The first Senior Archivist for VA will be a member of the core project start-up team and will pioneer the professional practices, standards, and methods needed to create a new program for the VA - the second-largest federal agency with over 370,000 employees.
Summary
The first Senior Archivist for VA will be a member of the core project start-up team and will pioneer the professional practices, standards, and methods needed to create a new program for the VA - the second-largest federal agency with over 370,000 employees.
As a Senior Archivist, you will lead this new program as part of the VA History Office, within the Office of the Secretary. This will mean advancing the program through several distinct phases: initial collection efforts, design planning of a new archival facility, transition to a functional public archive, and ongoing sustained programs/operations. In addition to the breadth of knowledge and experience needed to achieve our goals, the role requires an entrepreneurial approach and the ability to work through near-term challenges while maintaining a long-range strategic vision for a well-established program and a world-class archival facility. The Senior Archivist will work closely with Historians (and other professionals) from the three VA Administrations: Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and National Cemetery Administration (NCA) to implement initial and sustained collection protocols. The Senior Archivist will also work with Records Management Officers and will possess a keen understanding of National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) practices. There will be many challenges (foreseen and unforeseen) in this position, but the opportunity for professional achievement and satisfaction developing a national program of this scope is unequaled. You will:
Implement a Department-wide collection management system for Veteran Affairs (VA) archival materials
Develop methods to maintain the infrastructure of a digital archive
Establish archival preservation procedures for VA public records and historic materials
Advise VA Historians of potential viability of newly acquired source materials
Work with VA and other subject matter experts to plan renovation of historic spaces in accordance with standards for a publicly accessible archive
Train and oversee VA History Office staff to ensure technical standards of VA archives are upheld
Manage VA resources; i.e., inventories, archives, records, and computerized databases
Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors.
You must possess (or be capable of obtaining) a valid state driver's license
You may be required to travel for this position 5-10 nights per month.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date .
To qualify for the Sr. Archivist position, you must meet an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) and Specialized Experience defined by the selecting official. Chose the response that best describe your ability to meet the IORand specialized experience.
Basic Requirements to meet IOR:
A. Bachelor's degree in archival science or bachelor's degree with a major that includes 18 semester hours in archival science, history and/or in political science or government, and 12 semester hours in one or any combination of the following: archival science, history, American civilization, economics, political science, public administration, or government. or B. Combination of education and experience - at least 30 semester hours that included courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Evaluation of Experience: Professional experience must have been in archival science, or in a directly related field of work such as history that involved the collection, appraisal, analysis, or synthesis of information having historical or archival values. The following are illustrative of kinds of experience that may be accepted as meeting the professional experience requirements: (1) experience as an archivist in Federal, state, religious institution, business, or other archives, or in manuscript depositories, and (2) experience of an archival nature that involved research in archival science, or in a directly related field such as history, government, economics, political science, international relations, or international law.
GS-13 Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in federal or other service that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is: (1) Planning the renovation of an archival facility for public accessibility; (2) Overseeing a staff to ensure technical guidelines are being followed; (3) Managing resources; i.e., inventories, archives, records, and computerized databases, and (4) Developing methods to maintain a digital archive.
GS-14 Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in federal or other service that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is: (1) Planning the renovation of an archives facility for public accessibility; (2) Overseeing a staff to ensure technical guidelines are being followed; (3) Managing resources; i.e., inventories, archives, records, and computerized databases; (4) Developing methods to maintain a digital archive; and (5) Preparing and presenting written and oral communications on issues, findings and conclusions to supervisors, managers, and senior leaders, including making recommendations for executive action.
Note: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience you document, to include volunteer experience.
Education
A transcript must be submitted with your application to meet the IOR.
Only education or a degree recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from an accredited college, university, school, or institution may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript(s) in order to receive credit for that education.
Applications submitted without the required supporting documents will not be accepted. An unofficial transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable at the time of application. Education submitted must be appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov/.
Additional information
Work Schedule: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Alternate work schedules are available.
Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. The full performance level of this position is grade GS-14.
Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending or carrying of light items such as papers and books. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities.
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. A well-qualified candidate is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualifications requirements for this position. Specifically, a well-qualified candidate will score 90 or above within the assessment portion of this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility can be found here
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
Notice to Applicants: Itis the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Applicants who do not fully address in their resumes the specialized experience needed for the position (as described in the job announcement), or who do not possess the education to substitute for it, will not be referred for further consideration.
You will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:
Technical Competence
Project Management
communications
Planning and Evaluating
Manages and Organize Information
Managing Human Resources
If you are referred for consideration you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities identified in the announcement; and/or completion of a work sample; and/or an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or your further consideration for employment.
After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package does not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly.
Your application will be evaluated using the category rating method based on your responses to the assessment questions and the documents you submit. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:
Best Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrate a high level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
Well Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrate a satisfactory level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications requirements.
Note: Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet the minimum qualification requirements will automatically be placed in the best qualified category.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Your resume may be submitted in any format, however, we strongly recommend using USA Jobs resume builder as it contains all of the information required on Federal resumes.
For qualifications determinations your resume must reflect hours worked per week, the inclusive dates of employment, and the level of your experience. If your resume does not reflect this information you will not receive credit for the experience.
If you submit more than one copy of your resume, the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." It is your responsibility to check the status and timestamp of all documents you submit as part of your application. We would recommend that you not submit more than one version of your resume.
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, we will not use it to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered further for the vacancy.
Applicants claiming veterans' preference must also submit:
A legible copy of your DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing all dates of service, as well as character of service (Honorable, General, etc.) is required. The member 4 copy of your DD Form 214 is preferable. Copies of DD-214's can be requested here.
Current active duty members must submit a signed statement of service from their commander dated within the last 120 days that reflects their expected discharge date, their release from active duty under honorable conditions, any medals awarded, and the timeframe of their service so that eligibility can be determined.
Veterans claiming 10 point preference must also submit an SF-15 and all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference. This includes a VA letter supporting your disability claim with the overall percentage listed.
If you are unsure as to whether you qualify for veterans' preference, please consult the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Preference Advisor here
Transcripts
If you are basing all or some of your qualifications on education or if a degree is required for the position, a transcript must be included as part of your application package.
An unofficial transcript may be submitted, however, it must reflect the course names, levels, credits earned, grades received, and degree conferred if applicable.
Your transcript (official of unofficial) must reflect the degree conferred date if you are substituting a degree for experience.
A photocopy of your degree is not acceptable in lieu of a transcript.
An official transcript will be required at a later date if you are selected for the position.
Whenever possible it is preferable that you submit copies of official transcripts. Unofficial transcripts may lack essential information necessary for a full evaluation of your qualifications.
Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must also submit:
Certification of expected separation, reduction-in-force separation notice, or notice of proposed removal; and your most recent performance evaluation; and an SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from; or
Worker's compensation separation (agency certification of inability to place employee and notification of separation or a separation SF-50; or
Disability annuity termination (notification from OPM of disability annuity termination and separation SF-50 of the last position held); or
Military reserve or National Guard technician special disability retirement annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456 (certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard bureau and separation SF-50 of the last position held).
Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure that all required documents have been submitted by the closing date of the announcement. You will not be contacted for additional information.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/06/2020 to receive consideration. 1. To begin, click apply online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS résumé and/or other supporting documents and to complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click submit my answers to submit your application package.
Note: It is your responsibility to ensure that your response and any appropriate documentation is submitted by the closing date of the announcement. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the application status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to your application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS accountand click update application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Alternate Application Information: If you are unable to apply online you may review additional options: here You may also call the Alternate Application phone line Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, excluding Federal Holidays, at 1-478-744-2360.
Office of the Secretary
810 Vermont Ave
Washington, DC 20420
US
Next steps
After the review is complete, a referral certificate will be issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided). Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account: here
For a more detailed update of your status, click on "more information." Information regarding applicant process can be found: here
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Your resume may be submitted in any format, however, we strongly recommend using USA Jobs resume builder as it contains all of the information required on Federal resumes.
For qualifications determinations your resume must reflect hours worked per week, the inclusive dates of employment, and the level of your experience. If your resume does not reflect this information you will not receive credit for the experience.
If you submit more than one copy of your resume, the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." It is your responsibility to check the status and timestamp of all documents you submit as part of your application. We would recommend that you not submit more than one version of your resume.
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, we will not use it to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered further for the vacancy.
Applicants claiming veterans' preference must also submit:
A legible copy of your DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing all dates of service, as well as character of service (Honorable, General, etc.) is required. The member 4 copy of your DD Form 214 is preferable. Copies of DD-214's can be requested here.
Current active duty members must submit a signed statement of service from their commander dated within the last 120 days that reflects their expected discharge date, their release from active duty under honorable conditions, any medals awarded, and the timeframe of their service so that eligibility can be determined.
Veterans claiming 10 point preference must also submit an SF-15 and all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference. This includes a VA letter supporting your disability claim with the overall percentage listed.
If you are unsure as to whether you qualify for veterans' preference, please consult the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Preference Advisor here
Transcripts
If you are basing all or some of your qualifications on education or if a degree is required for the position, a transcript must be included as part of your application package.
An unofficial transcript may be submitted, however, it must reflect the course names, levels, credits earned, grades received, and degree conferred if applicable.
Your transcript (official of unofficial) must reflect the degree conferred date if you are substituting a degree for experience.
A photocopy of your degree is not acceptable in lieu of a transcript.
An official transcript will be required at a later date if you are selected for the position.
Whenever possible it is preferable that you submit copies of official transcripts. Unofficial transcripts may lack essential information necessary for a full evaluation of your qualifications.
Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must also submit:
Certification of expected separation, reduction-in-force separation notice, or notice of proposed removal; and your most recent performance evaluation; and an SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from; or
Worker's compensation separation (agency certification of inability to place employee and notification of separation or a separation SF-50; or
Disability annuity termination (notification from OPM of disability annuity termination and separation SF-50 of the last position held); or
Military reserve or National Guard technician special disability retirement annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456 (certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard bureau and separation SF-50 of the last position held).
Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure that all required documents have been submitted by the closing date of the announcement. You will not be contacted for additional information.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/06/2020 to receive consideration. 1. To begin, click apply online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS résumé and/or other supporting documents and to complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click submit my answers to submit your application package.
Note: It is your responsibility to ensure that your response and any appropriate documentation is submitted by the closing date of the announcement. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the application status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to your application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS accountand click update application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Alternate Application Information: If you are unable to apply online you may review additional options: here You may also call the Alternate Application phone line Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, excluding Federal Holidays, at 1-478-744-2360.
Office of the Secretary
810 Vermont Ave
Washington, DC 20420
US
Next steps
After the review is complete, a referral certificate will be issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided). Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account: here
For a more detailed update of your status, click on "more information." Information regarding applicant process can be found: here
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
