Documentation Control Job Description
All businesses and organizations have important documents, which must be retained for internal use, or to comply with one or more regulations; or which must be safeguarded, for example, documents which contain trade secrets or pricing strategies. For this reason, documentation control is a crucial job function, one recognized by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
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Salary and Outlook
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Large corporations, law firms and consulting firms produce millions of documents per year. The document control employee, or document controller, acts in a similar capacity within the file room as a librarian. The document controller position pays an average annual salary of $62,000 per year, according to indeed.com; while document control clerks who report to the controller earn an average annual salary of $29,000. (See References 1)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states, "Rapid declines in employment are expected through 2016. Job prospects should be best for job seekers who have general office skills and who are familiar with personal computers and other office machines." (See References 3)
Requirements
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Document controller jobs generally require a bachelor's degree in business. This can be a general business degree with a focus in any business discipline. The document control clerk position is an entry-level job that only requires a high school diploma and light filing experience. Still, a clerkship requires a high degree of organization and attention to detail. This opportunity is a very process-oriented position that requires long hours and a high degree of job dedication.
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Nature of the Work
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Document control positions are located in office buildings and in climate-controlled rooms (which are kept cool to protect the documents). File rooms are often located in an inner office space or a basement, thus, seldom have windows or views to the outside world. Although this is considered to be a comfortable job, some controllers and clerks dislike the lack of windows and cool temperatures. These positions require a high degree of repetition while classify, storing, retrieving, and updating information.
Duties
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Document controllers are responsible for establishing and implementing a chain-of-custody process for all documents that leave the file room. This keeps document users accountable for the documents. The controller is responsible for maintaining, archiving and updating master documents as well as supporting documents. The controller ensures that all documents are filed and kept in accordance with all compliance, regulatory and legal requirements.
The controller is responsible for developing and managing document control strategies for all departments. They are responsible for interdepartmental communication concerning document policy and proper document handling. The controller is responsible for logging all documents into the document control database. Many companies operate paperless offices, and the controller performs the bulk of her work in computer processing systems.
Secondary Duties
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Document controllers are responsible for the filing room staff, and duties include scheduling, staff assignments and training. The controller oversees and reviews the file clerks' work and provides support and assistance when necessary.
The controller is responsible for familiarizing all company employees with the document control procedures. The controller schedules annual meetings that cover proper document control procedures and chain-of-custody standards.
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