This position is part of the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Chief Operating Officer (C), Research Services (R), Special Access and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Program (RF) serving as an archivist. The Special Access and FOIA Program is responsible for the physical and intellectual control of records of all closed Independent Counsels, the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Assassination Records Collection, and other sensitive records.
Summary
This position is part of the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Chief Operating Officer (C), Research Services (R), Special Access and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Program (RF) serving as an archivist. The Special Access and FOIA Program is responsible for the physical and intellectual control of records of all closed Independent Counsels, the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Assassination Records Collection, and other sensitive records.
All candidates who are: Current or former federal employees qualifying as Status Candidates, Federal employees currently serving on a VRA, VEOA eligibles, CTAP/ICTAP eligible, eligible for special hiring authorities (e.g., the Schedule A appointment for persons with disabilities, or covered by an Interchange Agreement) , or Land Management employees eligible through Public Law 114-47.
The following are the duties of this position at the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.
- Perform line-by-line review of records pursuant to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), making final release decisions relating to security classification, personal privacy, law enforcement issues, and other relevant access statutes.
- Conduct research and analyze FOIA case law, including landmark Appellate and Supreme Court decisions. Interpret and implement laws and policies ensuring each situation is applicable to the policy of the agency and each interpretation is legally supportable. Serve as a technical authority in interpreting decisions made by the Department of Justice and the Courts, assessing their impact upon NARA FOIA policy in accordance with specific requests.
- Serve as an official NARA representative in dealing with other agency officials, including legal counsels, FOIA officers, and other FOIA specialists, in order to resolve complex access issues.
- Perform reference services that require an in-depth knowledge of the records of the Program and of the access provisions governing them, a broad familiarity with the history and mission of the originating agencies, and a detailed understanding of the significance of these records to the history of the United States.
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.
A one year probationary period may be required.
Must successfully complete a background investigation.
Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
Designated and/or Random Drug Testing may be required
Top Secret/SCI and Q Sensitive security clearances are required.
Key Requirements:
Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.
This position also requires a top secret clearance.
This position also requires Q sensitive and Top Secret security clearance
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
For the GS-13, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position includes:
- Reviewing records to determine whether information is restricted by federal, state, or local access statutes and/or policies (such as the Freedom of Information Act) and making release decisions- for example, by processing FOIA requests and making the determination to release or redact information and applying exemptions; AND
- Researching, analyzing, and recommending solutions to legal, access, or archival problems; AND
- Performing analytical and research techniques to deliver reference and research assistance to individuals, agencies, and/or organizations.
For the GS-12, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position includes:
-Evaluating records and determining whether they contain information that is restricted by federal, state, or local access statutes and/or policies (such as the Freedom of Information Act); AND
- Interpreting, researching, and responding to information requests from various audiences; AND
- Planning and executing projects that involve setting objectives, tracking progress, and following timelines.
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable (as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F): For the GS-13, you must have been at the GS-12level for 52 weeks. For the GS-12, you must have been at the GS-11level for 52 weeks.
Education
Basic requirements for all grades:
Must have 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
A combination of education and experience - at least 30 semester hours that included courses as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Additional information
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees.
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the National Archives and Records Administration.
This is a bargaining unit position. AFGE Council 260.
We offer opportunities for telework per Agency policy.
We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules per agency policy.
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.
Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Project Management, Problem Solving, Communication. Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.
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.
1. Resume - either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.
2. Vacancy Question Responses - Completely answer the online assessment questionnaire associated with this job announcement.
3. Transcripts - For positions with an education requirement, OR if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.
If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
4. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL/REVIEW/EVALUATION, ETC:All applicants are required to submit their most recently completed annual performance appraisal (dated within 18 months from the closing date of the vacancy announcement), which identifies your official rating of record (must be at least "Fully Successful") AND is signed by the supervisor, OR a statement explaining why the performance appraisal/review/evaluation is unavailable OR incomplete. If you fail to provide a copy of the performance appraisal/review/evaluation, or a statement advising why it is unavailable, you will be removed from further consideration. N/A is not considered an acceptable response.
5. SF-50 for CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:
Submit a copy of your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) title, series, grade, and competitive service status. (To verify your competitive service status, on the SF50, Box 34 "Position Occupied" should show a "1" and Box 24 "Tenure" should show a "1" or "2".)
Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.
If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that. Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc.
Additional Required Documents if Applying Through the Hiring Authorities Listed Below:
6. FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES - Non-competitive Reinstatement Eligibility - If you are a former federal employee and wish to be non-competitively reinstated for a higher grade or full performance level than which you left federal employment, you MUST provide a copy of your separation SF50 (the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2") AND the last performance appraisal you received from your federal employment which shows at least a fully successful rating. (Note: the Performance Appraisal or explanation requirement as stated above is in addition to this requirement.)
7. Veterans Preference documentation (if applying under VEOA or VRA): DD-214 - Member Copy 4 or other copies that indicate character of discharge; SF-15 and VA Letter (as appropriate). If you are claiming veterans preference, please visit the website for veterans hiring paths located at https://www.usajobs.gov/help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/.
8. If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement, Schedule A Disability, etc.), please visit the website https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/eligibility. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in that specific hiring authority. For additional guidance on documents please visit: applicant guide for required documentation.
9. CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
10. Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE. Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).
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 National Archives and Records Administration has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login); all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear, along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
RESEARCH SERVICES
8601 Adelphi Road
Suite 5100
College Park, MD 20740
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability and/or security background investigation. A final job offer for this position is typically made within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
1. Resume - either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.
2. Vacancy Question Responses - Completely answer the online assessment questionnaire associated with this job announcement.
3. Transcripts - For positions with an education requirement, OR if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.
If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
4. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL/REVIEW/EVALUATION, ETC:All applicants are required to submit their most recently completed annual performance appraisal (dated within 18 months from the closing date of the vacancy announcement), which identifies your official rating of record (must be at least "Fully Successful") AND is signed by the supervisor, OR a statement explaining why the performance appraisal/review/evaluation is unavailable OR incomplete. If you fail to provide a copy of the performance appraisal/review/evaluation, or a statement advising why it is unavailable, you will be removed from further consideration. N/A is not considered an acceptable response.
5. SF-50 for CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES -- Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:
Submit a copy of your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) title, series, grade, and competitive service status. (To verify your competitive service status, on the SF50, Box 34 "Position Occupied" should show a "1" and Box 24 "Tenure" should show a "1" or "2".)
Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.
If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that. Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc.
Additional Required Documents if Applying Through the Hiring Authorities Listed Below:
6. FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES - Non-competitive Reinstatement Eligibility - If you are a former federal employee and wish to be non-competitively reinstated for a higher grade or full performance level than which you left federal employment, you MUST provide a copy of your separation SF50 (the "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2") AND the last performance appraisal you received from your federal employment which shows at least a fully successful rating. (Note: the Performance Appraisal or explanation requirement as stated above is in addition to this requirement.)
7. Veterans Preference documentation (if applying under VEOA or VRA): DD-214 - Member Copy 4 or other copies that indicate character of discharge; SF-15 and VA Letter (as appropriate). If you are claiming veterans preference, please visit the website for veterans hiring paths located at https://www.usajobs.gov/help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/.
8. If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement, Schedule A Disability, etc.), please visit the website https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/eligibility. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in that specific hiring authority. For additional guidance on documents please visit: applicant guide for required documentation.
9. CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
10. Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE. Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).
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 National Archives and Records Administration has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login); all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear, along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
RESEARCH SERVICES
8601 Adelphi Road
Suite 5100
College Park, MD 20740
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability and/or security background investigation. A final job offer for this position is typically made within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
