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Museum Specialist

National Gallery of Art
CL-PA
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position performs conservation work of unusual difficulty in support of the Head of Paper Conservation in the operation and administration of the department. The incumbent examines, studies, documents, and performs major and minor treatments on works of art on paper. The incumbent maintains a high quality of work and advances the field’s standard of practice.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/09/2025 to 05/23/2025
Salary
$120,579 to - $156,755 per year

The salary range listed is an approximation and subject to locality adjustment.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NGA-25-070-MP
Control number
836781300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employee with competitive status. Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility. Veterans with VOW, VEOA or VRA eligibility . Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement or special appointing authority Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration under merit promotion procedures.

Duties

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The Incumbent performs the following duties:

  • Designs, proposes, and performs complex major and minor treatments as authorized on works of art on paper in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, and on works of art on loan to the National Gallery.  Treatments may include the repair of structural damages, the stabilization of chemical deterioration, and the restoration of aesthetic qualities. Treatments at this level are sophisticated and will often include the invention of original methods or application of innovative developments in the field.
  • Provides recommendations and leads projects in planning, coordinating, and implementing the department’s short- and long-term goals, priorities, and responsibilities. Works with other National Gallery staff on activities requiring interdepartmental co-operation.
  • Plans, develops and prepares projects for interns, fellows, contractors, framers, and the department technician.  Collaborates with curatorial and registrar’s staff and provides technical direction and guidance on appropriate storage of works of art in the collection.  Oversees select projects of subordinate paper conservators, conservation interns and fellows treating works of art on paper.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period

Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

Specialized Experience StatementCandidates must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, performing major and minor treatments on works of art on paper.

Other Relevant Eligibility Criteria:Normal or corrected 20/20 vision and color perception is required. 

*Education cannot be substituted in lieu of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level.

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.

Note: Applicants who are referred to the hiring office for selection consideration may be required to submit writing and/or work samples as part of the interview/selection process. If the hiring office decides to request a writing and/or work sample as part of its selection process, the vacancy contact will reach out to you by email to: (1) inform you of this requirement; and (2) provide further instructions.

OPM Qualifications Standard:

OPM General Experience: None.

OPM Education Requirement: Generally, not applicable.

OPM Qualifications Standard: Museum Specialist and Technician Series 1016

Individual Occupational Requirements: None

Associated Group Standard: There is no Group Coverage Qualification Standard for this series. Use the Individual Occupational Requirements described below.

Merit promotion applicants must meet the time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

  • One year at the GS-12 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

Note: Applicants who are referred to the hiring office for selection consideration may be required to submit writing and/or work samples as part of the interview/selection process. If the hiring office decides to request a writing and/or work sample as part of its selection process, the vacancy contact will reach out to you by email to: (1) inform you of this requirement; and (2) provide further instructions.

Education

Education And Experience Requirements

The following table shows the amounts of education and/or experience required to qualify for positions covered by this standard.

Requirements
GRADE EXPERIENCE EDUCATION
General Specialized
GS-1 None None None
GS-2 3 months None High school graduation or equivalent
GS-3 6 months None 1 year above high school in any field of study
GS-4 1 year None 2 years above high school with 6 semester hours of related courses
GS-5 None 1 year equivalent to at least GS-4 4 years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of course work in a related field
GS-7 None 1 year equivalent to at least GS-5 1 full academic year of related graduate level education or superior academic achievement
GS-9 None 1 year equivalent to at least GS-7 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the position
GS-11 and above None 1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level in normal line of progression None

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Experience

General Experience (for positions at GS-4 and below): Experience using the tools, techniques, procedures, or methods related to the operation of a museum or similar collection, or to the handling, storage, care, protection, or recordkeeping of such a collection. Experience may have been gained in a museum, college or university, antique shop, commercial art gallery, or other setting involving work with collections of valuable objects or specimens requiring specialized care and handling. Other types of experience may also be qualifying if appropriate to the position to be filled.

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-5 and above): Experience related to the operation or management of a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include collections management, registration, cataloging, research, preservation, restoration, or conservation of collections of museum material, or other experience related to the position to be filled. Most positions require a particular subject-matter specialization, e.g., aeronautics, anthropology, art, geology, history, natural science, technology, biology, or zoology.

OR

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: For GS-3 positions, education may have been in any field of study. For positions at GS-4 and above, related course work is required. Related fields of study include art, history, museum studies, scientific subjects, or other courses related to the position to be filled.

Additional information

The National Gallery of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.

AN EXTERNAL SELECTED CANDIDATE MUST BE FINGERPRINTED AND RECEIVE A BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION, RESULTING IN A SATISFACTORY SUITABILITY DETERMINATION BEFORE BEING HIRED FOR THIS POSITION.

All males born after December 31st 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.

EEO Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/equal-employment-opportunity

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/reasonable-accommodation

Veterans Information: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans

Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, the veteran must be a preference eligible or a veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility
requirements visit the following websites:


Reasonable Accommodation Requests:

To learn more, please consult the following resources:

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): 

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

All qualified Non-Competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

The National Gallery of Art uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

                                                                                         


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