Historian

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. There are non-bargaining unit positions.

Major duties

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. Mentor, guide, and monitor the work of junior researchers or program analysts.

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): Degree: history; or related field that included at least 18 semester hours in history. OR 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-15 grade level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level or equivalent performing duties such as: Designing and conducting a multi-year research project(s) that included primary source research in the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans/Europe, or Latin America; Participating in academic peer review, OR participating in a role overseeing research work products; Assembling and/or presenting authoritative human rights information for formal distribution or review, meticulously presenting original research findings and conclusions; and Organizing, tracking, citing, and accounting for documents and sources reviewed or collected in a large-scale research project. 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.