Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Documentation Clerk

🎯 Role Definition

A Documentation Clerk (also called Documentation Specialist or Records Clerk) is responsible for creating, maintaining, organizing and retrieving physical and electronic documents and records to support business operations and regulatory compliance. This role emphasizes accurate data entry, document indexing and filing, records retention and disposition, document lifecycle management, and supporting internal and external audits. The ideal candidate has strong attention to detail, experience with document management systems (DMS) and scanning/OCR processes, familiarity with retention policies and privacy regulations, and excellent communication and customer service skills.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Administrative Assistant or Office Assistant with basic records responsibilities
Data Entry Clerk or Mailroom Clerk who handled document intake and scanning
Customer Service Representative who managed documentation and correspondence

Advancement To:

Document Control Supervisor / Lead Documentation Clerk
Records Manager or Records Analyst
Compliance Specialist, Quality Assurance Coordinator, or Information Governance Analyst

Lateral Moves:

Office Manager or Administrative Coordinator
Records Analyst or Document Imaging Technician
Archive Technician or Library/Information Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Maintain and operate centralized filing systems (both electronic and physical) by accurately categorizing, indexing, labeling, and storing documents according to established naming conventions, taxonomy and retention schedules to ensure fast retrieval and regulatory compliance.
Process incoming and outgoing correspondence, forms and documentation by verifying completeness, entering required metadata into the document management system (DMS), routing items to the appropriate departments and logging transactions in tracking systems.
Scan, image and convert paper records to searchable electronic formats using high-volume scanners and OCR software, then perform quality assurance to verify legibility, correct indexing and proper metadata tagging.
Perform high-volume, accurate data entry from a variety of source documents (manual forms, invoices, contracts, medical records) into databases and DMS platforms, maintaining a low error rate and proactively correcting discrepancies.
Retrieve, prepare and deliver physical and electronic files for internal teams, external auditors and client requests, tracking chain-of-custody and documenting access to ensure traceability and accountability.
Maintain version control and document revision histories by tracking changes, ensuring that obsolete copies are replaced or archived and that current versions are clearly identified in the DMS.
Support records retention and disposition activities by applying organizational retention schedules, coordinating with off-site storage vendors, preparing transfer packages and executing secure destruction of records per policy.
Prepare, maintain and distribute standard operating procedures (SOPs), document control forms, filing manuals and training materials to ensure consistent recordkeeping practices across the organization.
Validate and reconcile document inventories and logs on a scheduled basis, identifying missing or duplicate records, initiating corrective action, and escalating unresolved discrepancies to management.
Apply privacy, confidentiality and security measures (HIPAA, GDPR, company policy) when handling sensitive records, ensuring restricted files are protected and access is limited to authorized personnel.
Support internal and external audits by compiling requested documentation packages, producing audit trails from the DMS, answering auditor queries and implementing corrective measures identified during audit reviews.
Coordinate with IT to troubleshoot and optimize document management software, maintain user access permissions, assist with DMS upgrades and provide feedback on features that improve document workflows.
Create and maintain reports and dashboards on document intake, processing times, backlog volumes and retention status to provide visibility for management and support continuous improvement initiatives.
Index and categorize incoming technical drawings, engineering change orders, contracts and compliance documents to enforce strict document control standards and ensure traceability for manufacturing, legal and quality teams.
Label, barcode and prepare physical files and boxes for off-site archival storage, complete chain-of-custody documentation and manage retrieval requests from off-site vendors.
Review and proof documents for accuracy, completeness and compliance with formatting and filing guidelines prior to finalization and distribution to stakeholders.
Assist in customer-facing documentation tasks such as assembling client records, preparing disclosure packages, responding to records requests and supporting FOIA or legal discovery processes as required.
Train new hires and cross-train colleagues on filing systems, DMS usage, scanning standards and records retention procedures to maintain consistent practices across shifts and departments.
Implement and participate in continuous improvement projects to streamline filing workflows, reduce paper handling, improve indexing accuracy and accelerate document retrieval times.
Monitor mailroom and courier activities related to document transfer, ensuring timely delivery, proper documentation of chain-of-custody and secure handling of sensitive materials.
Maintain equipment and consumable inventories (scanners, label printers, toner, archival boxes), coordinate maintenance and replacement, and document usage to support uninterrupted document services.

Secondary Functions

Assist project teams with document control for special projects (change management, regulatory filings, facility moves), ensuring project documents are tracked, versioned and retained per project timelines.
Provide back-up administrative support including reception coverage, phone/email triage, meeting packet preparation and minute-taking when required.
Support information governance initiatives by participating in records classification, metadata standardization and enterprise taxonomy refinement.
Assist legal and compliance teams by preparing litigation hold notices, preserving relevant records and coordinating document collection for legal reviews.
Participate in cross-functional process mapping exercises to identify manual touchpoints and recommend automations or DMS integrations to reduce processing time.
Help maintain departmental KPIs by tracking productivity metrics, error rates and turnaround times and suggesting staffing or process adjustments based on workload trends.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient with Document Management Systems (DMS) such as SharePoint, DocuWare, M-Files, OpenText or Laserfiche for indexing, retrieval and version control.
Strong data entry skills with fast and accurate keyboarding and familiarity with Excel for lists, reconciliations and simple data analysis.
Experience with high-volume scanning, optical character recognition (OCR) software and image enhancement tools to convert paper to searchable electronic records.
Knowledge of records retention schedules and disposition processes, including creating transfer packs and coordinating secure destruction.
Proficient with PDF editing tools and Adobe Acrobat for redaction, combining PDFs, bookmarking and setting security permissions.
Familiarity with labeling and barcode systems, physical archiving procedures and off-site records vendor coordination.
Ability to run and interpret basic reports from DMS or ERP systems and to build simple dashboards showing document metrics.
Working knowledge of privacy and compliance standards relevant to records (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, industry-specific regulations) and methods to protect confidential information.
Experience with quality control procedures for document verification, error correction workflows and audit trail generation.
Comfortable using general office software: Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook), Google Workspace and basic desktop troubleshooting.
Familiarity with eDiscovery, FOIA/POI request processing or legal hold procedures (preferred for roles supporting legal/regulatory teams).

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy when handling high volumes of documents and metadata.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks, manage time effectively and meet strict deadlines.
Clear written and verbal communication skills to interact with internal stakeholders, external vendors and auditors.
High level of discretion, integrity and commitment to confidentiality when handling sensitive records.
Problem-solving mindset with the ability to identify root causes of filing errors and propose practical process improvements.
Customer-service orientation to respond promptly and courteously to document requests from departments and external parties.
Team player who can collaborate across functions, train others and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
Adaptability and flexibility to handle changing priorities, peak workloads and ad hoc requests.
Dependability and strong work ethic with consistent attendance, follow-through and attention to procedural compliance.
Initiative to identify opportunities for automation and better use of tools to reduce manual work and increase accuracy.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; GED accepted.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or certificate in Records Management, Office Administration, Information Management, Business Administration or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Records and Information Management
Office Administration
Business Administration
Library Science / Archival Studies
Information Technology (for DMS integrations)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of clerical or records/document control experience in an office, manufacturing, legal, healthcare or government environment.

Preferred:

2+ years of experience working with document management systems, scanning/OCR workflows and records retention procedures.
Experience supporting audits, legal discovery or regulated industries (healthcare, finance, manufacturing) is a strong plus.