Department of Justice, Criminal Division

Historian (Eastern Europe)

Summary

The Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) investigates and prosecutes international crime cases involving human rights violators, human smuggling organizations and extraterritorial violent crime over which the U.S. has jurisdiction.

Duties

As a Historian, you will:

• Perform historical research and investigative activities to identify persons in the United States who may have perpetrated human rights violations in Eastern Europe, including persecution, torture, genocide, extrajudicial killings, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers;
• Collect and analyze relevant materials from foreign and domestic sources to identify possible perpetrators and evidence related to human rights violations;
• Develop new investigations and cases based on materials generated by your own work and that of colleagues and others;
• Liaise with appropriate officials in Eastern European governments and negotiate access to archival and investigative materials necessary for the development of new cases and the pursuit of cases already under investigation or in litigation;
• Liaise with U.S. government personnel in multiple agencies as necessary to accomplish HRSP goals;
• Monitor related cases in foreign and domestic courts, as well as in international tribunals;
• Identify collections and archives likely to contain useful documentation and assist HRSP in gaining access as necessary; and
• Perform all of the research and analytical tasks necessary for the portfolio of investigations and cases.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to qualify for this position.
• You must undergo a pre-employment security investigation.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• The Criminal Division participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program. E-Verify helps employers to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. For more information, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-14: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-13 federal grade level. Specialized experience must include duties such as: producing detailed studies related to Eastern Europe based on research and critical analysis of sources; analyzing primary source material related to Eastern Europe in order to prepare for a doctoral dissertation, published peer-review article or book, or similar product, identifying new sources to make up for gaps in primary research results; and presenting reports and analysis related to research at conferences or other professional gatherings.

Selective Placement Factor: To be found fully qualified for this position, applicants must demonstrate that they are fluent in the Russian language, in both spoken and written form.

Education:
Applicants must possess one of the below:

1. Degree: history; or related field that included at least 18 semester hours in history. OR
2. 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 (1) above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.

Education

Please see requirements as described in the Qualifications section.