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U.S. Department of State

Historian

Washington, DC

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.

Duties

  • Researches and analyzes complex official and personal historical documents for their lasting importance as records of major U.S. foreign relations decisions and actions by the United States Government.
  • Researches and analyzes technical content for replies to Departmental, interagency, and public inquiries concerning issues and events documented in the Foreign Relations of the United States series and/or related to the incumbent's specialty.
  • Analyzes, organizes, selects, and edits official and personal historical documents for their lasting importance as records of major foreign relations decisions and actions by the United States Government for publication.
  • Plans, develops, and carries out complex documentary compiling projects in the field of historical U.S. foreign relations and/or internation topics
  • Coordinates with other historians on selected projects.

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Requirements

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.
  • Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information
  • 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/
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 formal research techniques used by professional historians that demonstrates experience analyzing and evaluating historical documents while maintaining objectivity and standards of scholarship as reflected in a scholarly thesis, dissertation, article, book, or edited documentary collection.
  • Experience planning and carry out long-range historical studies, preparing scholarly narratives or documentary histories for publication.
  • Experience applying modern scholarly digital historical research methods, digital documentary editing standards, and best practices for digitizing historical textual materials.
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.
  • 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.
  • Benefits

    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 window Learn more about federal benefits.

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    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.

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:
  • Ability to conduct historical research.
  • Knowledge of the history of U.S. foreign relations.
  • Skills in editing.
  • Knowledge of U.S. foreign relations archival collections, internet collections, computerized information banks, and published materials.
  • Ability to set priorities.
  • Ability to interact effectively with others.
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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Client-provided location(s): Washington, DC, USA
Job ID: USDep-FSI-2025-0010
Employment Type: Full Time

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Life Insurance
    • Long-Term Disability
  • Parental Benefits

    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Pension
    • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Development

    • Access to Online Courses
    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Mentor Program

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