Supervisory Biologist

Role overview

The Supervisory Biologist (Curator) will oversee animal collections that include elephants along with other rare, exotic, threatened, endangered, and native species. This role combines high-level animal care oversight with team leadership, ensuring the collection is maintained to excellent welfare standards while daily husbandry operations run effectively.

What you will do

• Lead assistant curators, animal keepers, volunteers, interns, students, and outside contractors.
• Oversee the daily care, feeding, husbandry, and general welfare of the assigned animal populations.
• Plan the annual budget to cover both routine operations and urgent needs.
• Create and carry out management plans, disease monitoring efforts, and breeding programs for species that are endangered or at risk.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must meet the federal eligibility and qualification rules for this position, including career or career-conditional status, or eligibility for it. Male applicants born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service. For promotion candidates, one year of time-in-grade at the next lower grade must be completed within 30 days of the closing date. This role has positive education requirements and the relevant education must align with the position. If foreign education is used to qualify, transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for the foreign institution must be provided.

The required academic background includes a degree in Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Chemistry, or another closely related field, or a mix of education and experience that is equivalent to that major. In addition, candidates must have at least one year of specialized experience at the GS-11 level or its federal equivalent. That experience should include supervising staff and handling hiring and performance management, maintaining animal care and welfare for a wide variety of species, and curating or managing collections with particular experience involving elephants and other exotic, rare, or endangered animals.

Applications must clearly show how the candidate’s background matches the responsibilities and specialized experience listed. Resumes must not exceed two pages. Applicants should describe their actual experience in their own words rather than repeating the vacancy language. Paid, unpaid, and volunteer experience may all count, including service through National Service programs and community, professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, or student organizations. Part-time and unpaid work may also be credited, with weekly hours needed to calculate total experience.

Additional information

This position is outside the bargaining unit. A recruitment incentive may be offered, but only if authorized and subject to availability; if one is approved, the selected employee may need to sign a service agreement requiring continued federal service for a specified period. Selection may also be made for other vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution, and by applying, candidates agree that their application and personal information may be shared with relevant hiring officials for similar roles at the listed location.

Candidates are expected to support an efficient federal workforce, value the principles of the American republic, and uphold the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

The Smithsonian provides a broad benefits package that includes vacation and sick leave, holidays, health and life insurance, accident insurance, and retirement plan options. Additional benefit topics mentioned include flexible spending accounts, health insurance, leave, life insurance, long-term care insurance, and retirement program details.