Museum Specialist (General)

Role Overview

The Supervisory Museum Specialist manages parts of collections information services and collaborates with the Assistant Director to set both short- and long-term objectives, handle hiring, allocate space, and control budgets.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate prospective acquisitions to identify any conflicts with collection policies, supplying necessary information to the Collections Committee and Director for accession decisions.
• Oversee all incoming loan agreements related to inaugural and temporary exhibitions, negotiate loan terms and relevant paperwork, and administer the museum's outgoing loan processes.
• Continuously update policies and procedures to align with evolving museum standards and practices.
• Define requirements and supervise packers, shippers, airlines, freight forwarders, and customs brokers to guarantee appropriate packing, handling, control, and timely delivery, ensuring security and preservation of objects during transit and while at the museum.
• Organize and allocate work assignments for the team.

Qualifications and Conditions

• Applicants must have career or career-conditional eligibility.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Supervisors may be subject to an 18-month probationary period.
• Promotion candidates need to meet qualification criteria, including one year at the next lower grade, within 30 days of the announcement's close.
• Basic qualifications include experience managing or operating museums or similar valuable collections, which may involve collections management, registration, cataloging, research, preservation, restoration, or conservation, tailored to specialized subjects such as aeronautics, anthropology, art, geology, history, natural science, technology, biology, or zoology.
• Grade 13 candidates must demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-12 level involving management of incoming/outgoing loans, negotiating contracts, installation oversight, shipping coordination, and accessioning.
• Resumes should detail actual experience descriptively and avoid replicating vacancy text; both paid and volunteer experience, including part-time or unpaid work, will be counted with attention to hours worked weekly.

Additional Information

• No basic educational credential is required.
• This position is exempt from bargaining unit inclusion.
• Recruitment incentives may be offered contingent on availability and service agreements.
• Applicants consent to sharing their information with Smithsonian Institution recruitment officials for similar position consideration.
• Successful candidates are expected to enhance Federal government efficiency and uphold the U.S. Constitution and rule of law.
• The Smithsonian provides comprehensive benefits including paid leave, holidays, health and life insurance, accident coverage, retirement options, and flexible spending accounts.