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Supervisory Museum Curator (Art)

National Gallery of Art
DCMP
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Division of Prints and Drawings (DCG), Department of Modern Prints and Drawings (DCMP), and is responsible for the Gallery's acquisition, care, study, and display of a world-class collection of works of art on on paper.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/05/2018 to 10/30/2018
Salary
$114,590 to - $148,967 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Washington DC, DC
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 25% or less.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Drug test
No
Announcement number
NGA-18-148A
Control number
512963500

Duties

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Develops concepts and themes for special exhibitions and installations of permanent collections. Organizes, collaborates with other Gallery departments to organize, or coordinates exhibitions on a regular basis; initiates, selects, negotiates loans, performs research, and writes catalogues and other publications for exhibitions. Researches and selects relevant didactic photographic materials. Researches, writes, or reviews accompanying scholarly texts. Writes or consults on the preparation of brochures, leaflets, wall texts, essays, catalogue entries, films, web features, and other interpretive programs for collections and exhibitions.

Expands and deepens the Gallery collections through the acquisition of works of art of the highest quality and relevance. Closely follows the art market, maintains cooperative contacts with dealers, and cultivates close relationships with collectors, and ensures that subordinate curators do the same. In consultation with the Senior Curator, proposes discretionary purchases to the Director and Chief Curator, and major purchases in writing to the Board. Attracts single objects and collections as gifts, as well as funds for acquisitions, from private sources.

Ensures the safety, physical organization, up-to-date documentation, and reliable access to the collection of modern prints and drawings. Advises on conservation treatment. Collaborates with other division staff on housing. Performs and/or delegates scholarly work to ensure proper identification and cataloguing of works of art.  Ensures timely and accurate maintenance of database entries.  Sets priorities for documenting the collection. Evaluates loan requests from other institutions.

Initiates and/or oversees development of research and publishing projects. Writes, lectures, and consults on scholarly matters. Writes or reviews texts for the website, brochures, leaflets, and other Gallery publications or scholarly studies. Researches, writes, or reviews scholarly texts related to collections, acquisitions, and loans. Writes or consults on the preparation of brochures, leaflets, wall texts, essays, catalogue entries, films, web features, and other interpretive programs, and other Gallery publications or scholarly studies.

Responsible for formulating and implementing the department’s strategic plan for acquisitions, research, exhibitions, and other programs, in consultation with the Senior Curator.  Manages the financial and personnel resources of the department, including acquisition funds, travel budgets, exhibition grants, and exhibition budgets.  Schedules and coordinates the in-house activities of the department.  Supervises associate and assistant curators as well as fellows in the department.  Assigns routine and special projects, provides direction, monitors progress, and evaluates results.  Writes job descriptions, performance plans, and award recommendations; conducts informal and formal performance appraisals annually.  Hires new subordinate staff as vacancies occur.

Responds, or directs staff to respond, to public, scholarly and other professional inquiries. Attends professional meetings and lectures, participates in symposia. Accepts or initiates opportunities to collaborate with Gallery colleagues and counterparts in other institutions. Speaks to visiting groups and the press.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, the incumbent may frequently walks to other offices in the East and West Buildings.

The National Gallery of Art provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.  If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us.  The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the next lower grade or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector.

For this position, specialized experience is at least one year of curatorial experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-13 level in the Federal service, developing modern prints and drawings collections.

Other Relevant Eligibility Criteria: Must be available for periodic weekend duty.  Must be available for U.S. and European travel, up to 7 days per trip (10% time).  Must have advanced reading ability in at least two of the following languages: German, French, and Italian.

Candidates must reflect in their submitted USAJOBS résumés the possession of this specialized experience.  If their résumés do not include such specialized experience, they will be ineligible for this position.

Those applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated against these factors to determine the best-qualified candidates.  Candidates should ensure their résumé and submitted materials clearly demonstrate possession of these factors to receive maximum employment consideration.

Skill in organizing exhibitions, from small focus projects to major international loan shows.

Knowledge of the field and art market, including sources, values and acute discrimination about individual works of art (connoisseurship)

Knowledge of prints and drawings collection care and management.

Ability to write and develop interpretative art programs for all audience levels.

Skill in departmental and curatorial administration.

Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with others.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement. You may submit copies of your transcripts or a course listing. You must provide documentation supporting your education claims.

Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

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 and rated under the Category Rating and Selection procedures. The quality categories are defined as "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified".

Based on your responses to the job-specific self-assessment questions, eligible candidates are placed for selection consideration into one of three pre-defined quality categories as described below:

Best Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications for the position, candidates must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.

Well Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.

Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

Application of Veterans Preference: The Category Rating Method 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 pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.


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