Historian (Seasonal)

Position Overview

You will serve as a Historian (Seasonal). This position is located with the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Yosemite National Park, with a duty station of El Portal, CA. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate. Open to the first 30 applicants.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

• At the GS-5 level you will: Assist with simple presentations and observes higher-graded staff conducting briefings, lectures, and visitor programs. Conduct basic historical research using reports, archives, and other sources; assists in preparing charts, tables, and drafting basic text. Learn to provide introductory historical education and visitor interaction. Learn to collect basic cultural resource field data and identify historical/cultural objects or sites using established manuals and protocols. Draft limited sections of reports and participate as a team member on simple projects (oral histories, written histories, conservation tasks, etc.). Learn how to investigate cultural/historic sites not documented in park files. Assist in coordinating visiting professionals under close supervision In addition to the duties above, at the GS-07 level you will perform the higher graded duties listed below. Expand knowledge through independent study, developmental assignments, literature review, on-site studies, and fieldwork. Participate more substantively in archaeological field studies, geological mapping, consult with Native organizations, and broader historical reporting. Write letters and responses to inquiries using developed knowledge of park resources, policy, prior research, and available sources. Provide full historical education and visitor interaction, delivering content independently. Collect, analyze, and report on cultural resource conditions, including measuring impacts of management actions (restoration, visitor dispersal, development). Draft more complex report sections, work plans, and implementation strategies, and complete small historian actions independently. Investigate undocumented cultural/historic sites to a level enabling identification, protection, or interpretation. Assist in coordinating visiting professional work with increased responsibility and less supervision. Apply standard historian practices with judgment, selecting methods, approaches, and sources. Exercise greater judgment when guidelines require interpretation or selection among alternatives. GS-09 Duties in addition to the duties above Assists in advising on the park's cultural resources, particularly history. In concert with the supervisor or higher-graded specialist, identifies, evaluates, and monitors cultural resources, identifies potential threats, and makes recommendations to management regarding status and mitigation of impacts (present and future). Develops and maintains liaisons and effective working relations with related groups and individuals, agencies, and the public. Attends management and professional conferences and other events for the purposes of exchanging information and advancing advocacy for park stewardship. Creates and develops limited segments of cultural resources management plans, interpretive prospectus documents, and spin-off documents such as specific plans, action plans, revisions, and fiscal and budget documents. Coordinates park historical and other cultural resources strategies and programs with activities on adjacent lands for the purposes of achieving broad protection strategies and minimizing human impacts. Conducts historical research for planning documents, including general management plans, special history studies, resources management plan, environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, and special resource studies as required to meet the needs of the park. Locates source material within and outside the park and makes recommendations and/or determinations of significance for additions to the park's museum and archives collection. Conducts oral history interviews based on available precedents and oversees their transcription. Assembles bibliographies and acquaints park staff with recent historical scholarship pertinent to the park's resources and themes. Summarizes material for park staff. Maintains a site-specific database. Provides peer review for NPS and non-NPS historical studies, as requested. Seeks peer review for own work. Assists with making contributions to the preparation of historic preservation documentation, compliance, and background materials for clearances, permits, licenses, etc., as required by Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), NPS Management Policies, and cultural resources management guideline for all park undertakings. Recommends, plans for, and executes historical investigations required to meet NHPA, NPS guidelines, and the research needs of the park. Reviews projects initiated by park staff and makes recommendations for approval to park managers. Assists in providing professionally accurate interpretive programs that discuss historical and/or cultural resources. May represent park on NPS regional task groups or similar organizations.

Qualifications & Requirements

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/18/2026 -unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. To qualify for this position, you must meet the following basic requirements and minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirements (required for all grades): A. Degree: history; or related field that included at least 18 semester hours in history. -OR- B. 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. -AND- Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must meet the basic requirements outlined above. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level: Specialized Experience: one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 level in the federal government (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include: planning and conducting historical research such as literature reviews or on-site studies; researching, writing, and conducting site documentation fieldwork; participating in Section 106 reviews; preparing historic preservation related recommendations, as well as interpretive and educational materials for public distribution (i.e. articles, booklets, social media posts, and Teaching with Historic Places lesson plans); investigate undocumented cultural or historic sites. You must provide hours per week worked and from/to dates (month/year format) on your resume. -OR- Education: successful completion at least one year of directly related graduate-level education in history or related field of study. You must include transcripts. -OR- A combination of graduate education and specialized experience. experience as described above. When combining your education with experience, determine your total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level, then determine your experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level and add the two percentages together. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level: Specialized Experience: one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 level in the federal government (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include: reviewing, analyzing, evaluating projects, studies and planning initiatives related to history and cultural resource management which includes: planning and conducting historical research (i.e. National Register of Historic Places (NR) nominations, historic contexts and reports); researching, writing, and reviewing NR nominations or Determinations of Eligibilities; conducting site documentation fieldwork; participating in Section 106 reviews; preparing historic preservation related recommendations. You must provide hours per week worked and from/to dates (month/year format) on your resume. -OR- Education: successful completion at least two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree The graduate level education must be directly related to the work of the position. You must include transcripts. -OR- A combination of graduate education and specialized experience. experience as described above. When combining your education with experience, determine your total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level, then determine your experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level and add the two percentages together. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. 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.