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Summary

This position is located in Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (CHSDM). The employee is responsible for coordinating and supervising the conservation treatment of the entire collection of over 210,000 objects.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
05/22/2017 to 10/06/2017
Salary
$82,304 to - $106,998 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
New York, NY
FEW vacancies
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Announcement number
17R-LG-302573-DEU-CHSDM
Control number
469850400

This job is open to

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Duties

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  • Supervises operation of the Textile, Paper and Object Conservation Laboratories and other object handling spaces in the Museum’s facilities, as well as oversee any contract conservators who are hired by the Museum.
  • Performs range of preservation treatments in a variety of media in their area of expertise on objects in the collection, including projects of the most difficult and complex nature.
  • Performs object treatments and develops, prepares, and supervises the preparation of written proposals for object treatments, including selection of treatments procedures, methods and techniques, and materials to be used.
  • Performs general supervision of the Conservation department work in progress to ensure that schedules and standards are being met, that appropriate methods and techniques are being used, and reviews completed work and treatment reports for quality and accuracy.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
  • May need to complete a Probationary Period
  • Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position Specialized experience is defined as having knowledge of the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of conservation and preservation treatments to oversee and lead a team of conservators responsible for conservation treatment damaged, fragile, or deteriorated museum objects such as works on paper, textiles and/or decorative art objects.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Additional information

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

  1. Knowledge of principles, concepts, and methodologies requisite to lead, train and develop conservators in textile/paper/object conservation treatments, e.g., chemistry, material technology and deterioration, and art historical and technological understanding of artifacts such as works on paper, textiles and/or objects.
  2. Knowledge of conservation and collection maintenance techniques and procedures to examine and house damaged, fragile, or deteriorated museum artifacts that include one of the following textiles, works on paper and decorative objects.
  3. Ability to perform material testing of contemporary archival materials for use in storage and exhibitions (Oddy test) and to perform material identification through microscopy, XRF, and micro-chemical testing.
  4. Ability to work as a senior conservator to oversee all conservation aspects of a museum collection to meet and exceed deadlines for exhibitions.
Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria: Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above. Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above. Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree. This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position. Important Note: Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

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