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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 within the Office of Registration, Office of Collections, National Museum of American History (NMAH), Under Secretary for Museum and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI).  This office safeguards and documents objects and archival materials in NMAH’s custody, whether from its permanent collection or on loan.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/20/2026 to 02/02/2026
Salary
$70,623 to - $91,815 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09
Location
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Ad hoc only
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Less than 10% may be required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
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
26R-SA-313289-DEU-NMAH
Control number
854917300

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 #26R-SA-313289-MPA-NMAH More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

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This position serves as a Loans Registrar, managing all registration aspects of the NMAH loan program. Responsibilities include processing documentation for incoming and outgoing archival material loan requests, compiling documentation for loan renewals, coordinating loan returns with team members, and maintaining loan records in the Museum’s Collection Information System (CIS).

In this position, you will:

  • Review legal title for objects and archival materials requested for outgoing loans and update CIS accordingly.
  • Prepare documentation for approving and renewing loans, assist with negotiating loan terms and conditions, ensure proper insurance coverage for incoming loans, and coordinate packing and shipping arrangements with lenders, Curatorial staff, Archives Center staff, Collections staff, and OPF staff.
  • Maintain official loan records, including paper files and entries in the loan module of NMAH’s CIS, Mimsy XG.
  • Generate reports on loan activities as required.

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

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service.  For this position specialized experience is defined as: processing documentation for incoming and outgoing objects and archival materials loan requests, processing and compiling documentation for loan renewals, and coordinating loan returns. 

OR

You qualify with Education:  Master's or equivalent graduate degree; 

OR   2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.B. or J.D., if related 

OR You may qualify with 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.


Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

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

See above, there is no basic education requirement for this position. Relevant experience may be substituted for education at this grade level.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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. Basic knowledge of the principles and practices of museum registration.
  2. Knowledge of general museum loan procedures.
  3. Knowledge and use of computerized collections management systems.

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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