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 #23R-YH-309167-MPA-NMAAHC. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Assistant Director serves as a member of the curatorial staff for the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).  The position specializes in the following specialty programs: political history, social history, civil rights, social justice, community life, domestic life, institutional life, science, education, African American Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, 19^th Century American history, 20^th century American History or LGBTQ+.

In this position, you will:

• Conduct research, identify relevant objects, write scripts, and provide leadership.

• Conduct work which may result in a variety of publicly accessible forms, including gallery exhibitions, online digital exhibitions, books or articles, live public programs, etc.  Correspond with donors, researchers, and colleagues.

• Play a key role in shaping the national collection, deepening knowledge of the collection’s holdings, and fostering its stewardship.

• Actively participate in professional circles relevant to the museum’s work by regularly giving talks within and outside the museum, consulting, organizing, and participating in workshops and symposia, presenting at major professional conferences and events.  Play a senior leadership role in the institution’s interpretive work, initiating and leading complex projects that shape institutional priorities and approaches.

• Oversee the establishment of goals, articulation of priorities, development of schedules and checklists, and the assignment of tasks. Formulate goals and priorities to ensure most efficient use of personnel and available funds. Evaluate performance; encourage a team-based approach to project planning and implementation; prepare adverse or disciplinary actions.

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.
• May be required to serve an 18-month probationary period for supervisors.
• U.S. citizenship

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. 

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

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 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 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 GS-14 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience leading and/or supervising staff; initiating, developing and conducting research in the field of history (which includes political history, social history, civil rights, social justice, community life, domestic life, institution life, science, education African American Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, 19^th Century American history, 20^th century American History or LGBTQ+); managing museum collections, exhibitions, preservation, publications; responding to queries relating to research, collections, exhibitions, and public outreach; contributing to historical collections documentation.

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.

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. Skill in conducting research for and about African American history.
2. Skill in written communication.
3. Ability to organize, develop, maintain, and refine collections of artifacts illustrating and documenting African American history and culture.
4. Skill in oral communication.
5. Ability to supervise staff.

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.