Interim Public Disclosure Officer bei City of Seattle, WA

The Office of the City Clerk is seeking a detail-oriented and collaborative individual to serve as Interim Public Disclosure Officer (Strategic Advisor-LEG BU) in the Legislative Department. until December 30, 2025. 

As Public Disclosure Officer, you will have the opportunity to perform a wide range of duties that include:

• Ensuring the timely and accurate responses to public records requests in compliance with the Washington Public Records Act (“PRA”) (RCW 42.56).

• Working with elected officials and their staff, constituents, media, city staff, leadership, and attorneys to ensure the department remains in compliance with its legal obligations and in support of public trust and transparency initiatives to meet mutual goals. 

About the Office of the City Clerk:

As a division, the Office of the City Clerk (OCC) serves as a public information hub for legislative processes, legislation research, and vital agency information and records. The mission of the OCC is to foster civic education, participation, and openness in Seattle city government through effective facilitation of the legislative process and transparent, accountable stewardship of public information and official records. The OCC aims to provide consistent high-level services which promote and strengthen a world-class government, building on the interdisciplinary strengths of the public office and the City.

About the Public Disclosure Unit:

This Public Disclosure Unit responds to all requests for public records under RCW 42.56 and ensures compliance with laws, regulations, and department policy, balancing transparency with the limited exemptions allowable by law. The unit is responsible for training and educating Legislative Department colleagues as to the requirements of the Public Records Act. Public Disclosure staff also participates in City-wide teams reviewing new online request portals and the development of new City policies. The City Clerk serves as the Legislative program sponsor.  

You will be most successful in this position if you:

• Embody the Office of the City Clerk Mission, Vision, and Values (Public Service, Accountability, Respect, and Stewardship).

• Are a team player who values cooperative working relationships with diverse groups of people. 

• Have strong critical thinking and analytical skills.

• Are knowledgeable, experienced, and motivated about working to end institutional and systemic racism.

• Can manage a high volume of tasks and projects with shifting deadlines, react with appropriate urgency to situations and events that require quick response or turnaround times, and be adept in using technology solutions and tools to effectively manage/process workload.

• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing on high profile, sensitive matters and react with appropriate urgency to situations/requests that may change frequently

• Handle confidential information associated with processing records for production and delivery with a high level of integrity and discretion.

• Take initiative and collaborate between various City-wide subject matter experts to determine the appropriate approach and response.

• Are a strong collaborative partner who can also independently set priorities with little direction.

You will be prepared to take on this role if you have following experience, skills, knowledge, and abilities (or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and/or training to perform the body of work):

• Bachelor's degree in business or public administration or another related discipline.

• Proven experience in a role involving public records, legal compliance, or information management.

• An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.

• Experience in systems, operations, procedures, research, or analysis in a legal setting, government, records management, project management, clerk, or equivalent office experience.

• Ability to exercise good judgment and discretion and maintain confidentiality.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong attention to detail. 

• A high level of organizational skills with the ability to work under deadlines, balancing several tasks simultaneously, and quickly prioritizing multiple and competing tasks. 

• Experience in electronic review tools such as Microsoft’s Advanced Electronic Discovery, Nuix, and GovQA.

• Working knowledge of the Washington State Public Records Act.

• Working knowledge of the City of Seattle City Charter.

• Ability to work with creativity and flexibility, both independently and as a team member. 

• Excellent communication skills, professional level writing and presentation skills. 

• Commitment to improving government effectiveness and delivering meaningful results. 

Note: Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they feel they meet every qualification. However, everyone brings different strengths to the table for a job, and people can be successful in a role in a variety of ways. If you are excited about this job but your experience doesn’t perfectly check every box in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.