What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supervisory Museum Curator. position at Smithsonian Institution?
Duties
The Supervisory Museum Curator/Division Chair will direct a division of curators, historians, collections managers, and museum specialists. Division work can include a wide range of short- and long-term projects such as collecting; answering public and scholarly inquiries; giving public presentations; and creating a range of public history products grounded in research and scholarship, such as exhibitions, digital projects, public programs, articles, and books.
In This Position, You Will
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
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications (1015 series):
Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as 1) Managing and leading staff; 2) Researching, collecting, and exhibiting material culture related to the history of work and industry in the United States; and 3) Overseeing a range of research products such as scholarly articles, teaching, lectures, oral histories, archival holdings, museum collections, exhibitions, and/or public programming.
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.
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.
Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; For a full explanation of this option please see the
In an effort to streamline our hiring process, SI employees whose current position of record is in the same job series 1015 and who are in a (Federal competitive or excepted service appointment) as this advertised position, are not required to submit a transcript with your application package. However, if selected, you will be required to provide a copy of your transcript before your start date in the position.
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).
Education
See above for Basic Education Requirements.
Additional information
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.
The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
Please see Benefits at
Flexible Spending Accounts -
Health Insurance -
Leave -
Life Insurance -
Long Term Care Insurance -
Retirement Program -
The Supervisory Museum Curator/Division Chair will direct a division of curators, historians, collections managers, and museum specialists. Division work can include a wide range of short- and long-term projects such as collecting; answering public and scholarly inquiries; giving public presentations; and creating a range of public history products grounded in research and scholarship, such as exhibitions, digital projects, public programs, articles, and books.
In This Position, You Will
- Guide and shape specific short- and long-term projects of the Division of Work & Industry staff, ensuring that their work advances the mission and interpretive goals of the museum.
- Advance the day-to-day operations of the division and its staff, and work to build a shared sense of goals and purpose among division staff.
- Advise the Office of Curatorial Affairs Associate Director on long-term plans and intellectual emphases for the museum, the department, and the division.
- Serve on or lead teams that create exhibitions, public programs, digital outputs, or other public history works; sustain a program of public history research; and shape and steward the division’s collections.
- Play a prominent role in professional circles, advancing national and/or international conversation among other public historians and museum colleagues, nationally and internationally.
Conditions of employment
- Requires career/career-conditional status or eligibility.
- Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
- May be required to serve an 18-month probationary period for supervisors.
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
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications (1015 series):
- Degree: in museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field.
- Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
- Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in A above.
Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as 1) Managing and leading staff; 2) Researching, collecting, and exhibiting material culture related to the history of work and industry in the United States; and 3) Overseeing a range of research products such as scholarly articles, teaching, lectures, oral histories, archival holdings, museum collections, exhibitions, and/or public programming.
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.
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.
Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; For a full explanation of this option please see the
In an effort to streamline our hiring process, SI employees whose current position of record is in the same job series 1015 and who are in a (Federal competitive or excepted service appointment) as this advertised position, are not required to submit a transcript with your application package. However, if selected, you will be required to provide a copy of your transcript before your start date in the position.
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).
Education
See above for Basic Education Requirements.
Additional information
- This position is not included in the bargaining unit.
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.
The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.
Please see Benefits at
Flexible Spending Accounts -
Health Insurance -
Leave -
Life Insurance -
Long Term Care Insurance -
Retirement Program -