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Museum Technician (History)

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 he Family and Youth Experiences, Interpretative Services, Museum Learning and Programs Unit, National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI).

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
04/10/2024 to 04/24/2024
Salary
$55,924 to - $72,703 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07
Location
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Federal - This Term Appointment may be extended up to an additional 3 years.
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Term
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
07
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
24R-BY-310708-DEU-NMAI
Control number
785946200

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 # 24R-BY-310708-ZDEU-NMAI More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

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The Museum Technician (History) is responsible for technical museum duties and functions of docent information, security, research assistance, maintains gallery presentation, classroom workshops and other educational program material, provides customer services to the general public, participates in the museum's daily start-up and shut-down procedures, and is also responsible for proper care and maintenance of the interactive objects/props and shelving/storage in the museum's imagiNATIONS Activity Center.

In this position, you will:

  • Present educational experiences in a variety of settings for the museum’s visiting public.

  • Present and support established educational programs, targeted for families and youth (Pre-K to 12th grade) as developed by the Family & Youth Experiences (FYE) Manager.

  • Assist in the development of new education-based experiences for the galleries, imagiNATIONS Activity Center, and classroom for consideration and approval by the FYE Manager.

  • Assist with the maintenance of the Activity Center by observing Activity Center procedures for crowd control, customer service, handling collections, etc.

  • Work closely with Visitor Services and mentor interns and up to 40 volunteers who assist in the delivery of programs and information, ensuring that all programs are delivered with cultural accuracy and effective instructional techniques.

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

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

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 experience presenting educational programs on and about Native Americans in a museum, historic site or cultural organization or other cultural institution.

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 Education: 1 full academic year of related graduate level education or superior academic achievement

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.

Additional information

  • This position is included in the bargaining unit.  

Term appointments are non-status, nonpermanent appointments of limited duration of more than 1 year, but not more than 4 years. Should the need warrant, term appointments may be extended without further competition up to a maximum of the 4-year limitation. The appointment to a term position does not confer eligibility for permanent employment.

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.

Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

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 the history, social and material culture, religion, language, and contemporary life of American Indians.
  2. Ability to present programs that are unfamiliar or difficult to Pre-K to 12ᵗʰ grade school audiences using educational concepts, principles, procedures and pedagogy sufficient to that grade level.
  3. Ability to assist in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs.
  4. Knowledge of policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements affecting museum operations, i.e., customer service standards, crowd management, emergency procedures, etc.
  5. Ability to apply interpersonal skills using empathy, tact, diplomacy, and sensitivity to work with and maintain positive relationships with people from multicultural and diverse backgrounds.

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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