, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible administrative, legal, records, compliance, or public-sector experience.
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Minimum of three (3) years of experience administering public disclosure activities, records management, legal/compliance coordination, or public-sector records processes.
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Demonstrated working knowledge of the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56), public-sector recordkeeping, records retention, confidentiality, and disclosure requirements.
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Public Records Officer Certification, or ability to obtain within a timeframe established by Skagit Transit.
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Preferred, but not required: records management or information governance credential, such as Certified Records Manager (CRM), Information Governance Professional (IGP), or comparable training/certification.
