Clarification from the agency

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO ALL CANDIDATES ELIGIBLE TO WORK IN THE UNITED STATES.

This position is located at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Office of Curatorial Affairs (OCA).  This position is a senior advisor to the Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs and is responsible for assisting and advising in the formulation of policies, program goals and objectives, and the development of short- and long-range plans including human resources, procurement and interagency agreements and issues.  Major duties and responsibilities include:

• supervisory functions including overseeing subordinate supervisors and their direct reports;
• administration and leadership sharing fully in the duties, responsibilities and authorities of the Associate Director, with a day-to-day focus on the department's non-curatorial matters;
• digitization, cataloging, curatorial collections, conservation ensuring a high quality of performance is maintained, program objectives and museum strategic priorities are carried out; and 
• overseeing the development, justification, execution and control of OCA's federal and trust budgets.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• Complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• May be required to serve an 18-month probationary period for supervisors.

Conditions of Employment:

You must be fully vaccinated for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized or FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine.

OR

Have an approved Reasonable Accommodation granting an exemption from vaccine requirements. Please see additional information regarding reasonable accommodations below.  

The Smithsonian Institution has a mandate requiring all employees (federal and trust), affiliated staff (including volunteers, interns, and fellows), and the contractors who work with us to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee’s duty location or work arrangement (e.g., onsite, telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the Smithsonian Institution, if after November 22. The Smithsonian Institution will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required exemption from this requirement. This requirement applies to employees, affiliated staff, contractors who are working on-site, and those teleworking in whole or in part. Limited exemptions to the Smithsonian Institution’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be considered on a case-by-case basis for selected candidates who inform the Smithsonian that they cannot be vaccinated because of a disability, including certain medical conditions the Center for Disease Control (CDC) considers contraindications to the vaccine, or because of a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Additional information and instructions regarding Smithsonian’s COVID-19 mandate will be provided at the time of selection.   

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 14 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position specialized experience is defined as leading and/or supervising staff; developing short- and long-range plans; advising and assisting in the formulation of strategies, policies, program goals and objectives in a cultural, educational, museum or similar institution;  reviewing and evaluating proposals for collections management including cataloguing and digitization, public programs and symposiums, exhibitions, or research; establishing standards for collections management including cataloguing and digitization, exhibitions, digital projects, publications, and other professional programs; and overseeing the development, justification, execution and control of federal and/or non-appropriated budgets.

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.

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:

1. Ability to supervise staff.
2. Ability to manage key administrative functions and departmental planning efforts (financial management, human resources, procurement, budget, project management, etc.)
3. Skill in museum management.
4. Skill in managing appropriated (Federal) and/or non-appropriated fund budgets.

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.