Records Management Specialist

Job Purpose

The Records Management Specialist is responsible for operational governance, primarily within digital environments, of records maintained for legal, regulatory, audit, and business continuity purposes. Reporting to the Head of IEQA, the role includes responsibility for establishing, implementing, and overseeing MBZUAI’s records management framework, ensuring the systematic creation, classification, retention scheduling, protection, and lawful disposition of institutional records within enterprise and electronic records systems across all departments. The role collaborates with the Digital Archives Specialist on shared records and archival systems, ensuring clear separation between operational records lifecycle management and long-term archival preservation.

Key Responsibilities

Records Governance, Compliance & Digital Lifecycle Management

• Develop, implement, and administer a digital-first records management framework governing the classification, retention, protection, and lawful disposition of institutional records maintained for legal, regulatory, audit, and business continuity purposes.
• Develop and maintain retention schedules, automated disposition rules, classification structures, metadata controls, and access permissions within enterprise records management systems (ERMS).
• Ensure secure and auditable disposition of records in accordance with approved retention schedules and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor institutional compliance with records of governance policies and support audits, regulatory reviews, and legal inquiries.
• Provide advisory guidance on records-related risks affecting compliance, litigation exposure, and operational continuity.

System Management & Optimization

• Co-lead implementation and optimization of digital enterprise records and content management platforms (DAMS, ERMS), ensuring functionality supports legal and regulatory retention requirements.
• Collaborate with IT to ensure secure storage, backups, migration and system performance.
• Administer system-based controls supporting retention, access, and audit functionality.
• Identify opportunities for AI-enabled cataloguing, search optimization, and workflow automation, for review and approval by Head.

Digital Preservation & Integrity

• Work closely with the Digital Archives Specialist on digital preservation strategies to ensure long-term accessibility and authenticity of digital archival materials.

Training and Departmental Support

• Provide departmental training on digital record classification, retention, and transfer responsibilities within enterprise systems.
• Promote awareness of records governance obligations across the University to ensure regulatory compliance and operational continuity.
• Support departments in responding to audits, investigations, or legal disclosure requirements.

Coordination with Archives

• Identify records of continuing historical and research significance eligible for archival transfer, after regulatory and operational retention obligations have been satisfied.
• Coordinate with the Digital Archives Specialist to ensure structured transfer of records designated for permanent preservation, maintaining clear separation between compliance-driven records governance and archival stewardship.

Other Duties

• Carry out all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.

Academic Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in Records Management, Information Governance, Library and Information Science, Information Management, Business Administration, Law, or a related discipline.
• A Professional certification in records or information governance (e.g., Certified Records Manager (CRM), Information Governance Professional (IGP), or equivalent) is desirable.

Professional Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 5–7 years’ experience in records management or information governance within a digital-first institutional environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing retention schedules and defensible disposition processes and supporting audits, legal holds, and regulatory reviews.
• Proven experience configuring or administering enterprise records management systems (ERMS), content management platforms, or cloud-based information governance tools.
• Strong understanding of data protection, regulatory compliance, audit readiness, and legal hold procedures.
• Experience implementing digital classification frameworks, metadata governance, and automated lifecycle controls.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver training and advisory support to departments on records governance responsibilities.

Preferred

• Experience in higher education, public sector, or similarly regulated environments, particularly within the UAE.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled archival technologies and automation tools.
• Knowledge of UAE regulatory frameworks related to records governance.
• Familiarity with international records management standards (e.g., ISO 15489).