Senior FOIA & Privacy Act Program Leader

Socket.dev; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Harkcon, Inc. is seeking an experienced Senior FOIA/Privacy Act Program Manager to lead a team supporting a federal national security customer.

The role manages the lifecycle of FOIA/PA requests, ensuring timely processing, accuracy, and secure handling of sensitive information in a on-site Albuquerque setting with limited telework. Applicants should have a strong track record in federal disclosure programs, appeals, and litigation support, plus leadership of FOIA personnel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in law, public administration, business, management, political science, information management, or another relevant field.
• At least 10 years of management or supervisory experience.
• At least 10 years of professional Freedom of Information Act experience.
• At least five years of experience supporting FOIA appeals and litigation-related matters.
• Demonstrated experience leading federal FOIA or Privacy Act personnel and workloads.
• Thorough knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, applicable exemptions, disclosure requirements, and federal processing procedures.
• Experience reviewing records, applying exemptions, preparing redactions, and developing final response packages.
• Experience conducting quality assurance for complex or sensitive FOIA matters.
• Strong experience communicating issues, risks, and recommended solutions to senior government leaders.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q clearance and access to secure federal facilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise a team processing Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requests.
• Assign and prioritize cases based on age, complexity, sensitivity, deadlines, and customer direction.
• Oversee the full request lifecycle, including intake, scope clarification, search coordination, document review, redaction, consultations, referrals, response preparation, and case closure.
• Monitor workload, production, aging cases, statutory deadlines, and potential processing delays.
• Review final response packages for legal, technical, and editorial accuracy.
• Verify that exemptions, redactions, responsive records, correspondence, and supporting documentation are complete and consistent.
• Ensure case information and supporting records are accurately maintained in the customer’s FOIA case-management system.
• Provide expert guidance on complex requests involving classified, controlled, proprietary, personal, or otherwise sensitive information.
• Coordinate with legal counsel, program offices, records custodians, security personnel, classification authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Support FOIA appeals, litigation-related matters, and high-visibility requests.
• Develop and maintain operating procedures, quality controls, workflow guidance, and performance-monitoring practices.
• Prepare workload reports, status summaries, performance metrics, briefings, and recommendations for government leadership.
• Identify process improvements that increase timeliness and quality while protecting sensitive information.
• Recruit, train, coach, and retain qualified FOIA professionals.
• Maintain continuity during vacancies, leave, workload surges, and changing customer priorities.
• Promptly elevate performance, schedule, quality, or security concerns to Harkcon and customer leadership.

Job description

Harkcon, Inc. is seeking an experienced Senior FOIA/Privacy Act Program Manager to lead a team supporting a federal national security customer.

The role manages the lifecycle of FOIA/PA requests, ensuring timely processing, accuracy, and secure handling of sensitive information in a on-site Albuquerque setting with limited telework. Applicants should have a strong track record in federal disclosure programs, appeals, and litigation support, plus leadership of FOIA personnel.