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Summary

This is a position of the History of American Women in Aviation, Spaceflight, Astronomy, and Planetary Science in Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum located in Washington, DC and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, MA. The position will be based at NASM with regularly scheduled time at SAO. The position will serve as curator of the history of American women in technology and science including women in aviation and/or spaceflight, astronomy, and planetary science. 

Overview

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Job canceled
Open date: 09/16/2019
Closed date: 11/04/2019
This job will close when we have received 200 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$69,581 - $108,422 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Promotion potential
12
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Travel Required
25% or less - Less than 25 percent travel.
Appointment type
Term - Federal - Term Appt NTE 4 years
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Announcement number
19A-FW-304602-DEU-NASM
Control number
545807700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement # 19R-FW-304602-MPA-NASM.

Duties

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  • Conducts scholarly and technical research with an emphasis on the history of American women in aviation, spaceflight, astronomy and planetary science.
  • Performs curatorial tasks in the history of American women in aviation, spaceflight, astronomy, and planetary science.
  • Manages a collection of artifacts.
  • Prepares exhibit scripts, proposals and exhibits and public programs, research plans, reports, book reviews, and other documents.

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.

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

Qualifications

GS-11:  You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position Specialized experience is defined as collaborative research related to subjects for which the curator will be responsible: the history of American women in aviation and/or spaceflight, astronomy, and planetary science.

Or Education: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree,    

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. 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.

GS-12:  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 developing, implementing and/or coordinating cross-department and cross-unit collaboration; and carrying out independent research, professional scholarly research related to the specific subjects for which the curator will be responsible: the history of American women in aviation and/or spaceflight, astronomy, and planetary science, resulting in publications in peer-reviewed journals or books.


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.

Education

In addition to having the specialized experience listed above, applicants must also meet the following basic entry requirements:

  1. Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field.

    OR

  2. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

    OR

  3. Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in A above.

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:

  • Ability to perform scholarly historical research
  • Knowledge of the development of public and scholarly programs related to the history of American Women in aviation and/or spaceflight, astronomy, and planetary science.
  • Knowledge of museum standards related to collections management practices applied to an artifact collection.
  • Knowledge of museum standards related to collections management practices applied to exhibits creation.
  • Ability to communicate orally in a variety of settings
  • Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

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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Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Agency contact information

Frances Walker
Phone
202-633-6309
TDD
202-633-6409
Fax
202-633-6401
Email
walkerf@si.edu
Address
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States

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