Every day we are bombarded with information. It comes to us via the mail, over telephone lines and across computer networks. If we are to put it to good use it must be organised in some way.

Where records and data exist, rules, both in-house policies and wider regulatory laws, must be adhered to. These rules are in place to protect customers, the public and the organisations themselves. The result in recent years has been greater focus on making sure organisations are fully complying with the accurate and safe storage and management of information. And there’s been an explosion in roles to police every detail, fact and figure. 

Records Management is no wallflower job. You’ll need diplomacy, and a firm approach when necessary, together with detailed technical knowledge of your sector and its auditing requirements. An appreciation and understanding of information management and the future landscape is essential. A positive attitude can work wonders too! 

Key responsibilities 

 Monitoring processes and those employed within organisations to ensure that the storage of information and records, paper and electronic, meet necessary legal requirements

• Understanding the law and converting this into standards, procedures and controls that the business people understand and can work with
• Devising and overseeing records retention and disposal schedules
• Managing and controlling risks to avoid falling foul of rules and facing court action
• Migrating and merging information sources within an organisation
• Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of records systems, introducing smarter ways for people to access information, such as Intranets, databases or more user friendly search engines
• Preserving important corporate heritage records for research and business purposes, and destroying records that hold no further benefit
• Managing teams and budgets, training and appraising staff.