The incumbent:

• Develops concepts and themes for special exhibitions and installations of permanent collections.
• Organizes or coordinates exhibitions on a regular basis; initiates, selects, negotiates loans, performs research, and writes catalogues and other publications for exhibitions.
• Researches and selects relevant didactic photographic materials.
• Researches, writes, or reviews accompanying scholarly texts.
• Writes or consults on the preparation of brochures, leaflets, wall texts, essays, catalogue entries, films, web features, and other interpretive programs for collections and exhibitions.
• Ensures the safety, physical organization, up-to-date documentation, and reliable access to the collection of European prints and illustrated books before 1900.
• Advises on conservation treatment.
• Collaborates with other division staff on housing.
• Performs and/or delegates scholarly work to ensure proper identification and cataloguing of works of art.
• Ensures timely and accurate maintenance of database entries.
• Sets priorities for documenting the collection.
• Evaluates loan requests from other institutions.
• Initiates and/or oversees development of research and publishing projects.
• Writes, lectures, and consults on scholarly matters.
• Writes or reviews texts for the website, brochures, leaflets, and other Gallery publications or scholarly studies.
• Researches, writes, or reviews scholarly texts related to collections, acquisitions, and loans.
• Writes or consults on the preparation of brochures, leaflets, wall texts, essays, catalogue entries, films, web features, and other interpretive programs, and other Gallery publications or scholarly studies.
• Responds, or directs staff to respond, to public, scholarly and other professional inquiries.
• Attends professional meetings and lectures, participates in symposia.
• Accepts or initiates opportunities to collaborate with Gallery colleagues and counterparts in other institutions.
• Speaks to visiting groups and the press.
• Expands and deepens the Gallery's collections through the acquisition of works of art of the highest quality and relevance.
• Closely follows the art market, maintains cooperative contacts with dealers, and cultivates close relationships with collectors, and ensures that subordinate curators do the same.
• In consultation with the Senior curator, proposes discretionary purchases to the Director and Chief Curator, and major purchases in writing to the Board.
• Attracts single objects and collections as gifts, as well as funds for acquisitions, from private sources.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Time-in-Grade requirement must be met by the closing date of announcement.

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, the incumbent may frequently walks to other offices in the East and West Buildings.

Requires advanced reading knowledge of at least two of the following three languages: French, German, and Italian.  Requires occasional weekend work.

The National Gallery of Art provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.  If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us.  The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a minimum of one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility comparable to the next lower grade or comparable pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector.

Candidates must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, developing pre-1900 European print and drawing collections.  An equivalent combination of education and experience is fully qualifying and meets the minimum qualification requirements. 

Other Relevant Eligibility Criteria: Must be available for periodic weekend duty.  Must be available for U.S. and European travel, up to seven (7) days per trip.  Must have advanced reading ability in at least two of the following languages: German; French; and Italian.

Candidates must reflect in their submitted USAJOBS résumés the possession of this specialized experience.  If their résumés do not include such specialized experience, they will be ineligible for this position.

Those applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be evaluated against these factors to determine the best-qualified candidates.  Candidates should ensure their résumé and submitted materials clearly demonstrate possession of these factors to receive maximum employment consideration.

Skill in organizing exhibitions, from small focus projects to major international loan shows.

Knowledge of prints and drawings collection care and management.

Ability to write and develop interpretative art programs for all audience levels.

Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with others.

Knowledge of the field and art market, including sources, values and acute discrimination about individual works of art (connoisseurship).

Time-in-Grade: Current federal employees must meet time-in0grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration under merit promotions procedures.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

The National Gallery of Art uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

We will also verify whether you are eligible for merit promotion by reviewing your previous Federal employment to ensure you meet Time-in-Grade requirements. If you are eligible to apply to Merit Promotion announcements based on Veteran or other non-competitive statuses, we will verify your supporting documentation prior to referral.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your evaluation rating may be adjusted accordingly.