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Supervisory Conservator

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 the Office of Curatorial Affairs, the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), Under Secretary of Museum and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery (NPG) tells the story of America portraying the people who shape the nation's history, development, and culture.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/24/2025 to 03/28/2025
Salary
$142,488 to - $185,234 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - On occassion.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
25R-LT-312121-MPA-NPG
Control number
834033100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current Smithsonian Institution Internal Employees/Agency Employees Only may apply including current Smithsonian Institution employees with Federal career/career-conditional status or eligibility. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

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The Supervisory Conservator provides management and direction to a staff of conservators, conservation scientists, visiting conservators, research scholars, fellows, interns and contract conservators, all involved in projects dealing with the conservation, analysis, or scientific examination of 19th, 20th and modern art.

In this position, you will:

  1. Oversee conservation projects using scientific techniques and methods to care, prepare works for display, preservation or restoration.
  2. Define and explain departmental goals, programs, and policies and establishes short-and-long-term goals for the conservation department.
  3. Carry out supervisory responsibilities for the effective operations of the Conservation Department.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Requires career/career-conditional status or eligibility.
  • 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, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

Qualifications

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 managing a conservation program to include goal setting, planning, program implementation, metric establishment, reporting protocols, budgeting, resource management; and supervising a multidisciplinary and culturally diverse team.

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.

Education

There are no positive education requirements for this position

Additional information

This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

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.

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

  1. Knowledge of conservation principles and techniques including effects of environmental factors, causes of damage and deterioration, and conservation treatments on museum objects and/or specimens.
  2. Ability to develop and direct a comprehensive conservation program for museum collections including environmental control, collections storage, and preservation requirements for exhibition and storage.
  3. Ability to manage a department and supervise a technical and professional staff.

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 detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.


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