CO Heritage for All / Community Engagement Historian/Research Fellow(s)

Department Information

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401K and 457 plans
• Medical and dental health plans
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus 12 hours of vacation and 6.66 hours of sick leave a month
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness – A borrower may qualify for forgiveness by making 120 on-time payments while employed full-time in public service, if they have certain kinds of federal loans in a qualifying repayment plan
• BenefitHub state employee discount program
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules and more.

Description of Job

• Community Engagement 30%
• Historical Research 40%
• State and National Register Nominations Preparation 30%

• 
  Serving as catalysts for community-driven preservation projects, aligning with the broader goals of inclusivity in grantmaking, and contributing to the preservation of Colorado's diverse heritage.
• Collaborating closely with the State Historical Fund engagement team and Preservation Programs Unit to design and execute a unified and inclusive outreach approach, leveraging diverse stakeholders' expertise and resources to successfully achieve History Colorado program objectives.
• Cooperating with History Colorado engagement staff, community members, site advocates, property owners, local nonprofits, and government agencies.
• Delivering engaging and effective presentations on the Colorado Heritage for All initiative as well as the State Historical Fund’s grants and incentives and other programs at History Colorado.
• Building authentic working relationships with historically marginalized and excluded communities across the state to promote the benefits of historic designation and identify candidate properties for the Colorado Heritage for All initiative.
• Connecting with owners of undesignated sites that are candidates for the Colorado Heritage for All initiative and providing information about the designation process, benefits, and outcomes to receive owner approval for designation.
• Building support for the preservation of Colorado Heritage for All properties and raising awareness about the cultural, historical, environmental, and economic benefits of preservation.
• Advocating for the preservation of nominated sites, communicating their historical and cultural importance.
• Assisting the Colorado Heritage for All Fellowship Director with community “hackathon” events (a crowd-sourced nomination model) and other community engagement needs, as assigned.
• On occasion, conducting fair and objective reviews of SHF grant applications, ensuring alignment with program objectives.

• Conducting in-depth research on properties and places, including associated individuals and events, to develop solid and defensible arguments that are rooted in historic context for designation according to the National Historic Preservation Act and/or the Colorado State Register Act.
• Seeking out and identifying research opportunities, including online repositories, local resources, historic newspapers, assessor data, oral histories, and other relevant sources of information.
• Conducting site visits to photograph the properties, assess physical integrity, identify and document character-defining physical characteristics, prepare sketch maps, and evaluate/define the property boundary.
• Ensuring that community members, site advocates, and/or property owners are invited and have the opportunity to participate in the research and nomination process.

• 
  Completing 12-18 State and/or National Register nominations for properties associated with historically marginalized and excluded communities per year.
• Ensuring that nominations are accurate, inclusive, and representative of Colorado’s diverse history.
• Being familiar with all requirements for State and National Register nomination forms and completing nominations to a high standard of excellence.
• Accurately and fully describe a variety of property types in the written nomination to accompany photographs and other visual aids.
• Attending all Colorado State Review Board meetings to provide information and answer questions about nominations being considered.
• Responding to feedback from the State Historical Fund Director, Colorado Heritage for All Fellowship Director, History Colorado State and National Register Historians, the Colorado State Review Board, and the National Park Service and making edits/corrections as needed to ensure successful nomination completion.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

• Educational background and volunteer or work experience in history, architectural history, historic preservation, archaeology, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in relationship building and authentic community engagement with historically marginalized and excluded communities.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills.
• Knowledge of and experience with preparing nominations to the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties and the National Register of Historic Places.
• Proficiency in completing place-based historical research.
• Cultural competence.
• Ability to write a compelling statement of significance, identify the period(s) of significance, and relate the property to important themes of its community, State, or nation.

• A Master’s degree in history or preservation is a plus.
• Knowledge of GIS or Argus is a plus.
• Data collection and management experience.
• Experience applying an equity and inclusion lens to grant processes.
• Knowledge of the statewide preservation community and nonprofit landscape.

• These skills include cross-cultural communication, cultural sensitivity, and community engagement.
• A trust-based philanthropy lens emphasizes building relationships, ethical considerations, and empowering communities.
• Researchers must recognize the historical context, and intersectionality of cultural identities, and value local knowledge.
• Advocacy skills, reflection on biases, and adaptability are also crucial for inclusive and respectful heritage preservation efforts.

• 
  High energy, intensely curious, and tenacious
• Detail-oriented, highly organized, and self-motivated
• Embrace of community-driven decision-making and the importance of local knowledge/expertise
• Commitment to working with focus and intentionality on telling the full story of Colorado through designations to the State and/or National Registers
• Inspired by the mission of History Colorado and its service to the people and communities of Colorado

Supplemental Information

Benefits: The State of Colorado offers permanent employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, as well as a comprehensive leave program. Please click the following link for detailed information: www.colorado.gov/pacific/dhr/benefits

A pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process. Felony convictions or conviction of crimes of moral turpitude or convictions of misdemeanors related to job duties may disqualify you from being considered for this position. Should your background check reveal any charges or convictions, it is your responsibility to provide the Human Resources Unit with an official disposition of any charges.

History Colorado is committed to anti-racism practices across its institution and outlined in these grounding virtues: (https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/media/document/2020/Anti-Racism_Grounding_Virtues.pdf (Download PDF reader)(Download PDF reader) ). As such we encourage members of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) LGBTQ and differently abled communities to apply for this position.

ADAAA Accommodations: Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete the application. To request an accommodation, please contact Abbas Montoya @ (303) 866-2136 or email abbas.montoya@state.co.us.