This position is located in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the largest national museum for the study and exhibition of African American history and culture. Its primary purposes are to acquire, maintain and preserve objects which document social, cultural, political, military, technological and scientific developments in the United States related to the African American experience; to conduct scholarly research designed to make significant contributions to the body of knowledge in the field of African American history, to publish findings for both scholarly and general audiences; and to interpret historical developments through public exhibits and programs as well as digital content.
Amended to extend closing date to April 16, 2018 and to correct the substitution of education for the required specialized experience and to correct the salary.
Summary
This position is located in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the largest national museum for the study and exhibition of African American history and culture. Its primary purposes are to acquire, maintain and preserve objects which document social, cultural, political, military, technological and scientific developments in the United States related to the African American experience; to conduct scholarly research designed to make significant contributions to the body of knowledge in the field of African American history, to publish findings for both scholarly and general audiences; and to interpret historical developments through public exhibits and programs as well as digital content.
Amended to extend closing date to April 16, 2018 and to correct the substitution of education for the required specialized experience and to correct the salary.
The incumbent serves as a member of the professional research staff with duties related to the history of slavery in America from the colonial era through emancipation and the era of Reconstruction. Working with the Supervisory Curator of History and the director of the Center for the Study of Global Slavery, the incumbent serves as a subject matter expert on the history of slavery and emancipation and as curator of record for collections relating to the institution of slavery, emancipation and the era of Reconstruction. The incumbent will be directly involved in the activities of the Freemen's Bureau Project as well as the Center for the Study of Global Slavery. Duties include defining and building a world-class collection relating to slavery and emancipation; overseeing the acquisition, cataloguing, interpretation and care and preservation of the collection; conducting research for exhibitions, publications and programs; planning interpretive exhibitions, publications and programs; providing public service by responding to public inquiries, making public and professional presentations and participating in public programs.
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.
Qualifications
Experience: 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: conducting scholarly research and producing publications and/or exhibitions related to the history of slavery, emancipation and the era of Reconstruction; participating in public service efforts; developing a collection of artifacts; serving as a subject matter expert on matters relating to the history of American slavery, emancipation and the era of Reconstruction; answering public inquiries and lecturing to professional associations and other organizations.
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
All applicants must meet these Basic Requirements:
A. Degree in museum work; or an applicable subject matter field related to the position; OR
B. Combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education; OR
C. Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in A above.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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:
Skill in conducting research for and about the history of American slavery, emancipation and the era of Reconstruction.
Ability to communicate in writing research information pertaining to the history of the history of American slavery, emancipation and the era of Reconstruction.
Ability to organize, manage, develop and refine collections of artifacts illustrating and documenting the history of American slavery, emancipation and the era of Reconstruction.
Skill in planning and implementing museum exhibitions, programs and publications related to the field of the history of American slavery, emancipation and the era of Reconstruction.
Ability to communicate orally with colleagues, educational institutions, research foundations, government agencies, and the public.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Detailed resume created in the USAJOBS Resume Builder.
A copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your position title, series, grade, step, salary, position occupied, and tenure group, to verify time-in-grade/competitive status. If you have previously held a higher grade and are applying based on that grade, you must provide a copy of the SF-50 showing you held the higher grade and/or have promotion potential to the grade being advertised. Do NOT submit Award SF-50s.
Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
A recent performance evaluation
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA
Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration
Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order
Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page.
Please Note:
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process; OR You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Detailed resume created in the USAJOBS Resume Builder.
A copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your position title, series, grade, step, salary, position occupied, and tenure group, to verify time-in-grade/competitive status. If you have previously held a higher grade and are applying based on that grade, you must provide a copy of the SF-50 showing you held the higher grade and/or have promotion potential to the grade being advertised. Do NOT submit Award SF-50s.
Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
A recent performance evaluation
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA
Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration
Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order
Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page.
Please Note:
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process; OR You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.
