IT Specialist (INET) UX Designer (IS-2210-12)
Application Deadline: 30 April 2024
Department: National Museum of the American Indian
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Washington, DC
Reporting To: Web and Online Resources Manager
Compensation: $99,200 - $128,956 / year
Description
OPEN DATE: April 9, 2024
CLOSING DATE: April 30, 2024
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Various
Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Moderate Risk
Open to all Qualified Applicants
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program and may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated as low risk.
• Complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

OVERVIEW
This position is in the Web Office, Digital Strategies and Engagement, National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Smithsonian Institution (SI). The NMAI promotes equity and social justice for the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere through education, inspiration, and empowerment. In partnership with Native peoples and their allies, the museum fosters a richer shared human experience through a more informed understanding of Native peoples.
The UX Designer plans, researches, designs, implements, tests, evaluates, and optimizes the user experience for online components of the NMAI's Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) education initiative to transform teaching and learning about Native Americans, collaborating with the NK360° Education and Online Production teams in the production of audience-focused online experiences. Option for fully remote work. Occasional travel may be required.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
•Plans, researches, designs, implements, tests, evaluates, and optimizes the user experience for the NK360° online portal and related online products to deliver informative and engaging educational experiences that fulfill project objectives.
•Determines user requirements and collaborates with the developer to create audience-focused user experiences that are usable, findable, credible, accessible, and valuable.
•Produces wireframes, prototypes, and intuitive navigation systems using information architecture principles, including hierarchy, search, scalability, and consistency.
•Applies user research techniques, including interviews, personas, surveys, card sorts, journey maps, contextual inquiry, A/B tests, heuristic evaluation, competitive analysis, and usability testing, to inform decisions in the production of user-centered experiences.
•Develops information architecture with scalability to accommodate future needs and expansion.
•Designs user flows and user interactions and shapes the user experience of the NK360° portal and related online products by defining content hierarchy, ensuring that information is presented in an intuitive and logical way, identifying and correcting issues, and adapting product components based on stakeholder feedback and user testing.
•Uses development tools and technologies, including content management systems (Drupal experience preferred), CSS3, HTML5, and Adobe CC, to develop and maintain NK360° online products.
•Ensures NK360° user experiences are optimized and accessible in major operating systems and browsers, and tests online products regularly for functionality and performance.
•Confirms NK360° online products conform to NMAI and SI technology, security, privacy, and accessibility (Section 508, ADA, and W3C WCAG 2.0) protocols, standards, and policies.
•Defines classification schemes and content structure attributes and characteristics to organize information and enable user tasks.
•Implements all aspects of the content development lifecycle, including defining target audiences, creating a content strategy, developing content that drives user actions and facilitates the user experience, optimizing content for search engines, making content shareable, maintaining and improving content, and monitoring analytics.
Advocates for online audiences in all user experience planning, design, implementation, and optimization.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor's degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university and/or 3-5 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience required for this position:
•Ability to plan, research, design, implement, test, evaluate, and optimize the user experience of online products that deliver informative and engaging educational experiences to fulfill project objectives.
•Skill in determining user requirements to create audience-focused user experiences that are usable, findable, credible, accessible, and valuable.
•Ability to produce wireframes, prototypes, and intuitive navigation systems using information architecture principles, including hierarchy, search, scalability, and consistency.
•Skill in applying user research techniques, including interviews, personas, surveys, card sorts, journey maps, contextual inquiry, A/B tests, heuristic evaluation, competitive analysis, and usability testing, to inform decisions in the production of user-centered experiences.
•Ability to develop information architecture with scalability to accommodate future needs and expansion.
•Ability to design user flows and user interactions and ability to shape the user experience of online products by defining content hierarchy, ensuring that information is presented in an intuitive and logical way, identifying and correcting issues, and adapting product components based on stakeholder feedback and user testing.
•Ability to use development tools and technologies, including content management systems (Drupal experience preferred), CSS3, HTML5, and Adobe CC, to develop and maintain NK360° online products.
•Ability to ensure user experiences are optimized and accessible in major operating systems and browsers, and skill testing online products for functionality and performance.
•Ability to confirm online products conform to NMAI and SI technology, security, privacy, and accessibility (Section 508, ADA, and W3C WCAG 2.0) protocols, standards, and policies.
•Skill defining classification schemes and content structure attributes and characteristics to organize information and enable user tasks.
•Skill implementing all aspects of the content development lifecycle, including defining target audiences, creating a content strategy, developing content that drives user actions and facilitates the user experience, optimizing content for search engines, making content shareable, maintaining and improving content, and monitoring analytics.
•Knowledge of online audiences and ability to advocate for online audiences in user experience planning, design, implementation, and optimization.
Applicants, who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States, must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins.
The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not paid.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact NMAI-HumanResources@si.edu . Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian's Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer . We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: www.si.edu/oeema.