Archives Specialist Job in Boston, MA

Vacancy No. DE-12669130-25-KB Department National Archives and Records Administration
Salary $69,213.00 to $108,859.00 Grade 9 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/21/2025 Close Date 1/29/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Boston, MA


Summary

This position is part of the National Archives and Records Administration, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The incumbent ensures proper customer service to researchers. These duties include answering Inquiries concerning requested materials, including referral to other institutions housing NARA's materials, and developing new formats for reference requests. This may entail arranging and overseeing digitization and duplication of records in unusual formats or fragile conditions.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-11. 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.

As an Archives Specialist, you will:

  • Carry out a wide variety of complex actions required to transfer the legal and physical custody of federal agency or court records to NARA.
  • Assist in the planning and coordination of partnership or internal digitization activities.
  • Coordinate, oversee, or provides public services to individuals, agencies, and organizations in order to provide access to NARA's holdings.
  • Carry out a wide range of actions required for processing archival records according to NARA policies, procedures, and standards.
  • Plan, oversee, and/or carry out holding's maintenance actions needed to preserve NARA's holdings and make them available for use.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under Announcement ST-12669132-25-KB.

Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

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.
  • The work requires regular periods of standing and working with several members of the public at the same time in an office setting, lifting containers archival materials of up to 50 pounds, working with xerography copiers, photographic, audio and video and other equipment as needed to provide reference service or for preservation purposes.
Key Requirements:
  1. Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  2. Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  3. Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

Utilizing a wide range of systems or databases to search beyond readily accessible material to locate, analyze, index, and manage records;
AND
Utilizing archival practices to digitize, process, and/or preserve audio visual/non-textual archival materials in formats, such as; motion picture films, sound recordings, commercial 45 RPM, Dictaphone belts, etc.;
AND
Leading a team or project performing archival functions, such as; accessioning, processing, reference and arrangement and description, and/or holdings maintenance on archival materials.

OR
Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a related field OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.
OR
You may qualify by a combination of experience and education.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

Utilizing a wide range of systems or databases to search beyond readily accessible material to locate, analyze, index, and manage records;
AND
Utilizing archival practices to digitize, process, and/or preserve audio visual/non-textual archival materials in formats, such as; motion picture films, sound recordings, commercial 45 RPM, Dictaphone belts, etc.;

OR
Master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related.

Note: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education.

Additional information

  • 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 alternative and flexible work schedules, per Agency policy.

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 windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our 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: Communication, Technical, Problem Solving.Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to 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.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

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.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must receive a score of 85 or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority

Required Documents

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. 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.

Optional Documents:
In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:

  1. VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: 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/. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation such as a DD-214, VA letter showing disability, SF-15, etc. Please visit the applicant guide for further information on requirements.

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

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.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12669130

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Address
OFFICE OF PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES
Columbia Point
Boston, MA 02125-3398
US
Learn more about this agency

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.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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