Jobs for humanists 6/24

Okay, let’s go!

Historian • National Parks Service (Interior) • July 5, 2022

This seems cool! It’s a remote position working “in support of the implementation of the African American Civil Rights Network (AACRN) Act of 2017 and coordination of AACRN.”

There is a basic requirement (history degree) and a minimum requirement:

1) Utilize comprehensive knowledge of African American and/or U.S. civil rights history to plan and conduct historical research and writing and give public presentations on historical topics and themes; 2) assist senior historians and leadership with implementation of local, state, national interpretive, and/or educational cultural resources programs; 3) maintain and update webpages and social media outlets; 4) provide professional and technical advice to senior staff on African American and civil rights history; 5) answer general inquiries on African American and/or civil rights history from the general public and partner organizations.

BUT a grad degree could get you some of that, and so would also qualify you. The KSAs are “History and Archaeology, Manages and Organizes Information, Project Management, Research, Writing.” You should also look through the questionnaire for good language to use.

Historian • U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (Army) • July 5, 2022

This is kind of a specialized historian position - you contribute to what I think is the Army’s ongoing history of itself? You need to have interview experience, as well as more standard historical research skills:

One year of specialized experience which includes preparing for oral history interviews with senior officials; locating sources of historical evidence to develop narratives and analyses; assisting the final manuscript through to publication; and writing installments on a continuing historical study that is published for each fiscal year. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

Here are the questions.

Supervisory Museum Specialist (General) • National Museum of African Art (Smithsonian) • July 6, 2022

This position is actually Head Registrar and you need to be up to date on digitization and repatriating African art. I expect that’s a lateral move, so won’t say any more.

Museum Curator (Art) • Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Smithsonian) • July 6, 2022

As a Museum Curator (Art), the incumbent provides historical research and administrative support that serve the Curatorial Departments' acquisitions, research, and exhibitions programs.

You’ll need to explain how you have experience which qualifies you to do curatorial work in a museum, and although a graduate degree can qualify you, it probably won’t get you the job, right? Here’s the experience blurb:

assisting curators and providing departmental support in performing research pertaining to exhibitions, acquisitions, and works of art in a modern and/or contemporary art museum collection; conducting research in a contemporary art museum library and on the internet, including foreign language sources; assisting in the acquisition of materials and artwork from collectors, libraries, galleries, and other modern and contemporary art museums.

They also want to know you can research, conduct tours, and have admin experience. Specifically “Knowledge of Smithsonian travel and procurement policies and processes” - which maybe you do as someone who had a grant through the Smithsonian or something? The questionnaire has more information.

Managing Editor • Congressional Budget Office • July 10, 2022

The Management, Business, and Information Services Division, which provides editorial and publishing services for the agency, seeks an experienced editor to manage its editing and publishing functions helping to ensure that CBOs reports are clear and accessible to a broad audience, including Members of Congress, Congressional staff, researchers, and other members of the public.

You’ll have to read this posting closely, of course - there are one or two tricks in it. :) You also need at least seven years’ experience in this work, and they would like an advanced humanities degree.

Candidates must have broad editorial skills- including the ability to reliably guide authors in writing and organizing material; to perceptively review and analyze complex and difficult drafts, making them clear and graceful; and to finish documents with care. They must thoroughly understand English grammar and syntax, should be sensitive to style and to nuances of tone and meaning in writing and editing, and should be at ease with technical subjects and quantitative information presented in tables and graphs. Candidates must also have the ability to manage people and processes effectively including strong interpersonal skills, the ability to support and develop others, and a commitment to customer service; experience managing a group of full-time staff is desirable. The flexibility to work evenings and weekends, as necessary, is required.

Librarian • Library of Congress • July 13, 2022

You need Japanese and English and, preferably, another Asian language to qualify for this one. Also some library know-how. That’s either you or not, right? Here are the questions.

Library Technician (Archiving) • Library of Congress • July 22, 2022

Okay, this position “Serves as archiving project’s primary point of contact for requesting, receiving, and documenting permissions to publish reports from Members of Congress, Former Members of Congress, and other clients.” As usual, there is a detailed description of the duties, and the KSAs are general:

Knowledge of library processes and procedures.**

Knowledge of archival techniques and procedures.**

Ability to use computerized search tools, web-based tools and databases.

Ability to plan, organize, and execute work within specified deadlines.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Looks like you need some direct experience to me. Here are the questions.