The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) seeks to obtain contractor support in the area of Historian: Research and Writing for the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) program.
The contractor shall provide support for the DANFS program in a variety of ways. This will include conducting independent research in order to draft histories on individual ships needing DANFS entries. The contractor may also work on ships with existing DANFS entries needing revision and updating. The exact ships to be researched will be determined by NHHC historians. The contractor will also learn to edit and upload DANFS entries to the NHHC website using Adobe CQ (training will be provided by NHHC). The contractor will keep track of the DANFS entries he/she works on, and notate this progress in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheets used by the section. The contractor may also be asked to assist with requests for information related to ships’ history.
The contractor shall:
1. Conduct archival research to find relevant information that will assist NHHC Historians in drafting new DANFS entries as well as update existing DANFS entries. Archival materials will include primary and secondary source material as well as photographs.
2. Independently draft DANFS entries to include a biography section on the ship’s namesake and a chronological account of the ship’s activities and operations. Completed entries will be reviewed and edited by NHHC historians.
3. Learn how to upload new DANFS entries to the NHHC website as well as edit existing entries on the NHHC website using Adobe CQ.
4. Utilize existing Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to update progress on DANFS entries, including when they are published to the NHHC website.
5. Assist in tracking the DANFS entries of decommissioned ships that need updating as well as the active ships that need periodic updates based on recent operations.
6. Assist in the organization in how DANFS soft copy documents, photographs, and other archival sources are organized and saved within the internal NHHC network.
7. On occasion, may need to support Histories Branch by researching and answering requests for information related to ships’ history.
8. Assist DANFS production by proofreading and editing entries written by other NHHC historians and contractors.
9. Have regular meetings with NHHC representative(s) to review progress/results.
10. May attend monthly Web Publisher update meetings chaired by the Communication and Outreach Division.
3.2. Deliverables:
Under the direction of the NHHC historian, the contractor will be responsible for providing:
1) Written DANFS entries of proper length as deemed appropriate by the DANFS Editor based on the necessary amount of biographical information and ship operational history.
2) Written DANFS entries will be constructed from thorough archival research and contain a minimal number of spelling and grammatical errors. Entries will meet NHHC style guides and professional standards. Entries will be factual and based on primary source materials with some supplemental support from secondary resources.
3) Scans and electronic records are to be collected by the contractors from designated repositories. Scans of the documents will be provided in the requested NHHC format with relevant metadata to be determined in consultation with the NHHC historian.
4) Uploaded DANFS entries to the NHHC website (number to be determined and established by the NHHC historian) using the proper format and best practices of NHHC web publishing.
5) Current notation on NHHC DANFS spreadsheet of all work conducted on DANFS to provide documentation of progress and work completed.
Minimum Qualifications
Contractor personnel shall:
- Be an expert in the field of history with 3-5 years of history experience that shall include experience in performing research among primary documents and writing historical articles for publication.
- Possess a Master’s Degree or higher in any history field.
- Experience working in archives and/or other records repositories.
- Demonstrate experience writing articles and other materials for peer reviewed or edited publications.
A majority of the work will be performed at the Washington Navy Yard; however, travel to one of the below mentioned repositories is anticipated once a week.
- Washington Navy Yard, D.C.
- NARA I/NARA II
- Library of Congress
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) Matching
- Dental Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Health Insurance
- Paid Time Off
- Vision Insurance
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
Experience:
- Research and Publication: 3 years (Required)
Education:
- Master’s (Required)
Work authorization:
- United States (Required)
Work Location:
- Multiple locations
Company’s website:
Benefit Conditions:
- Only full-time employees eligible
Work Remotely:
- Yes
Underwater Archaeology and Maritime History jobs 