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-ID-311195-MPA-NASM. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Museum Specialist (Aeronautics) is a skilled member of the preservation/restoration team; and is responsible for protecting the National Collection of Aeronautics and Space Artifacts through proper and authentic preservation and restoration techniques.

In this position, you will:

• Perform tasks of a highly technical nature in support of NASM’s preservation/restoration program, primarily but not exclusively, preparing the large artifacts in the aeronautics and space history collections for movements to and from exhibit and/or artifact storage.
• Determine which supplies, special equipment and tools are required for each specific project. Selects and uses appropriate cleaning solvents, paint removers and corrosion removal chemicals that will not adversely affect the artifacts to which they are applied.
• Maintain a clear, concise and detailed report of each restoration project, often with daily entries.
• Determine necessary tasks to ensure the preservation of complete aircraft and space craft that have been subjected to outdoor exposure, and storage environments that have been less than museum standards.
• Design and constructs forms, jigs, cradles, dollies and slings as needed to safely handle the artifacts during the restoration process and in preparation for the movement of the artifacts to be rigged into locations for exhibit.

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.
• Work involves lifting, stooping, climbing and working in awkward positions.
• Must be able to lift objects weighing up to 40 lbs. without assistance.
• Work requires substantial walking, standing, bending and reaching.
• Requires contact with lead paint, asbestos or other hazardous materials.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen

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 Qualifications

GS-9 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: 1) Application of conservation, preservation or restoration techniques to technical, industrial, and/or transportation machinery or aerospace equipment;2) Documentation of project progress or completion summary; 3) Ability to read and understand manuals and technical data related to this field; 4) Movement and rigging of aircraft, spacecraft, and/or aerospace artifacts.   

OR

Education:

• Two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education 

Or 

• Master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the position

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.

GS-11 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as 1) Application of conservation, preservation or restoration techniques to industrial, and/or aerospace equipment; 2) Performing projects on an independent level, including resource planning (such as materials and time estimates; 3) Movement and rigging of aircraft, spacecraft, and aerospace artifacts.

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:

• Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, standards and practices related to the care, handling, movement, transporting, shipping, receiving, packing, unpacking, internal movement and storing of museum collections.
• Knowledge of the proper storage support making techniques for 3D objects as well as archival materials appropriate to museum collections.
• Ability to work with museum collection management software system/s for artifact documentation and Microsoft Office programs is required.
• Ability to ascertain which guidelines apply in each situation, and for referring problems and questions to the supervisor when situations arise that are not clearly covered by existing guidelines. 
• Knowledge of exhibition planning and production.

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.