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Visitor Services Coordinator

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 in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a national museum for the study and exhibition of African American history and culture. 

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/02/2025 to 06/04/2025
This job will close when we have received 150 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$57,164 to - $74,318 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07
Location
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Telework eligible based on agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
07 - Position is at full performance level: GS-07
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
25R-YH-312640-DEU-NMAAHC
Control number
837828000

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

Duties

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The Visitor Services Coordinator is responsible for developing programs, policies and procedures designed to welcome and assist visitors and guests for the best possible museum experience and to manage daily visitor operations and activities in the galleries and public areas of the museum. 

In this position, you will:

  • assist the Office of Visitor and Guest Services Supervisory Manager and Lead Visitor Services Coordinators in executing all elements of Visitor and Guest Services operations.
  • provide excellent customer service.
  • execute and support the day-to-day Visitor and Guest Services programs and activities, including: wayfinding; indoor and outdoor queuing and line management; safety; security; VIP tours; group visits; assistance and accessibility support services; dissemination of maps, guides and information concerning the public areas of the museum, facilities use, exhibitions, collections, and objects; demonstration of interactives and immersion experiences; and engagement and interpretation of difficult and challenging content that may evoke layers of emotion for visitors and guests.

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.

NOTE: The museum is open seven days each week, 364 days a year and you will be required to work some evenings, weekends and holidays.

Qualifications

Basic Qualification Requirement:  Experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

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-5 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience assisting in daily operations at visitor information desks; working with visitor services teams and volunteers; leading tours around challenging and sensitive subjects; compiling data and requirements for projects and reports; assisting in the care and maintenance of equipment and supplies for visitor services programs; and providing services and assistance in a fast-paced museum, education center, cultural or historic site, recreation site or similar facility

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 Education:  One full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement in a field related to this position may be substituted to meet the experience requirement.

  • Superior Academic Achievement Provisions: A Bachelor’s degree in any field, plus at least one of the following superior academic achievement provisions:

    A grade-point average (GPA) of B (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses, or courses completed in the last two years of undergraduate curriculum; or

    2. A grade-point average (GPA) of B+ (3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for the required courses in your major field of study, or required courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; or

    3. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major completed in the last two years of  undergraduate study; or

    4. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society, other than freshman honor societies.  Honor societies that have been approved are listed in the American College of Honor Societies.  Booklet of Information (1992-95) and/or Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities (1991).

    To verify your claim for this provision, please submit a college transcript(s) showing that you maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 for all 4 years of undergraduate courses, or on all undergraduate courses completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum, including all transferred courses.

    Note:  GPAs are to be rounded to one decimal place.  For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.  If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honor society.

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.

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

This position has no basic education requirement.

Additional information

This position is 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.

ATTENTION: Due to the large number of qualified applicants for positions of this type, this job announcement will close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on either: (A) The closing date listed above or (B) The date that 150 applications are received; whichever occurs first. If the announcement closes on the date that 150 applications are received, all applications submitted by 11:59pm that day will be given consideration, including those in excess of 150. We encourage applicants to apply as soon as possible to ensure their applications are submitted before the announcement closes. We will not consider applications which are late due to the announcement closing once the above number of applications is reached.

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. Knowledge of museum management, operations, policies and procedures.
  2. Ability to work well with others and carry out the daily program operations.
  3. Ability to communicate orally.

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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