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Museum Curator

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary


For more information contact Bruce Leutscher at (906) 387-2607 ext. 1228.

TERM positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service and will be for a period not to exceed thirteen months, with possible extensions up to a total of four years without further competition.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 10/28/2019
Closed date: 11/06/2019
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$62,236 - $80,912 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Term - 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
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
MW-1544-PIRO-20-10638464-DE
Control number
549949000

Duties

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This position is located in Calumet, Michigan, at the Lake Superior Collection Management Center's Keweenaw History Center, Keweenaw National Historical Park, with some work at the Houghton Museum Storage Facility, at the Isle Royale National Park headquarters in Houghton, Michigan. The LSCMC is a full-service museum and archives collection management provider for three national park units: Isle Royale National Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The purpose of this project-funded TERM position is principally to correct Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks museum accession and catalog documentation deficiencies. The position will also accession new and backlogged museum collections, including natural history collections generated under research permit. Some limited travel may be required. The majority of the work will take place in an office setting.

This position is duty stationed at the Lake Superior Collection Management Center (LSCMC) in Calumet, Michigan. The LSCMC cares for the collections of Keweenaw National Historical Park, headquartered in Calumet; Isle Royale National Park, its mainland headquarters in Houghton, Michigan, 12 miles from Calumet, and the island portion of the park located approximately 70 miles from the mainland headquarters, accessed via park ship, the Ranger III; and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, headquartered in Munising, Michigan, 155 miles to the south and east. Calumet is a community of about 6,000 residents. Houghton is a town of approximately 6,000 residents and houses Michigan Technological University. The University has an average enrollment of 7,000. The bordering town of Hancock has a residential population of 4,300 and houses Finlandia University with an average enrollment of 400 students. Park housing is not available for this position. The average cost of rentals in the nearby area ranges from $500 to $800 per month.

These are small historic mining communities with the amenities to serve two Universities, including hospitals, clinics, fitness centers, performing arts centers, museums, libraries, historic downtowns, numerous eateries, and stores. The area is a tourist destination. Winter snowfall is abundant, averaging between 150 and 200 inches per year. Winter recreational activities include down-hill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. In the summer, there are scenic overlooks, bike paths, hiking, backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, and boating opportunities, countless lakes and miles of Lake Superior shoreline.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists.
  • You will be required to complete a one-year trial period.
  • You will be required to travel overnight away from home. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/06/2019-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount o qualified specialized experience.


Basic Requirements for Museum Curator, GS-1015 From the description below, select one response that best describes how your background meets the basic education or experience requirements for a Museum Curator position.

Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in museum work, archaeology, anthropology, history, or similar area of cultural resources management.
OR
At least four years of experience that provided me with the knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in 1A above.
OR
Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT , you must meet one of the following:To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE:At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience providing direction over extensive museum collections and carrying out responsibilities in the four museum functions: collections, exhibits, research, and education. Experience may include collections management (in the areas of archeology, ethnology, history, archives, biology, geology, and paleontology), registration, cataloging, research, preservation, restoration, or conservation of collections of museum material, or other experience related to this position.
OR
EDUCATION:
At least three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with fields of study such as archeology, ethnology, history, archives, biology, geology, and paleontology, or other courses related to this position. You must include transcripts.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must document your course work and/or degree completed in your resume or other application materials you submit. You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a complete list of college courses taken that identifies for each course the college or university, semester or quarter hours earned, grade received, and date completed. If you are qualifying based on education and you do not submit specific course work information as described previously, your application will be rated not qualified for consideration. (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected).
OR
Combination of Specialized experience and Education

Volunteer Experience: 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requires mental alertness, better than average manual dexterity, and mobility. Although primarily sedentary, inspections and operations evaluations involve activities demanding a certain amount of exertion such as walking, climbing, crawling, lifting of heavy objects, bending, stooping, and reaching. Working with collections can involve prolonged exposure to hazardous materials and equipment.
Working with lighting systems, environmental control systems, and alarm systems can involve exposure to electrical current and the use of power tools with physical hazards. The work entails the ability to concentrate for long periods of time.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Most of the work is performed in an office and storage or laboratory facility. Frequent visits are made to the library, visitor center, and other museums in the park. The incumbent makes occasional field trips to the backcountry. Some travel to other facilities and museums, as well as to training and professional meetings is required.


If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

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

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • History and Archaeology
  • Technical Competence

National Park Service

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Agency contact information

Terry Martin
Phone
(219) 395-1775
Email
terry_l_martin@nps.gov
Address
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
N8391 Sand Point Drive
Munising, MI 49862
US

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