[Hiring] FOIA/Privacy Act Specialist @KMRG

Role Description

KMRG, LLC is hiring a FOIA/Privacy Act Specialist to support the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid (FSA). In this role, you will:

• Process Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), FOIA Appeals, and Privacy Act requests
• Apply FOIA exemptions and redactions
• Prepare response correspondence
• Maintain cases in FOIA Xpress
• Provide regulatory and analytical support to FSA

This position is a strong fit for an experienced FOIA professional who can independently handle complex requests, make sound disclosure determinations, and work accurately in a deadline-driven environment with minimal oversight.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Apply today!

Responsibilities

• FOIA & Privacy Act Request Processing
  • Review, analyze, and process incoming FOIA and Privacy Act requests
  • Participate in intake activities and assess requests for appropriate processing
  • Enter FOIA requests and related correspondence accurately into FOIA Xpress and FSA tracking systems
  • Coordinate with Department program offices to obtain responsive records and address request issues
  • Communicate with requesters regarding scope, cost, identity certification, and other processing matters
  • Track cases and complete required actions within statutory, regulatory, and Department timeframes
  • Support efforts to reduce the number of pending FOIA and Privacy Act requests
  • Maintain complete and accurate case documentation throughout the request lifecycle
• Disclosure Review, Redactions & Responses
  • Review responsive records and determine the appropriate treatment under FOIA and Privacy Act requirements
  • Apply redactions using expert knowledge of the nine FOIA exemptions
  • Process complex FOIA requests requiring careful analysis and disclosure determinations
  • Prepare interim and final response letters and memoranda for signature, as appropriate
  • Apply controlling case law, Department policy, regulations, procedures, and guidance to disclosure decisions
  • Coordinate with appropriate Department personnel when legal, policy, or program input is needed
• FOIA Appeals
  • Process FOIA Appeals in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures
  • Review case records, prior determinations, responsive documents, and exemption applications
  • Provide accurate analytical support for appeal review and resolution
  • Maintain appeal documentation and related correspondence in applicable case-management systems
  • Support timely completion of appeal actions and required follow-up
  • Identify issues requiring additional review or coordination
• FOIA Xpress & Case-Management Support
  • Use FOIA Xpress to process, track, document, and report FOIA and Privacy Act activity
  • Maintain accurate request data, case actions, correspondence, and status information
  • Use FSA's internal FOIA Integrity Management System (FIMS) and other workflow tools as required
  • Quickly learn and use internally developed systems supporting FOIA processing
  • Recommend modified or new operational approaches, including improvements involving FOIA Xpress
  • Support accurate management, tracking, and reporting of FOIA workload
• Regulatory Guidance & Analytical Support
  • Provide technical guidance on FOIA and Privacy Act laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidance
  • Analyze factual information, evaluate significant factors, and solve complex processing problems
  • Review options and provide recommendations regarding procedures, strategies, resources, and ongoing activities
  • Aggregate and analyze data to support comparisons, reporting, and management decisions
  • Provide subject-matter expertise to FSA FOIA management and internal stakeholders
  • Support Department compliance with Federal information-management and privacy requirements
• Communication & Quality
  • Communicate professionally with FSA personnel, Department offices, requesters, and other stakeholders
  • Keep the COR and FSA FOIA management informed of progress and issues affecting performance
  • Prepare complete, correct, timely, and easy-to-understand written work products
  • Use Department formats, terminology, and procedures when preparing deliverables
  • Incorporate feedback and correct identified errors promptly
  • Manage competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and required response timelines
• Program Support
  • Support analytical reporting and other FOIA program activities assigned by FSA management
  • Prepare Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and related work products as required
  • Maintain documents in appropriate locations so they are accessible to authorized staff
  • Protect sensitive, privacy-related, and Government information handled during performance
  • Perform quality checks on case data, correspondence, redactions, and deliverables
  • Work independently at a high-performance level with minimal input from program leadership
  • Be prepared to begin performance immediately after award
  • Perform related FOIA and Privacy Act support duties within the scope of the position

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum of 3 years of Federal service or equivalent public/private-sector experience managing and/or responding to FOIA/Privacy Act requests
• Demonstrated expertise using and applying the major FOIA exemptions
• Experience processing complex FOIA requests
• Expert knowledge and application of FOIA and Privacy Act laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidance
• Expert-level experience using FOIA Xpress and related technologies
• Experience processing FOIA Appeals
• Experience reviewing responsive records and applying appropriate redactions
• Ability to work independently at a high-performance level with minimal supervision
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Background

• Federal agency FOIA and Privacy Act processing experience
• Experience preparing interim and final FOIA response letters and memoranda
• Experience coordinating responsive-record searches with multiple program offices or stakeholders
• Experience applying FOIA case law and Department or agency policy to disclosure determinations
• Experience with FOIA reporting, workload analysis, or case-management data
• Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and related office tools
• Experience learning or using internal FOIA workflow, tracking, or reporting systems

Location

• Work may be performed virtually or in accordance with Department of Education policies

Travel

• Travel is not required

Background Investigation

• Applicants will be subject to Department contractor security vetting and background investigation requirements
• Employment is contingent on final Government approval and successful completion of applicable requirements

Client

• U.S. Department of Education

Employment Classification

• Employment Classification Eligibility — Exempt

Other Considerations

• Applicants will be subject to a background investigation.
• Individual’s primary workstation is located in an office area.
• The noise level in this environment is low to moderate.
• Regularly required to sit for extended periods up to 100% of the time; frequently required to move about to access file cabinets and use office equipment such as PC, copier, fax, telephone, cell phone, etc.
• Occasionally required to reach overhead, bend, and lift objects of up to 10 lbs.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include the use of computer monitor screens up to 100% of the time.