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Museum Specialist (Art)(Registrar for the Collection)

National Gallery of Art
C

Summary

The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Nearly four million people come through our doors each year—with millions more online—making us one of the most visited art museums in the world. Our renowned collection includes nearly 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. Admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/20/2026 to 03/27/2026
Salary
$121,785 to - $158,322 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—per agency policy
Travel Required
25% or less - Requires availability for travel up to 25%. Must pass the TSA Security Threat Assessment.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
NGA-26-030-MP
Control number
861929200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This Merit Promotion announcement is open to Current and Former Federal Employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply such as Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A), former Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Vista volunteers; certain Military Spouses, or individuals eligible under various programs for Veterans (VRA, VEOA, 30% disabled).

Duties

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This position is located in the Office of Registrar at the National Gallery of Art the office is responsible for maintaining and updating records on all works of art owned by or entrusted to the care of the Gallery, and for the location, condition, safety and movement of those works of art. 
The Registrar for the Collection: 
  • Coordinates annual inventory; oversees movement of artwork internally and externally; accessions all objects acquired; updates electronic records for collection.
  • manages art movements for the Board of Trustees and Collection Committee meetings and for the collection as a whole; liaises with vendors to ensure safe transportation of artwork; prepares and maintains condition reports.
  • Works closely with the collection database manager to define inventory criteria to ascertain accuracy of the process.
  • Makes transportation arrangements for the collections, following established guidelines for best practices.
  • Organizes all aspects of incoming and outgoing movement of works of art being considered for gift, purchase or study.
  • Plans for couriers entrusted with non-Gallery objects, including hotel, per diem and transportation, working with fine art shippers and agents when appropriate.
  • Plans and prepares for the collection and return of long-term loans to the Gallery, following established procedures, with lenders, agents, brokers and transportation carriers.

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

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

Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:
It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant experience as it relates to this job announcement. 

Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. 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. Your resume must not be longer than 2 pages in length. 

Qualifications

Experience

Specialized Experience Statement: Candidates must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service: 
  • Coordinating the collection and dispersal of works of art;
  • Monitoring the location, condition, safety and movement  of works of art internally & externally;
  • Administering deposits and partial/promised gifts of works of art; AND
  • Organizing all aspects of incoming and outgoing shipments of works of art.
Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position.
OPM Qualifications Standard:
Individual Occupational Requirements: Museum Specialist and Technician Series 1016
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

This position does not have an education requirement.

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The National Gallery of Art does not discriminate against any employee or any applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), age (40 and older), disability (mental or physical), or genetic information, or in retaliation for opposing discrimination or participating in the EEO process.    For more information, visit https://www.nga.gov/employment-opportunities/equal-employment-opportunity

Reasonable Accommodation

The National Gallery of Art provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.  If you need an accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the contact person listed in this announcement.  The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

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.

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 competencies:

Manages Resources

Planning and Evaluating

Decision Making

BASIS OF RATING:  Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA):  If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities:  The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:

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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