Clarification from the agency

Current and former Federal employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility or individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority. Also advertised as 21R-TL-306341-MPA-NASM for Open to U.S. Citizens, nationals, or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.. To be considered for each vacancy, apply to BOTH jobs. More than one selection may be made from this job opportunity announcement.

Duties of the GS-11 and GS-12 are the same.  At the GS-11 level there is closer supervision of the work completed.

• Conduct independent technical research on the history of computing, including design, technology, culture, and historical significance resulting in publications in peer-reviewed journals or books
• Serve as a curator to include managing and interpreting artifacts associated with the history of computing, including design, technology, culture, and historical significance.
• Develop exhibits, especially as related to the history of computing, including design, technology, culture, and historical significance.
• Prepare technical reports in writing as well as oral presentations to the staff and public and digital outreach on the Museum and its collection.
• Foster relationships across the organization to enhance attention to the history of computing, including design, technology, culture, and historical significance.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. citizenship
• Pre- and post-appointment background investigation
• May be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job opportunity 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

BASIC Qualification Requirements:

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

                OR 

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

                 OR

• 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.

In addition to meeting the basic qualifications applicant must also meet specialized experience.

Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, are not required to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements.

For this position at the GS-11 level, applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-09, in the Federal Service or equivalent.

For this position at the GS-12 level, applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal Service or equivalent.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

GS-11: researching the history of computing, including design, technology, culture, and historical significance.

GS-12: developing, implementing and/or coordinating independent research related to the history of computing, including design, technology, culture, and historical significance.  

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid work on the same basis as for paid experience.  Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. To receive credit for such experience you must indicate clearly the nature of the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the average number of hours per week spent in such employment on your online resume.

Note:  Your specialized experience must have been in a position(s) equivalent to duties for the occupation at the next lower grade level for the position being filled as defined by applicable Federal standards. 

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 historical research and present conference papers.
• Knowledge of museum standards related to collections management practices applied to an artifact collection.
• Knowledge of the development of public exhibits related to the history of computing.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing in order to prepare email, correspondence, exhibit scripts, proposals, plans, reports, books, reviews, documents, and publications to include writing succinct informational style and synthesizing and interpreting ideas clearly.
• Ability to communicate orally in a variety of settings (e.g., community and public forums) as a historian.

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 detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.