Records Manager Job Description

What Does a Records Manager Do?

Requests for public documents keep arriving at government agencies and public universities, and state law gives each one a deadline. Behind every answer is a records manager, who decides what the organization keeps and for how long, runs the document management system and reviews each file for confidential details before it goes out.

Also known as: Open Records Manager

Records Manager Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a records manager include:

• Write and update the records retention schedule with legal counsel and department heads.
• Respond to open records or public information requests within the deadlines set by state law.
• Review requested documents for exempt or confidential information before release, with legal staff.
• Run the document management system and set rules for naming, access and retention.
• Train staff on what to keep, what to destroy and how to store email and electronic files.
• Issue and lift legal holds when litigation or audits begin and end.
• Audit department recordkeeping and report compliance gaps to senior leadership.
• Manage off-site storage contracts, scanning projects and certified destruction vendors.
• Supervise records coordinators and clerks, and set their priorities and training.
• Plan the move from paper files to electronic records with IT and department heads.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a records manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Records retention and state public records laws
• Electronic document and email management systems
• Certified Records Manager (CRM) credential, valued by many employers
• Legal holds and e-discovery basics
• Judgement on what can be released and what must be withheld
• Leading a small records team
• Clear policy writing and training
• Bachelor's degree in information management, business or a related field

Education and Training

Before running a records program, most people spend time as records coordinators or analysts, though some come across from legal, archives or IT work. Many employers require a bachelor's degree, and BLS lists one plus under five years of related work as typical for administrative services managers. At the senior end, the Certified Records Manager credential counts for a lot.

Salary and Job Outlook

According to BLS, employment of administrative services managers, the wider group that includes records managers, is projected to grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035. BLS also expects roughly 22,000 openings a year across that group. Demand looks steady given that email, lawsuits and public records laws keep adding to what organizations must store and produce.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Administrative services managers.