Clarification from the agency

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO ALL CANDIDATES ELIGIBLE TO WORK IN THE UNITED STATES. This is a temporary position not to exceed two years which may be extended.

The Supervisory Museum Curator oversees NMAAHC's religious life collection and heads the Center for the Study of African American Religious Life (CSAARL).

In this position, you will:

• Develop a research agenda, considering mission and objectives related to African American religion.  Coordinate the development and review of collection plans for each scholarly area.
• Prepare for publication scholarly reports of a descriptive and theoretical natures based on own field of work, on study of SI and other collections and on the existing scholarly publications.
• Acquire and process collection items vital to exhibition, research and public services activities.  Define and implement plans for development of a preeminent collection related to faith-based objects.
• Host public forums that explore African American faith, history, and contemporary culture, as well as roles and needs of faith leaders, religious organizations and African American communities.
• Supervise Center staff.

Conditions of employment

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

Conditions of Employment

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. 

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 13 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position specialized experience is defined as managing museum collections, exhibitions, preservation, publications, and research relating to the study of religion, religious traditions, or faith; writing articles or publications on issues of faith; supervising, managing and/or leading.

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.

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

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. Skill in conducting research related to religion and/or religious traditions for and about African American history and culture.

2. Skill in written communication.

3. Ability to organize, manage, develop, and refine collections of artifacts illustrating and documenting religion or religious traditions by and about African Americans.

4. Skill in oral communication.

5. Ability to supervise.

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.