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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Document Specialist

💰 $ - $

AdministrationRecords ManagementDocument ControlCompliance

🎯 Role Definition

A Document Specialist is responsible for the accurate creation, management, control, and distribution of organizational documents and records across digital and physical repositories. This role ensures compliance with internal policies and external regulations (e.g., ISO, GDPR, HIPAA), maintains version control, implements document retention schedules, supports audits, and enables efficient information retrieval for operational teams. The Document Specialist serves as the subject-matter expert for document management processes and tools, driving continuous improvement in document quality, metadata standards, and lifecycle management.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Administrative Assistant with records or filing responsibilities
  • Records Clerk or Document Control Clerk
  • Paralegal or Legal Assistant with document processing experience

Advancement To:

  • Document Control Manager / Records Manager
  • Information Governance Manager
  • Compliance or Quality Assurance Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Content Management Specialist
  • Information Governance Analyst
  • Quality Assurance Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, implement, and maintain document control procedures and workflows to ensure consistent version control, naming conventions, and storage practices across all departments and systems.
  • Manage the full document lifecycle including creation, classification, metadata tagging, indexing, storage, retention scheduling, and secure disposal in accordance with corporate policies and regulatory requirements.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for document control requests, routing, approvals, and distribution; coordinate multidisciplinary review cycles to meet project and operational deadlines.
  • Maintain and administer document management systems (DMS/EDMS) such as SharePoint, Documentum, OpenText, or other enterprise content management platforms, including user provisioning, folder structures, and permissioning.
  • Create and maintain standardized templates, checklists, and style guides to ensure documents are consistent, compliant, and brand-aligned for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Perform detailed document quality assurance and validation including proofreading, format checks, cross-referencing, and ensuring completeness before publication or release.
  • Lead or support internal and external audits by preparing documentation packages, producing records, responding to audit requests, and implementing corrective actions for non-conformances.
  • Coordinate change control processes for policies, SOPs, technical documents, and controlled records; ensure changes are tracked, approved, and communicated to affected stakeholders.
  • Implement and maintain effective metadata schemas and taxonomy to improve document discoverability, search relevance, and automated classification across repositories.
  • Execute batch uploads, conversions (PDF, OCR, XML), and migrations of legacy documents to electronic systems while ensuring integrity, accessibility, and indexing accuracy.
  • Reconcile and resolve discrepancies between document versions, maintaining a master document register and communicating superseded or retired status to users.
  • Monitor and report on document metrics (e.g., completeness, timeliness, retrieval rates, overdue reviews) to management and continuous improvement teams.
  • Support legal, regulatory, and compliance teams by preparing official document bundles, redaction of sensitive data when required, and ensuring chain-of-custody for records.
  • Train end users and business stakeholders on document control policies, DMS best practices, and compliance obligations, creating job aids and conducting hands-on workshops as needed.
  • Manage access controls and permissions to protect confidential information, enforce segregation of duties, and comply with privacy regulations and internal security policies.
  • Collaborate with IT to troubleshoot system issues, coordinate enhancements, and participate in configuration and testing of updates to document management tools.
  • Execute regular backups, archival procedures, and retention policy enforcement to minimize risk and ensure business continuity for critical documentation.
  • Facilitate cross-functional document reviews, capturing feedback, maintaining review logs, and driving timely resolution of comments to keep projects on schedule.
  • Support production of high-visibility reports, proposals, and regulatory submissions by assembling document sets, ensuring formatting consistency, and verifying required approvals are in place.
  • Manage physical records inventory where applicable: labeling, tracking, retrieval, offsite storage coordination, and secure destruction according to retention schedules.
  • Maintain compliance with industry standards (e.g., ISO 9001), and participate in continual improvement initiatives to streamline document workflows and reduce cycle times.
  • Analyze document processes to recommend automation opportunities (e.g., workflow automation, OCR improvements, metadata enrichment) and participate in implementation of efficiency projects.
  • Provide after-hours or on-call support during critical releases, audits, or legal holds to ensure essential documents remain accessible and secured.
  • Prepare and maintain detailed documentation of document control procedures, configuration settings, and system change logs to support knowledge transfer and onboarding.

Secondary Functions

  • Support stakeholder requests for historical research on records, compiling timelines and evidence packages for investigations or compliance inquiries.
  • Assist in classifying and tagging incoming information from diverse sources (email, scanned documents, CMS exports) to ensure timely inclusion in the master document repository.
  • Collaborate with business analysts and process owners to translate document requirements into system specifications and user stories for IT and digital transformation teams.
  • Participate in continuous training and certification programs to remain current with document management best practices, privacy laws, and relevant industry standards.
  • Help administer departmental budgets for document storage, scanner leases, and third-party archiving services, recommending cost-saving alternatives where possible.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proven experience administering enterprise document management systems (e.g., SharePoint, Documentum, OpenText, M-Files) including configuration, permissioning, and content migration.
  • Strong knowledge of records management principles, retention scheduling, and legal hold processes.
  • Proficiency with document conversion and digitization tools: OCR, PDF optimization, scanning best practices, and batch processing.
  • Familiarity with metadata design, taxonomy development, and information architecture to optimize search and retrieval.
  • Solid understanding of regulatory requirements impacting documents such as ISO 9001, GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, or industry-specific standards.
  • Experience with version control, change control, and release management processes applied to controlled documents and SOPs.
  • Competence using Microsoft 365 ecosystem (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams) and collaboration tools for document workflows.
  • Basic scripting or automation skills (Power Automate, PowerShell, or similar) to create or maintain document workflows and bulk actions.
  • Experience preparing documentation for audits, certifications, and regulatory submissions, including redaction and chain-of-custody handling.
  • Familiarity with content migration and integration techniques (APIs, ETL, connectors) to sync documents across platforms.
  • Knowledge of file formats and standards (PDF/A, XML, TIFF) and best practices for long-term digital preservation.
  • Capability to create clear templates, SOPs, and user documentation to support consistent document creation and control.

Soft Skills

  • Strong attention to detail with a commitment to accuracy and high-quality documentation.
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Clear verbal and written communication skills for interacting with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to analyze process gaps and propose practical improvements.
  • Customer-service orientation: responsive to stakeholder needs and able to provide training and hands-on support.
  • High level of integrity and discretion handling confidential or sensitive information.
  • Collaborative team player who can influence cross-functional groups without direct authority.
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new systems, tools, and industry regulations.
  • Project coordination skills and the ability to drive tasks to completion with minimal supervision.
  • Critical thinking and judgment to escalate compliance issues appropriately and recommend mitigations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Business Administration, Information Management, Library Science, Records Management, or related field; or equivalent work experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Records Management, Information Science, Business Administration, Legal Studies, or related discipline.
  • Professional certifications such as Certified Records Manager (CRM), Information Governance Professional (IGP), or ISO 9001 Lead Auditor are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Records and Information Management
  • Library and Information Science
  • Business Administration
  • Computer Science or Information Systems
  • Legal Studies / Paralegal Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years in document control, records management, or enterprise content management roles.

Preferred: 4+ years managing enterprise document systems, demonstrated experience in regulated environments (healthcare, finance, manufacturing, legal), and a track record of supporting audits and process improvement initiatives.

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