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.

The Supervisory Exhibits Specialist supervise and manage the Design Department in the project planning and development and execution of diverse exhibits, while representing SIE on Design initiatives for both the office and among other Smithsonian units. 

In this position, you will:

• Supervise subordinate exhibit design personnel and works in a high- level planning capacity with curators, content experts, exhibit developers, scriptwriters, educators, fabricators, and multimedia and audio-visual developers in order to establish the standards and aesthetics for exhibits.
• Oversee the work of subordinates and contractors engaged in the preparation of museum and exhibit design renderings and models, detailed working and construction drawings, fabrication specifications, and graphics files for production.
• Manage the establishment of goals, the articulation of priorities, the development of schedules and checklist, and the assignment of tasks. Monitor activities within the department to ensure that desired results are achieved.
• Be responsible for all contracted design services and serves as SIE’s COTR (Contracting Office’s Technical Representative) for design contracts, certifies quality and completion of work, and authorizes payments at the end of contract periods.
• Manage the drafting of scopes of various work and technical specifications.
• Seek out design and other work for SIE through continual dialogue with SI colleagues, exhibits staff, and outside organizations.
• Keep abreast of current trends regarding museum exhibit technology and design.

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:

Basic Qualifications

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- illustrative design, commercial art, fine arts, industrial design, architecture, drafting, interior design, or other fields related to the position.

Advanced training in a vocational school, technical institute, or art institute above the high school level in one of the fields listed above is creditable as general experience on a month-for-month basis.

OR 

Experience in the actual type of work for which application is made. Unpaid experience is creditable, provided the work done was of a quality level and demonstrated the ability required for the position. This includes work in the appropriate field, e.g., design, modelmaking, art, taxidermy, or restoration.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement above:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as managing plans and budget development of exhibit design; providing oversight and training to junior or subordinate staff specializing in graphic or 3D exhibit design; evaluating work performed by staff to ensure standards and established deadlines are being met; and collaborating with internal and external customers on new design technologies or methods.

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:

• Ability to manage and supervise a staff to include establishing priorities and schedules, assigning work, assessing employee performance, developing staff, counseling employees, and providing overall technical direction.
• Ability to manage all phases of exhibit planning, design and production, including complete understanding of the processes needed as a supervisor in order to fulfill the final realization of all design goals.
• Ability to manage large and small design projects, oversee contracted design services through subordinates, understand deliverable schedules, and ensure contractor compliance with contract scope.
• Ability to interpret the scopes of work and technical specifications for exhibits designs.
• Ability to consult with colleagues and informed sources on methods to improve SIE organizational and design practices.

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.