Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Information Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Information Coordinator plays a central role in organizing, curating, and safeguarding an organization’s information assets. This role combines records and document management, metadata and taxonomy administration, data quality controls, user support for content systems (SharePoint, CMS, CRM), and compliance with retention and privacy policies. The Information Coordinator works cross-functionally with legal, IT, operations, and business units to ensure timely retrieval, accurate indexing, and secure access to information, while enabling insights through reporting and analytics.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Records Clerk or Records Technician with experience in filing, indexing, and retrieval systems.
Administrative Assistant or Office Coordinator who has managed document workflows and email routing.
Library or archival support staff familiar with metadata, cataloging, and preservation best practices.

Advancement To:

Records Manager or Information Manager responsible for policy and retention programs.
Knowledge Manager or Content Strategy Lead overseeing enterprise knowledge bases and taxonomy.
Data Governance Analyst or Compliance Specialist focusing on data quality, lineage, and regulatory compliance.
IT Application Owner for content management systems (SharePoint/Confluence) and enterprise search.

Lateral Moves:

Project Coordinator for documentation-heavy initiatives.
Documentation Specialist or Technical Writer focusing on procedure and knowledge content.
Content Manager or Digital Asset Coordinator managing website and marketing assets.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the intake, classification, and indexing of incoming documents and records across physical and digital repositories, using established metadata schemas and taxonomy to ensure fast, reliable information retrieval and search engine optimization for enterprise content.
Develop and maintain records retention schedules and disposition workflows in coordination with Legal and Compliance teams, ensuring regulatory requirements (e.g., FOIA, GDPR, HIPAA where applicable) are met and documented.
Administer and configure content management platforms (SharePoint, Confluence, Documentum, ECM/CMS) including site architecture, library permissions, metadata columns, and managed metadata services to maintain consistency and usability.
Execute periodic audits of records and repositories to identify orphaned content, duplications, and compliance gaps; prepare audit reports and remediation plans for leadership and auditors.
Create, update, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs), naming conventions, version control rules, and file classification policies that improve discoverability and reduce information risk.
Serve as the first point of contact for internal records and information requests, triaging inquiries, routing complex requests to subject matter experts, and tracking fulfillment SLA metrics using ticketing systems or service desk tools.
Coordinate and manage records scanning, indexing, OCR and archiving projects, partnering with vendors or internal scanning teams to maintain searchable, compliant digital archives.
Configure and run search analytics and reports (search metrics, access logs, top queries) to identify content gaps, improve metadata, and optimize enterprise search relevance and ranking.
Train and support business users on best practices for document creation, metadata tagging, retention handling, and secure sharing — creating user guides, workshops, and quick-reference job aids.
Monitor access permissions and entitlement reviews for sensitive repositories, performing periodic cleanup and role-based access control updates in line with least-privilege principles.
Manage incoming Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or records disclosure requests by logging, prioritizing, gathering responsive records, redacting sensitive information, and coordinating legal approvals.
Collaborate with IT and data engineering teams on information architecture initiatives, providing subject matter guidance for migrating content and preserving metadata during system upgrades or cloud transitions.
Maintain an inventory of record series, data owners, and stewards across departments; facilitate stewardship meetings to align on classification, custody, and lifecycle responsibilities.
Conduct quality assurance validation for data entry and metadata tagging projects, identifying common errors, implementing correction workflows, and reporting quality metrics to leadership.
Support eDiscovery and litigation hold processes by identifying and preserving relevant records, preparing export packages, and working with legal counsel and external vendors as required.
Implement and monitor backup, duplication, and archiving strategies for critical information assets, coordinating restoration tests to validate business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
Develop and deliver dashboards and operational reports (e.g., records requests status, retention due lists, archival volumes, content health metrics) to provide visibility and support data-driven decisions.
Facilitate cross-functional information governance forums to refine policies, taxonomy, and classification rules, ensuring alignment with business objectives and regulatory obligations.
Manage relationships with external vendors (document scanning, records storage, eDiscovery providers) including contract oversight, SLA monitoring, and performance escalation.
Lead or participate in information migration and consolidation projects, mapping legacy metadata to new taxonomies, validating integrity of transfers, and decommissioning redundant systems.
Implement metadata standards (e.g., Dublin Core, ISO 15489 concepts) and controlled vocabularies to drive consistent tagging, automated classification, and enhanced retrieval across digital repositories.
Coordinate labeling and handling of sensitive and restricted information (confidential, proprietary, PII), applying encryption, access controls, and secure disposal procedures to protect data privacy and corporate assets.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist marketing and communications with asset categorization, digital rights metadata, and distribution workflows to improve speed-to-publish and legal compliance.
Provide change management support when rolling out new information tools, including communication plans, training schedules, and user acceptance testing coordination.
Maintain an up-to-date knowledge base for internal FAQs, process flows, and troubleshooting guides to reduce repeat support requests and improve onboarding.
Identify automation opportunities in intake, tagging, and disposition processes, recommending RPA or workflow tools to reduce manual effort and increase accuracy.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Records management and retention policy development — experienced in drafting retention schedules, disposition workflows, and ensuring regulatory compliance (FOIA, GDPR, HIPAA).
Enterprise content management (ECM) and collaboration platforms — hands-on administration of SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365, Confluence, Documentum, or similar CMS.
Metadata design and taxonomy management — implementing controlled vocabularies, managed metadata, and standardized fields for improved findability.
Search and discovery optimization — tuning enterprise search relevance, using search analytics and query logs to improve retrieval performance.
Document imaging and OCR workflows — managing scanning projects, indexing, and quality control for digitized records.
Basic database querying and reporting — comfortable with SQL or use of BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) to extract and visualize content and records metrics.
Information governance and compliance tooling — experience with eDiscovery platforms, legal hold processes, and records tracking systems.
Access control and permissions management — role-based access setup, entitlement reviews, and audit logging for sensitive repositories.
Content migration and change-control processes — mapping legacy data to new schemas and validating integrity post-migration.
Familiarity with data privacy and security frameworks — handling PII, encryption, secure disposal, and audit trail creation.
Experience with ticketing and service desk systems (Jira, ServiceNow) for request tracking and SLA management.
Knowledge of file formats, version control, and lifecycle management best practices for documents and digital assets.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and a methodical approach to classification and quality control.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for creating policies, training materials, and cross-functional coordination.
Customer-focused mindset with experience responding to internal stakeholders and external requests professionally and promptly.
Problem-solving aptitude with the ability to triage competing priorities and propose pragmatic solutions.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple records projects and deadlines simultaneously.
Collaboration and stakeholder management — able to influence without authority and build consensus across departments.
Discretion and integrity when handling confidential or legally sensitive information.
Continuous improvement orientation — proactively identifies efficiency gains and automation opportunities.
Adaptability and comfort working in both structured and fast-changing environments.
Project management fundamentals — scheduling, milestone tracking, risk identification, and vendor coordination.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate’s degree in information management, library science, business administration, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Information Science, Library & Information Studies, Records Management, Archival Studies, or equivalent.
Professional certification preferred (e.g., ICRM Certified Records Manager, ARMA CRM, AIIM Certified Information Professional).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Library and Information Science
Records/Archives Management
Information Systems or Computer Science
Business Administration or Office Management
Legal Studies or Compliance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of progressive experience in records management, information coordination, or content administration roles.

Preferred: 3–7 years with demonstrable experience administering SharePoint or ECM platforms, managing retention schedules, handling FOIA/eDiscovery requests, and executing content migration or audit projects.