Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Assistant Director serves as a member of the curatorial staff with duties relating to the research, collections, interpretation, teamwork, and creative public engagement that generates publicly engaged scholarship, research, and preservation of collections; and the spirit of generous participation that nurtures collaboration in NMAAHC, buttresses history as a profession, and advances civic engagement at the national level.

In this position, you will:

• specialize in the specialty program of Culture, which includes diaspora, music and sports, black entrepreneurship and business, and curatorial culture (including dress, dolls, textiles, fashion).
• research which typically results in publications and exhibitions that make authoritative and original contribution to the field. Collaborate with colleagues across division as well as with specialist in collections management, design, production, writing/editing, education, public programs and project management.
• contribute to the long-term health of the collection through strategic acquisition and deaccession, collections documentation within a shared data management system and the advancement of public access.
• serve as a senior representative in discussions about policy and direction and is frequently called upon to promote public awareness of the projects and their content through presentations (orally or in writing) to funders, media contacts; publications; and through presentations to nonacademic and academic groups.
• oversee the establishment of goals, articulation of priorities, development of schedules and checklists, and the assignment of tasks, through subordinate supervisors, to enhance the Museum’s work aligned with its strategic pillars.

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.
• May be required to serve an 18-month probationary period for supervisors.

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 Education Requirement:

1. Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field. or
2. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in 1 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. or
3. Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in 1 above.

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement above:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the grade 14 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience leading and/or supervising staff; conducting research in the field of culture (e.g., diaspora, music and sports, black entrepreneurship and business, and cultural culture (including dress, dolls, textiles, fashion); responding to queries relating to research, collections, exhibitions and public outreach; contributing to long-term health of the collection through strategic acquisition; and developing and implementing strategic collections plans.

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. Skill in conducting research for and about African American culture.
2. Skill in written communication.
3. Ability to organize, develop, maintain and refine collections of artifacts illustrating and documenting culture by and about African Americans.
4. Skill in oral communication.
5. Ability to supervise staff.

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.