Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a national museum for the study and exhibition of African American history and culture. 

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
01/12/2023 to 02/09/2023
This job will close when we have received 150 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$132,368 to - $172,075 per year
Pay scale & grade
IS 14
Location
Washington
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Position requires periodic domestic travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is not a Federal Position, but has similar requirements and benefits. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO ALL CANDIDATES ELIGIBLE TO WORK IN THE UNITED STATES.
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent.
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
14 - Position is at full performance level.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23R-YH-308219-TRF-NMAAHC
Control number
699348700

This job is open to

Help

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO ALL CANDIDATES ELIGIBLE TO WORK IN THE UNITED STATES.

Duties

Help

The Museum Curator directs the curation of film, video, digital media components and photography for the Center for the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts (CAAMA).

In this position, you will:

  • Undertake major research projects in the field of 19th, 20th and 21st century photography, film, video, and digital media. Initiate, develop, and conduct research regarding American and African American film, video, photography, and digital media.

  • Research which typically results in publications and exhibitions that make authoritative and original contribution to knowledge. 

  • Oversee the development and maintenance of a collection of African American film, video, digital media and photography. Work to extend national and international significance of the collection. Monitor acquisitions processes.
  • Initiate and oversee exhibition projects designed to maintain and promote scholarship proposing treatment of American and African American film, video and digital media themes, write the script and select objects.  Develop major exhibitions.
  • Serve as an expert consultant and advisor to colleagues, writers, educational institutions, research foundations, and other government agencies.
  • Supervise staff in support of the Center for African American Media Arts (CAAMA).

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
  • Complete a Probationary Period
  • 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. 

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. 

Qualifications

Basic Education Requirement:

  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 1 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 1 above.

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement above:

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.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience managing film, video, photography, and digital media in museum collections, exhibitions, preservation, publications, and research; consulting and advising on film, video, photography, and digital media content; monitoring acquisition processes.

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.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement.  Unofficial transcripts are required.

Additional information

This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and,
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position.  However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.

Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

ATTENTION: Due to the large number of qualified applicants for positions of this type, this job announcement will close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on either: (A) The closing date listed above or (B) The date that 150 applications are received; whichever occurs first. If the announcement closes on the date that 150 applications are received, all applications submitted by 11:59pm that day will be given consideration, including those in excess of 150. We encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible to ensure their applications are submitted before the announcement closes. We will not consider applications which are late due to the announcement closing once the above number of applications is reached.

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 for and about the history of film, video, photography and digital media in American and/or African American history and culture.
  2. Skill in written communication.
  3. Ability to organize, manage, develop, and refine collections of artifacts illustrating and documenting film, video, photography, and digital media.
  4. Skill in planning and implementing museum exhibitions, programs, and publications.
  5. Skill in oral communication.
  6. 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.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.