• Performs technical examinations of works of art to determine their condition, including the kind and extent of deterioration and treatment needed if any.
• Examines works considered for purchase and/or loan to determine state of preservation and treatment that would be required to make the artwork exhibitable.
• Works with living artists, artists’ studios, galleries, and/or artists’ estates to document fabrication methods and materials and to explore the long-term preservation considerations of the individual artworks.
• Reports on variations in temperature and humidity that could detrimental to works of art in the building, and follows through to ensure appropriate corrective actions are taken.  Monitors potential hazards in museum spaces resulting from unfavorable environmental conditions, human neglect, or carelessness.

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.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on the web at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

Qualifications

Experience:

You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position Specialized experience is defined as monitoring the condition of the works of art, creating and maintaining documentation relating to their condition, installation, and display; carrying out conservation treatments, and communicating with colleagues and art professionals.

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.

Or Education: 

Three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the position may be substituted to meet the experience requirements.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; for example, a half year of experience and a half year of education in the field may be qualifying.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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:

• Knowledge of conservation methods and techniques in order to implement procedures for the conservation and preservation of works of arts.

•  Knowledge of treatments on contemporary paintings and familiarity with treating modern paints and a wide range of art making materials from the late 20^th and early 21^st century.

•  Skill in working with living artists in relation to the preservation of their artwork.

• Ability to communicate orally to consult and advise on conservation issues, give lab tours, carry out artist interviews, and develop and present educational materials.

• Ability to communicate in writing in order to prepare written reports treatment proposals, policies and guidelines relates to handling art collection.

• Knowledge of environmental risk and other phenomena contributing to or causing deterioration of objects in order to prevent damage and select appropriate treatments.

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.