Administrative Technician - FOIA Specialist

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• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• Language Incentive
• Referral Bonus
• Tuition Assistance Program

Description

The City of Richmond Police Department is seeking a diligent and detail-oriented Administrative Technician to join our Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) team as a FOIA Specialist. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in managing and responding to a high volume of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, and facilitating efficient communication between our department and the public.

Duties include but are not limited to

Responsibilities:

• Research, compile, and respond to a high volume of FOIA requests received by the OLA.
• Ensure timely responses to FOIA requests in accordance with statutory deadlines.
• Identify sensitive or complex requests requiring coordination with departmental legal counsel.
• Redact documents and body worn camera (BWC) footage as necessary to ensure compliance with legal and privacy requirements.
• Acknowledge receipt of new FOIA requests via departmental email inbox and establish both physical and electronic files for each request.
• Input FOIA requests into the OLA FOIA spreadsheet for proper tracking and management.
• Draft and send extension letters when necessary, ensuring clear and accurate communication with requestors.
• Prioritize FOIA requests to optimize efficiency in response times.
• Regularly communicate with departmental staff, officers, and other city agency employees regarding FOIA requests.
• Correspond with requestors to obtain necessary information for processing FOIA requests effectively.
• Document and close files for completed FOIA requests, updating the OLA FOIA spreadsheet and filing closed files appropriately.
• Utilize departmental programs and software, including Records Management System (RMS), TREDS, Netviewer, and Evidence.com, to research and generate reports on police incidents, crashes, 911 records, CAD reports, calls for service, and crime statistics.

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Two years of related clerical or office support experience
• An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with various software programs and databases.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and ability to prioritize tasks effectively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

• Prior experience in administrative support or legal assistance.
• Familiarity with FOIA regulations and legal procedures.

Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly balance, crouch, reach, walk, pull, work with one's fingers, talk, hear, see, use repetitive motions, and feel; and frequently stand, grasp, push, lift, stoop, and kneel. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be light work (exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects), but may differ based on area of focus. The working conditions may contain environmental hazards, depending on area of focus.

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  Internal use: HR Generalist to review.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

The City of Richmond is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the City of Richmond will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to participate in the job application and/or the interview process, please contact Jessica McKenzie, Human Resources Manager by email at Jessica.McKenzie@RVA.GOV.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

The City of Richmond Values Veterans. We are an official V3 Certified Company.

The City of Richmond is a proud partner with the US Army Partnership for Your Success PaYS Program.

With over 4,000 employees, the City of Richmond is an "Employer of Choice" among cities throughout the nation. The City strives to hire and retain employees who bring dedication and talent to the workforce. Offering a competitive, cost effective, and quality benefits package is one element of an "Employer of Choice".

The City offers a full range of benefit programs from initial hire through retirement. Please visit our Web site for details.