Join our team as Historian and support our esteemed team at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Office of Administration (TAD) by examining, digitizing, sorting, and preparing historical artifacts for display or storage. If you are you passionate about preserving the rich tapestry of public transit history and you possess a keen eye for authentic historical artifacts and the expertise to preserve them for generations to come, then this is a great role for you.

FedWriters is expanding rapidly and has been recognized as a 2024 Top Workplace by the Washington Post, offering excellent growth opportunities in a collaborative environment.

Work Schedule and Location:

On-Site: This full-time on-site position will work Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm at the FTA HQ in Washington, D.C.

• Analyzing FTA and public transit materials and data such as photos, maps, films, documents, paintings, and other historical objects
• Checking materials for authenticity, physical condition, and historical content
• Analyzing materials to spot defects and determine inclusion in collections
• Ensuring artifacts are properly cared for, including digitizing photos, maps, and other documents
• Ensuring material needs of artifacts are met, such as specific environmental conditions, storage space, and security
• Designing and maintaining organizational systems to keep track of archived materials
• Storing digitized archived materials on appropriate databases for easy usage and efficiency
• Preparing indexes, meta-tags, material descriptions and converting materials into digital formats
• Aiding people accessing the archives to retrieve information or to carry out research
• Making materials available to the public through scans and copies
• Enabling FTA employees, transit stakeholders, and the public to interact with FTA’s history and artifacts through presentations, lectures, and digital presentation on the FTA website
• Conducting research on FTA and public transit history to best create engaging web posts, displays, and presentations of FTA’s history and artifacts
• Using appropriate resources such as FTA artifacts, documents, archived editions of local and national newspapers, government records, published interviews, official letters, and other materials to validate and authenticate FTA and transit history
• Authoring articles for publication
• Archiving historical documents, and updating information on FTA websites

• Bachelor’s degree
• 4+ years of relevant experience
• Expert knowledge in preserving historical collections, storage, and conservation techniques