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# 24R-SA-311004-MPA-NMAH More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Office of Collections oversees the stewardship of NMAH’s national collection, ensuring physical, legal, and inventory control. The position is physically located in the Objects Processing Facility (OPF).  The primary purpose of the position is to oversee, preserve, and process thousands of incoming and outgoing artifacts. This includes shipping, object movement, handling, monitoring the environment, ensuring adequate security, maintenance of inventory, and proper storage

In this position, you will:

• With guidance from supervisor, takes responsibility for the care and handling of museum objects in OPF custody.
  
  
• Receive, records, unpacks, and places objects in storage units prior to distribution to appropriate curatorial custody.
  
  
• Process outgoing containers for departure seeing that they are properly wrapped, addressed, weighed, treasured, and marked, and that documentation is in order in accordance with Office of the Registrar requirements and domestic and foreign shipping regulations.
  
  
• Create entry records in collections information system, (e.g. Mimsy XG), for new incoming acquisitions.
  
  
• Use most modern successful packaging methods and materials in placement of objects for maximum protection.
  
  
• Maintain close effective communications with Manager, OPF to discuss priorities and review problems; provides written and/or oral reports for review of Manager, OPF, Office of the Registrar, NMAH Directorate, and/or individual collections and curatorial staff.
  
  
• Monitor and alerts supervisor to regulate environmental controls; ensures that high levels of security and safety are adhered to.

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.

•  Employee will be required to wear personal protective equipment, including steel toe safety shoes when moving heavy objects, ear and eye protection, and gloves for lifting heavy objects.
• Must be able to operate manual and mobile equipment.
• Employee will be required to obtain and maintain FAC-COR Level I Certification

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to operate manual and automated equipment. Must be able to work at heights of up to 6 feet from the floor from a ladder, personnel lift, or secure shelving. Must be able to walk, stand, bend, and reach for long periods of time, and work in constricted spaces.
• Must be able to work in a range of weather conditions outdoors in all seasons, encountering rain and snow, and a wide range of temperatures, 30 to 90 degrees F.
• Work is performed in the presence of dust, dirt, and low-grade radioactive and other potentially hazardous material that is present in antique collections (e.g., radium).

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined as: 1) providing collections management work for a collection in a historical museum or cultural setting including managing and preserving collections; 2) using and maintaining collections information components of museum or cultural collections and museum or cultural conservation, using collection information system and database; and 3) assisting with research in support of historical museums or cultural’ s collections, exhibitions, and other museum related projects.

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 by a combination of experience and education.       

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 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.

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 and significant skill in any kind of professional collections management techniques, sufficient to ensure the preservation and long-term safety and sustainability of museum collections.
   
   
2. Skill in the use of collections management systems, such as Mimsy XG, to manage Museum collections data.
3. Knowledge of safe handling, movement, storage, packing and unpacking procedures for a variety of fragile, valuable, and unique objects in order to safely examine, transport, and store museum objects.
   
   
4. Skill to use correct English grammar, punctuation, spelling; in order to communicate information (e.g. facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produce written information, which may include technical material, reports, and statements of work.
   
   
5. Knowledge of disaster preparation and response and recover policy and procedures, as they relate to life- safety, building, and collections.
   
   

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.