Government Information Specialist (Privacy/Freedom of Information Act Officer)

Summary

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 disclosures, 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 implementing regulations.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: Implements unique policies and procedures to manage agency information, provide assistance and services to the 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 cover 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 influence 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 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. Perform 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 and 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 a communications process and tools that are flexible, customizable and interactive to address unique compliance challenges and educational/training needs. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist (Privacy/Freedom of Information Act Officer)/PD99843S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/04/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience as a Privacy/FOIA officer working independently with little supervision, formulating policy, ensuring compliance with federal and state laws and conducts thorough research of implementing regulations and policies and procedures to manage agency/organization information; providing assistance and services to the general public, staff members and communicated information to the Executive leadership, facility staff and outside stakeholders. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Best Qualified: The position serves as the facility-level lead for privacy, FOIA, and data governance, with responsibility for strategic planning, policy development, compliance oversight, investigations, disclosure decisions, training, and stakeholder engagement. The best qualified factors are: Data governance program leadership Privacy and FOIA subject-matter expertise Legal and regulatory research Policy development and implementation Compliance monitoring and performance improvement Training, communication, and change management Investigations and adjudication Stakeholder engagement and executive advising Data lifecycle and risk management Organization, strategic planning, and workload management Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. There will be episodes of moderate lifting or prolonged periods of standing and bending in searching various files. There is lifting and carrying of such items as record boxes and bulky files. The work involves considerable walking, standing and bending conducting rounds, auditing and providing training to both on-site and off-site personnel. There is also occasional lifting and carrying of such items as boxes and files, weighing up to 30 pounds. The work may be performed in an office setting with adequate light, heat, air conditioning and ventilation. Traveling off-station to VA outpatient clinics, contracted community-based clinics, business associate offices and between campuses to provide training and attend/conduct meetings is necessary. May require occasional travel. Work Environment: The work may be performed in an office setting with adequate light, heat, air conditioning and ventilation. Traveling off-station to VA outpatient clinics, contracted community-based clinics, business associate offices and between campuses to provide training and attend/conduct meetings is necessary. May require occasional travel. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.