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Museum Technician (Art Handler)

Smithsonian Institution
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo.  This position is located in Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (CHSDM), New York NY. The Head of Registrar and Off-Site Registrar (Newark) supports the Registrar Unit in carrying out the art handling duties for the Off-Site facility in Newark, NJ.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/10/2023 to 07/28/2023
Salary
$54,576 to - $70,948 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07
Location
New York, NY
few vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational Telework (Ad Hoc) with supervisory approval.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
07 - FPL - GS-07
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23R-BY-309083-CHSDM-MPA
Control number
736122400

Duties

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The Museum Technician is a critical member of the Registrar Team, carrying out the museum technician and art handling duties for the Museum and its off-site storage.

In this position, you will:

  • Safely handle, pack, and install irreplaceable works of art and to ensure that CHSDM and lender requirements are met while keeping meticulous records and reports of in-coming and out-going objects.

  • Installs and handles objects for exhibitions (including offsite exhibitions).

  • Handles art objects from the collection which includes paper objects, textiles or 3D objects such as jewelry, ceramics, porcelains, glass or metalwork and works with Off- site Registrar and Conservation to safely pack objects for transport to and from Newark.

  • Drafts condition reports, installation guides and packing notes that are clear and easy to follow.

  • Generates a wide range of reports and information using Microsoft Office such as Word, Excel and Outlook and The Museum System (TMS) or its equivalent.

Requirements

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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

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met by the closing date of the announcement. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

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

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-07 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-05 it must include:

  • The specialized experience listed below.

To qualify for the GS-07 on Education alone, you must have at least 1 year of graduate-level education OR superior academic achievement.

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: For GS-3 positions, education may have been in any field of study. For positions at GS-4 and above, related course work is required. Related fields of study include art, history, museum studies, scientific subjects, or other courses related to the position to be filled.


•    **Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.
•    1. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
•    2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.

Selective Factor: Ability to handle objects in broad range of mediums safely and efficiently according to museum standards.

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as (1) experience handling objects in a broad range of mediums safely and efficiently according to museum/cultural institution standards. (2) Installation/de-installation of art objects for exhibitions and (3) Preparing purchase orders, loan agreements, condition reports, installation of art objects.

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.

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.

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: For GS-3 positions, education may have been in any field of study. For positions at GS-4 and above, related course work is required. Related fields of study include art, history, museum studies, scientific subjects, or other courses related to the position to be filled.

Additional information

  • This position is 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.

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. Knowledge of museum registration methods and collections management practices.

  2. Knowledge of art handling to pack and unpack objects according to museum standards.

  3. Ability to perform administration work such as condition reports and installation guides and packing notes.
  4. Skill in using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) software for personal computers and familiarity with using an automated museum collections management system.

BASIS OF RATING:  Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA):  If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities:  The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:

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.


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