Government Information Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs • White City, OR

372d • $73,939 - $115,213

About The Position

The facility Privacy/FOIA Officer has oversight for the data governance program and initiatives in the VHA Medical Center or Healthcare System and its supporting catchment area. The position makes unique facility-level determinations about disclosure, issuance of denials, redactions, access, use and dissemination of federal agency records. The position formulates policy, ensures compliance with federal and state laws and conducts thorough research of federal implementation regulations.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Nice To Haves

• Experience in safeguarding government information while supporting accountability and transparency initiatives.
• Experience conducting strategic risk analysis pertaining to privacy/FOIA programs.
• Experience coordinating training and managing outreach programs.
• Experience researching, interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies and guidance for access and disclosure of agency records and information.

Responsibilities

• Implement unique policies and procedures to manage agency information, providing assistance and services to the general public and an organization, agency or facility staff members.
• Supports developing a local level strategy for data governance, which includes leading from the executive office and creating a unique program that includes diverse processes and specific policies which are independent of other facilities.
• Monitors and covers all aspects of the collection, use, dissemination, disclosure and destruction of information within an organization, agency or facility.
• Develops and integrates policy based processes, roles and controls that influences how data is created, collected, used, stored and destroyed throughout the organization.
• Adjudicates complex privacy and FOIA decisions that affect employees, customers and commercial businesses in the absence of supervision.
• Performs in-depth legal research that pertains to both federal and state statutes to render expertise, provide solutions and facilitate corrective action.
• Safeguards information while supporting accountability and transparency initiatives.
• Analyzes all of the interrelated issues that affect the privacy/FOIA program and plans and conducts monitoring activities which measure the overall level of operational compliance by the facility.
• Teaches and trains employees on general data protection procedures and detailed service specific practices for daily operations and uses technology to provide required privacy/FOIA training and supplemental education.
• Performs assessment of privacy-related risks associated with business activities that involve processing of personal and sensitive data.
• Investigates non-compliance of privacy related issues at all levels of an organization, agency or facility and outside of these entities when information is involved.
• Strengthens and sustains the operational life cycle of the privacy/FOIA program by developing a communication strategy that fosters awareness for both internal external partners to improve compliance, provide training and engage the public.
• Ensures that organization, agency or facility correspondence for data governance is transparent, timely, accurate and complete in response to requests for information from the general-public, Congressional representatives, law enforcement, courts and commercial business.
• Creates communications process and tools that are flexible, customizable and interactive to address unique compliance challenges and educational/training needs.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Administration of Human Resource Programs
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees