Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #22R-WJ-307537-MPA-HMSG More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

As a Museum Curator (Art), the incumbent provides historical research and administrative support that serve the Curatorial Departments' acquisitions, research, and exhibitions programs.

Typical duties includes: 

• Conducts and compiles modern and contemporary art historical and other research relevant to the understanding, use, loan, display, and care of works of art in the collection and for publication, curatorial projects, or public programs.
• Supports curatorial staff on the presentation and rotation of collection works in the museum galleries, lobby, garden, and plaza.
• Maintains exhibition checklists, working with Hirshhorn staff and outside artwork lenders to track exhibition items’ titles, media, dates, credit lines, installation requirements, loan status, insurance values, and other needs.
• Provides exhibition tours and collection gallery tours to members of the public, Trustees, tour groups, and other Hirshhorn visitors and stakeholders.
• Arranges travel for visiting artists and scholars.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS:

For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination requirements and its impact on your application, click on Smithsonian Institution’s Frequently Asked Questions. 

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

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

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

OR

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

OR

3. 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.

AND

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position Specialized experience is defined as assisting curators and providing departmental support in performing research pertaining to exhibitions, acquisitions, and works of art in a modern and/or contemporary art museum collection; conducting research in a contemporary art museum library and on the internet, including foreign language sources; assisting in the acquisition of materials and artwork from collectors, libraries, galleries, and other modern and contemporary art museums.

Or Education: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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 conduct scholarly research on a variety of topics relevant to Modern and Contemporary art.
2. Knowledge of researching, acquiring, and installing collections; knowledge of issues and methods of collections documentation, storage, and conservation.
3. Knowledge of museum procedures and operations gained through work experience in a museum, gallery, or auction house setting; knowledge of issues and methods of collections documentation, storage, and conservation.
4. Ability to speak publicly and give tours on art historical topics to small groups.
5. Knowledge of Smithsonian travel and procurement policies and processes.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

• Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
• Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
• Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

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