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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 in the Exhibitions Office of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), Smithsonian Institution (SI). The Exhibitions Office is responsible for planning, designing, producing, installing, and maintaining permanent and temporary exhibitions in the Donald W. Reynolds Center and Renwick Gallery.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/09/2026 to 04/23/2026
Salary
$102,415 - $133,142 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
FEW vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
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-JW-313760-MPA-SAAM
Control number
864332100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current Smithsonian Institution Internal Employees/Agency Employees Only may apply with Federal career/career-conditional status or eligibility. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

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The Exhibits Specialist manages and coordinat the museum's exhibition calendars, production/installation schedules and special projects schedules.

In this position, you will:

  • Serve as project scheduler/coordinator for all temporary installation and permanent collection exhibitions.
  • Design and fabricate exhibit components such as panels, platforms, cases, furniture and/or interactive prototypes using a variety of materials including wood, metal, and synthetics.
  • Train and oversee outside art handling/installation contractors in all aspects of art handling and installation methods and techniques.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Requires career/career-conditional status or eligibility.
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

Qualifications

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- illustrative design, commercial art, fine arts, industrial design, architecture, drafting, interior design, or other fields related to the position. Advanced training in a vocational school, technical institute, or art institute above the high school level in one of the fields listed above is creditable as general experience on a month-for-month basis.

or

Experience:  

Examples of qualifying general experience include: design and construction of exhibits, posters, photographic displays, signs, or displays of art or technical equipment; preparation or mounting of museum specimens; wood carving, sculpting, illustrating, interior or industrial design; or the use of tools and techniques related to carpentry, plastics, sheet metal, electrical or electronics work, machining, painting, molding, or in making machines, apparatus, and instruments.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement above:

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as providing project coordination, exhibits production, and art and exhibits installation.

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.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying).

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.

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 criteria:

  1. Knowledge of project coordination for temporary installation and permanent collection exhibitions.
  2. Knowledge of exhibit production to design and fabricate exhibit components.
  3. Knowledge of art and exhibit installation including safe handling of objects, training and oversite of contractors, and participating in the installation of exhibition audiovisual equipment, labels and exhibitions graphics elements.

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 detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.


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Smithsonian Institution

Join the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums, 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo, in inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery. 

Agency contact information

Jan Williams
Phone
202-633-6383
TDD
202-633-6409
Email
Willija@si.edu
Address
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States

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