US Smithsonian Institution Hiring For Archivist at Chantilly, VA, United States , United States Full Time

Job Description

Duties

As an Archivist, you will:

• Be responsible for the performance of a variety of duties that require many different and unrelated processes and methods relating to established standards of the archival field. Includes: decisions regarding needs assessment and best practices to preserve, conserve and provide access to archival collections and related digital content, variations in approach and incomplete or conflicting data.
• Conduct research to improve the quality and efficiency of archival preservation and access , including assisting with and ensuring intellectual and physical control of archival collections and digitized content.
• Assist visiting researchers using archival materials in the reference rooms and prepare written responses to patrons regarding the archival collections.
• Collaborate with Archives staff to continue to develop and update workflows and guidance for archival and digital surrogate records workflows to allow for accessibility to the widest extent possible and participate in pan-Institutional and external initiatives to advance the stewardship of digital cultural heritage and scientific and historical research data at the Institution and in the larger professional community.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS: For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination requirements and its impact on your application, click on Smithsonian Institutionxe2x80x99s Frequently Asked Questions. Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website. Position requires periods of standing, walking, bending, stretching and reaching. Must be able to lift, carry and transport containers of up to 40 pounds. Must be able to safely climb a ladder.

Qualifications

In addition to meeting the basic requirements above applicants must also must meet the following minimum qualifications: Specialized Experience: Grade 11: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined as: Experience includes processing and digitizing archival collections, cataloguing and formatting collections in computerized databases or digital asset management systems and conducting archival research to validate, update and correct existing collections data. Knowledge of archival processing tools and cataloging standards.
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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week. Education:

• 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

• Combination of education and experience – at least 30 semester hours that included courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education

Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study.

Education

See education requirements above.

Additional information

• This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and,
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

• Benefits
  The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
  Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description. Flexible Spending Accounts – https://www.fsafeds.com/
  Health Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
  Leave – http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
  Life Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
  Long Term Care Insurance – http://www.ltcfeds.com
  Retirement Program – https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

• Knowledge of basic archival principles, methodology, digital preservation and historical research methods to appraise, access, arrange and describe, store and preserve records and historic documents, bringing logical order to the material by creating a distinct and functional accessible archive with finding aids
• Knowledge and skill in digital preservation risk management principles to proactively identify current and future risks, and knowledge of best practices to preserve and promote access to Archives collections and digital content according to archival, digital preservation and international standards
• Must have good oral and written communication skills in order to provide guidance, research and reference service promptly and effectively to staff, scholars and members of the public as they pertain to the use and access of both traditional and digital collections
• Communicate archival and digital surrogate disposition and preservation needs and best practices through written presentations, educational programming and/or specially funded projects that advance the awareness and skills of the NASM Staff.

• Best Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
• Better Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
• Good Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans’ preference points or apply the “rule of three”, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAJOBS system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position. Important Note: Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

• Benefits
  The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
  Please see Benefits at https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description. Flexible Spending Accounts – https://www.fsafeds.com/
  Health Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
  Leave – http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
  Life Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
  Long Term Care Insurance – http://www.ltcfeds.com
  Retirement Program – https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies. Your application package should include the following documents:
  • Resume – Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
  • Proof of Veteran’s Preference – DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
  • Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
  • Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.

• How to Apply

  Click on the “Apply Online” button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:

  • You must apply for this position online through the ‘Apply Online’ button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
  • You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
  • The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
  • If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.

  Agency contact information

  HR Specialist

  Phone

  202-213-1472

  TDD

  202-633-6409

  Email

  [email protected]

  Address

  SMITHSONIAN
  Office of Human Resources
  POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
  Suite 5060
  Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
  United States

  Next steps

  At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab “My USAJOBS;” e-mailing [email protected]; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:

  • Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
  • The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
  • The Smithsonian embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity (www.si.edu/oeema).
• Fair and Transparent
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

Your application package should include the following documents:

• Resume – Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position. For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
• Proof of Veteran’s Preference – DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
• Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
• Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.

Help

This job is open to

• The public

  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement # 23R-308777-ID-NASM-MPA. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.