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-TK-307126-MPA-SAAM.

The Museum Specialist (Art) in SAAM’s Research and Scholars Center will manage the museum’s permanent collection database of over 45,000 artworks. SAAM uses The Museum System (TMS) to catalogue its art collection and to support activities involving acquisitions, exhibitions and loans. The museum’s collection includes a variety of artworks – paintings, sculptures, graphics, photographs, drawings, craft objects, folk art, decorative arts and time-based media art.

In this position, you will:

• Assist with setting priorities for data entry, editing, cleanup projects, and maintenance of collection information; Enter cataloging data from reports into the collection management system while interpreting the written information for the database record.

• Identify and incorporate requirements of curatorial, registration, editorial, educational, and new media departments into ongoing database development, including the implementation of new modules.

• Use a variety of reference publications to research information on artists, media, subjects, etc., to establish appropriate indexing terms and resolve ambiguous, incomplete or conflicting data.

• Be responsible for the overall management and continued development of the collection information system, including automated content, application administration, training, and support.

• Develop and carry out a training program for museum staff through individual instruction, classroom sessions, telephone, email, and Teams support; Assist staff in understanding basic concepts of information management, data standards, and controlled terminology in offices with limited prior experience with a database application.

• Develop reports using available software tools to support the various museum functions.

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.

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

Basic Qualifications:

Experience related to the operation or management of a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include collections management, registration, cataloging, research, preservation, restoration, or conservation of collections of museum material, or other experience related to the position to be filled.  Most positions require a particular subject-matter specialization, e.g., aeronautics, anthropology, art, geology, history, natural science, technology, biology, or zoology.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement above:

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: (1) Demonstrated experience utilizing collection management systems to maintain information; (2) Developing and implementing modules; (3) Presenting training information for staff; and (4) Utilizing software to create reports.

OR: 

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 to include art, history, and museum studies.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

1. Knowledge of TMS (The Museum System) as a collections management system, including data structure, standards and reporting needs.
2. Knowledge of museum offices and functions in order to support input, storage, retrieval, and user privileges and identify improvements to the system and its report writer. 
3. Knowledge of art history or visual culture, with some specialized knowledge of American art, to develop cataloguing standards, terminology, and authority records.
4. Knowledge of national cataloguing standards for cultural materials to improve reliability and accuracy of data.
5. Ability to provide support and training to staff including documentation and procedural manuals.
6. Knowledge of report writer software in order to generate reports.

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 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.