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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.

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
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
23R-BY-309083-CHSDM-DEU
Control number
736123200

This job is open to

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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 # More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

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 must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions 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 and selective factor.

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 (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

See above under Qualifications 

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.

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 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.

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.


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