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-ST-310788-MPA-SLA More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Associate Director (Research & Scholarly Services) is responsible for leading Smithsonian’s Institutions (SI) 21 research libraries which provide pan-institutional research and collections services. The position will direct staff to select and manage nearly 3 million SLA print and electronic collections and other resources held by the Research & Scholarly Services (RSS).

In this position, you will be:

• Performing the full range of supervisory personnel functions for Research & Scholarly Services library staff. Oversees the establishment of goals, articulation of priorities, development of schedules and checklists, and the assignment of tasks.
• Develops policies, procedures, and workflows that will achieve these goals and regularly reviews department success in meeting mission, objectives, and goals.
• Interprets trends and assesses impacts of trends in library services initiatives. Makes recommendations on the development of innovative programs and initiatives and supports traditional services as appropriate.
• Oversees the budget for SLA Research & Scholarly Services. Manages annual federal, trust, endowment, and gift budgets of approximately $7M for department budgets are managed and expensed within SI guidelines and policies.

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

Basic Qualification Requirements:

All librarians must meet the requirements for professional education in library science or possess equivalent experience and education.

1. Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate study in library science in an accredited college or university, in addition to completion of all work required for a bachelor’s degree.

OR

1. A total of at least 5 years of a combination of college-level education, training, and experience. To qualify on this basis, the applicant must establish conclusively that the education, training, and experience provided a knowledge and understanding of the theories, principles, and techniques of professional librarianship; a knowledge of literature resources; and the knowledge and abilities essential for providing effective library and information services.

You must submit a legible copy of your college/university transcripts to your online application. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts will be required if selected. Failure to submit the required legible documentation at the time of application will result in disqualification of your application.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements listed below:

GS-14 Experience:You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service.  For this position Specialized experience is defined as supervising and training library staff, developing, and implementing policies in library research, and promoting access to library collections through outreach activities. Applicants must have experience in bibliographic databases, collection development, budget management, interlibrary loan oversight, and circulation services.

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. Knowledge of supervisory principles and practices in a library or archives setting.
2. Knowledge of library services and information delivery trends and issues as they relate to library collections and services, and library strategic planning, to address those trends for the Research & Scholarly Services.
3. Skills to monitor and track a budget for assigned program areas. Plans, administers, and monitors expenses.

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.