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Associate Director for Research Libraries

Smithsonian Institution
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo.  This position is in the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives (SLA). The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives gathers, organizes, and disseminates the records and history of the Institution to support its research, curatorial, exhibition, publication, public service, and education programs.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/02/2025 to 05/30/2025
Salary
$142,488 to - $185,234 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
25R-ST-312470-DEU-SLA
Control number
836375400

This job is open to

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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 # 25R-ST-312470-MPA-SLA More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

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The Associate Director for Research Libraries is responsible for overseeing the strategic planning, collection development, and management of all programs, personnel and activities of SLA’s Librarian Research Centers (LRC’s).

In this position, you will:

  • Formulate the goals, policies, programs, and practices of the Library Research Centers and expanding research resources in a cost-effective manner, strategic vision, leadership, and supervision to contribute to major policy decisions concerning programs, including matters relating to budget, staffing, organization, and facilities.
  • Ensure federal, trust, endowment, gift and grant budgets are managed and expenses following policies and procedures, serves as key contributor to fundraising efforts to support digitization, research and new programs.
  • Perform the full range of personnel management to meet the evolving research needs of Smithsonian staff and external patrons.  Sets goals, priorities, and schedules; assigns tasks and evaluates performance to ensure outcomes are met.   

Requirements

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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.

A. 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

B. 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.

In addition to meeting the basic qualification 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 overseeing strategic planning, collection development, and management of programs, personnel, and activities responsible for contributing to the digital transformation, management of geographically dispersed physical locations, collections and service points to meet ever-evolving research needs.

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.

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.

Education

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.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

  • This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

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.

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:

  • Skill in applying professional knowledge of library info resources, reference and user services and info delivery trends and issues related to library collections, services and library strategic planning.
  • Skills to monitor and track a budget for programs. Plans, administers and monitors expenses.
  • Knowledge of supervisory principles and practices and ability to set goals and priorities to manage several libraries and/or research centers, in order to apply effective administrative operations, library services and training.

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.


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