Records Access Officer

Position Information

The California State University, Office of the Chancellor, is seeking a Records Access Officer to be responsible for administering the University’s obligations under the California Public Records Act by receiving, coordinating, reviewing, and responding to public records requests received by the Office of the Chancellor in a timely, lawful, and consistent manner.

The position serves as the central point of coordination between requestors, Chancellor’s Office divisions and departments, University Counsel, Strategic Communications, and University leadership, ensuring appropriate awareness and coordination regarding sensitive or high-profile requests, while promoting transparency, legal compliance, and the protection of confidential and privileged information.

Responsibilities

Under the general direction of the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, Office of General Counsel, the Records Access Officer will:

-Receive PRA requests submitted by any method; independently log, track, and manage requests in a centralized system to ensure compliance with statutory deadlines.

-Review requests to assess scope, complexity, sensitivity, and potential exemptions; prepare and issue required acknowledgments and initial responses within statutory timelines.

-Communicate directly with requestors, as appropriate, to clarify ambiguous or overly broad requests, assist in identifying responsive records, and recommend reasonable narrowing consistent with the University’s duty to assist.

-Notify and coordinate with University Counsel, Strategic Communications, university leadership, labor relations, and other stakeholders regarding sensitive, high-profile, or complex requests.

-Identify and coordinate with campus and Chancellor’s Office records custodians to locate and obtain potentially responsive records.

-Establish search parameters and Boolean terms for IT-conducted searches of electronic systems and repositories; coordinate retrieval of electronic and hard-copy records.

-Collect, organize, and independently review responsive records to determine responsiveness and applicability of statutory exemptions under the PRA and related laws.

-Apply sound judgment in determining disclosure, redaction, or withholding of records; accurately apply redactions to protect confidential, sensitive, or privileged information.

-Consult with University Counsel on complex, novel, or high-risk matters, including issues involving privilege, deliberative process, personnel, or other sensitive records.

-Prepare records for disclosure in approved formats, ensuring preservation of redactions, procedural compliance, and integrity of disclosed materials.

-Coordinate advance notice to employees, third parties, Strategic Communications, and leadership when required or advisable prior to disclosure.

-Draft and transmit disclosure correspondence and responsive records promptly and reasonably in accordance with statutory and institutional requirements. Disclose records by the estimated disclosure date. If additional time is required, notify the requestor in advance of the estimated date. When disclosure will occur over an extended period, provide records on a rolling basis, as appropriate, to demonstrate good-faith compliance.

-Maintain complete and accurate documentation of request processing, including searches conducted, exemptions asserted, and records disclosed.

-Monitor and update PRA logs through final disclosure or closure to ensure accurate reporting and recordkeeping.

-Coordinate with the Chancellor’s Office and other CSU campuses on systemwide or multi-campus requests to ensure consistency and compliance.

-Assist in developing and refining internal protocols, templates, and best practices for public records access and compliance.

-Perform related duties as assigned in support of the University’s transparency and records access obligations.

-Other duties as assigned.

The Records Access Officer is an exempt employee and is required to work under the supervision of the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, with a significant amount of independence. Using their own judgment and knowledge, they are expected to determine the most appropriate approach to the subject assigned and allocate time and resources to the completion of the required work accordingly.

The Records Access Officer reports to the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, who is responsible for their evaluation. They are expected to contribute to the mission of the office and may, from time to time, be asked to assume responsibilities outside of their principal functions.

Qualifications

This position requires:

-The Records Access Officer is required to have a Bachelor’s degree.

-Proficiency with Microsoft Office required.

-Public agency experience is a plus.

-Prior experience working with public records laws, legal compliance, or governmental transparency strongly preferred.

This is a 3/2 hybrid position, where the Records Access Officer will work in-person at the Chancellor’s Office, Long Beach three days per week, and remotely two days per week. The incumbent is required to work in-person on certain dates at management’s discretion.