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Historian

Department of State
Department of State - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Office of the Historian (FSI/OH) publishes the Congressionally-mandated Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series, the official documentary record of U.S. foreign policy; prepares other selected documentary compilations, narrative historical studies, oral histories, and case studies; coordinates the digitization, enrichment, and release of key historical datasets relating to the history of U.S. foreign relations and the institutional history of the Department of State.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 01/17/2024
Closed date: 01/29/2024
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$82,764 - $107,590 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
FSI-2024-0010
Control number
770965100

Duties

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  • Prepares narrative historical studies of varying lengths, short term responses, documentary compilations, oral history interviews, and/or case studies in response to requests from Department officials.
  • Prepares and conducts historical research initiatives on the history of the Department and U.S. foreign relations by devising appropriate research strategies and methodologies for historical research in the Department’s records.
  • Collects and analyzes historical diplomatic and institutional data to derive patterns, trends, and historical insights into Department of State and U.S. foreign relations history, disseminates historical expertise in public.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
  • Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. 

Applicants must have the required experience or education as described below and meet any selective factors, when specified.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Have a bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited college or university in history;

OR

Have a bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a field related to history that included at least 18 semester hours in history;

OR

Have a combination of education and experience where your coursework was equivalent to a major in history, or a major in a related field, that included at least 18 semester hours in history, PLUS appropriate relevant experience OR additional education.

Note: All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic entry qualifications requirements listed above, the applicant MUST also meet one of the requirements listed below:

Have at least 1 year of specialized experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience must be related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience in planning, researching, writing and reviewing historical research, comparable in effort and scope to a book length historical manuscript or a peer reviewed scholarly journal article-length publication. 
  • Experience in conducting research and analysis of historical records relevant to current foreign policy in accordance with professional historical standards of judgement, objectivity, and accuracy.
  • Experience in established oral history techniques, best practices, and methodology as well as methods and techniques of historical research and analysis in collecting, evaluating, analyzing, preserving and presenting historical facts and historical memory.

OR

Have 3 full years of progressively higher- level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of the position to be filled.

OR

Have a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience which is equivalent to the work of the position and equivalent to the GS0-9 level in the Federal service. This education and experience must meet 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Note: All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Additional information

  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite. 
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days.  Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. 

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

 Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job.  Note:  Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. 

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:

1.     Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

2.     Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.

3.     Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.  The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Knowledge of the history of U.S. foreign relations.
  • Knowledge of U.S. foreign relations archival collections.
  • Skill in collecting and interpreting data.
  • Ability to develop liaison with members of the foreign affairs community.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category ,except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is considered scientific/professional.  Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify.  View information on veterans' preference on OPM’s Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority. 


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Department of State - Agency Wide

The U.S. Department of State, our country’s lead foreign policy agency, provides employees with a dynamic international career whether at home or abroad and unique professional development opportunities.  Each day, our employees make a difference as they advance the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity, through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance.  We embrace diversity and inclusion and our talented workforce reflects the personal, professional, and educational strengths and diversity of our country.

Named one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes, we offer a workplace that values and rewards leadership, collaboration, innovation, and personal and professional development. Visit careers.state.gov to learn more about what it's like to work at the U.S. Department of State, what the agency does, the wide range of careers this agency offers, and the benefits available to employees.

Agency contact information

Brainalee Griffin
Phone
771-204-7206
Fax
xxx-xxx-xxxx
Email
griffinb1@state.gov
Address
U.S. Department of State
Shultz Center, 4000 Arlington Blvd.
Rm. F2127, SA-42
Arlington, Virginia 22204
United States

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