Historian

Summary

View Common Definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Organizational Location: These positions are located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, in Washington, District of Columbia.

These are non-bargaining unit positions.

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Duties

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The selected historian will join the Human Rights Violators Law Division (HRVLD) as a regional specialist and be part of a team that investigates and prosecutes human rights violators and war criminals. HRVLD historians are experts on the history of twentieth century conflicts or regimes in which human rights abuses were perpetrated and have broad knowledge of relevant historical literature and of domestic, foreign, and international archives, and similar repositories containing records pertinent to the investigations of human rights violations and war crimes. HRVLD is recruiting a Middle East expert; candidates with desired expertise in Africa, the Balkans/Europe, and Latin America are also encouraged to apply.

HRVLD historians conduct case-related investigative research as part of regionally focused teams at the Homeland Security Investigations led Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center. The teams work to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal and immigration cases against individuals in the U.S. who have been involved in persecution, genocide, extrajudicial killing, torture, severe violations of religious freedom, female genital mutilation, the use or recruitment of child soldiers, war crimes or other human rights violations, as well as to seek the subsequent removal of these individuals from the United States.

As a Historian, you will perform the following duties:

• Demonstrate a high degree of resourcefulness, ingenuity, tenacity and creative thinking in conducting research.
• Synthesize and contextualize research findings for varying audiences.
• Organize, track, and account for documents and sources reviewed or collected on a large-scale research project.
• Analyze primary source materials to prepare status reports detailing progress in investigative research.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must successfully pass a drug screen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
• Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Probationary Period: This is a full-time permanent position (Career/Career-Conditional appointment). Upon appointment to this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Basic Requirements (IOR):

1. Degree: history; or related field that included at least 18 semester hours in history.

OR

1. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in history, or a major in a related field that included at least 18 semester hours in history, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Evaluation of Graduate Education

Graduate study in the social sciences or humanities may also be credited when such study included training in historical research methodology; or the thesis approached the subject from an historical viewpoint and used professional historical research methodology and techniques in its preparation.

ADDITIONAL Requirement: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, in addition to the Basic Requirement above, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education below for the grade level for which you are applying.

You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level or equivalent performing duties such as:

• Conducting academic research or similar field research in the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans/Europe, or Latin America;
• Conducting research in archives or repositories that house foreign records, documents, and materials and/or oral history interviews related to twentieth century conflicts where human rights violations were perpetrated;
• Assembling detailed research findings and recommending next steps to be taken to further a research project; and
• Presenting research findings for varying audiences.

If applying as a Middle East specialist, proficiency in Arabic is highly desirable for completing research-related tasks and may enhance the applicant's ability to perform the duties of this position. If applying as a specialist in other geographic regions (Africa; Balkans/Europe; Latin America), proficiency in relevant language(s) is highly desirable for completing research-related tasks and may enhance the applicant's ability to perform the duties of this position. Applicants who possess language skills are encouraged to include relevant details in their application.

Note: Applicants should indicate their region of expertise and relevant language proficiency in their resume.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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; religious; 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, including volunteer experience.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Note: One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Education

This position requires specific coursework and/or a degree to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section.If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this, you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education : If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.

Additional information

Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.

E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for Top Secret as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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.

DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

A student loan repayment incentive may be available, in which case a service agreement will be required.

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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.