FOIA/Program Analyst IV – Senior FOIA Analyst (REMOTE)

FOIA/Program Analyst IV (Senior FOIA Analyst)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday

Work Location: Remote (U.S.) through the CMS Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Salary Range: $38-$40 Very High Match to the Senior FOIA Specialist

Both are senior/advanced processors handling complex cases, exemptions, Privacy Act, redactions, correspondence, appeals/litigation and quality review.

CLJ Consulting and Contracting LLC is seeking qualified candidates for an anticipated FOIA/Program Analyst IV (Senior FOIA Analyst) opportunity supporting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs (OSORA), Freedom of Information Group (FIG). This position is contingent upon contract award. We are proactively identifying exceptional talent to join our team should the contract be awarded. The ideal candidate will possess the education, experience, and technical expertise outlined below and thrive in a collaborative, mission-focused environment.

Position Summary

The FOIA/Program Analyst IV reviews, analyzes, and processes FOIA requests, appeals, and litigation in accordance with applicable federal laws, regulations, and CMS policies. This role conducts detailed disclosure analysis of responsive records, applies statutory exemptions, prepares records for release, and provides all analyses and draft responses to the COR for quality review. The work supports CMS goals to reduce the FOIA request and appeal backlog and close the oldest cases and appeals identified by FIG.

Candidates must reside within the United States and must be able to successfully complete a Tier 1 background investigation and meet HSPD-12 identity requirements. All staff must sign the CMS Non-Disclosure Agreement and complete CMS Information Security Awareness, Privacy, and Records Management training before performing work. The work requires protection of personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Responsibilities

• Independently process simple and complex FOIA requests, including backlogged, newly received, and open requests, assigned appeals, and assigned litigation.
• Request, retrieve, review, and analyze responsive records using CMS systems, including the OSORA FIG case tracking system, eDiscovery systems, and AI tools.
• Conduct detailed disclosure analyses and apply FOIA exemptions to protect personal privacy, confidential business, and pre-decisional and deliberative information.
• Process requests for records related to survey and certification, beneficiary records, contracts, cost reports, provider information, congressional correspondence, and other cases assigned by the COR.
• Prepare an index of produced documents, including descriptions of withheld portions and exemption codes.
• Redact and prepare records for production using COR-identified redaction software, including boxing exempt material, sanitizing records, and applying Bates numbering when applicable.
• Review records for assigned appeals and litigation, use Relativity to eliminate duplicative records, and maintain chain of custody for email records.
• Assist in preparing documents for FOIA litigation, including details of the search for court declarations and Vaughn indices.
• Develop search terms for COR approval and perform searches in the designated eDiscovery system.
• Draft outgoing correspondence using approved CMS FOIA templates and communicate with requesters and records custodians to narrow scope, refine search terms, identify disclosure concerns, and assess foreseeable harm.
• Identify related or similar records across requests and appeals.
• Identify requests that meet criteria for administrative closure or narrowing of scope.
• Upload all responses and annotate case notes in the designated CMS FOIA tracking system.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of program objectives.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least a Bachelor’s degree.
• Ten (10) or more years of experience as an industry professional.
• FOIA Act technical knowledge and demonstrated experience with the FOIA process and related federal laws and requirements.
• Understanding of CMS organizational components, OSORA FIG processes, and CMS regional location coordination processes and contacts.
• Knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the OPEN Government Act of 2007, and the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 as they apply to the review and redaction of records.
• Familiarity with eDiscovery tools used to categorize records in preparation for processing.
• Ability to successfully complete a Tier 1 background investigation and meet HSPD-12 identity requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience processing FOIA appeals and litigation, including preparation of Vaughn indices and search declarations.
• Experience using Relativity to deduplicate records and maintain chain of custody for email records.
• Experience with redaction software, record sanitization, and Bates numbering.
• Experience using the OSORA FIG case management tracking system, SharePoint, Box, and the CMS Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to exercise a high degree of independent thought, creativity, and judgment in analyzing complex information and applying FOIA exemptions.
• Ability to maintain awareness of current developments in statutes, regulations, and CMS FOIA Program policies.
• Ability to provide professional and courteous service to all stakeholders.
• Ability to protect PII, PHI, and Controlled Unclassified Information in accordance with HHS and CMS policies.