Museum Specialist (Art)

Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located within the Curatorial Department, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (CHSDM). Located on New York City's Museum Mile, in the historic Carnegie Mansion and Garden, Cooper Hewitt is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

• The Museum Specialist manages European and American decorative arts collections, ensuring the proper storage, handling, documentation, tracking, and preservation of collection objects. In this position, you will: Perform collections management duties, including the intake and processing of collection items, preparation of outgoing packages, receipt and unpacking of incoming shipments, and reporting of any concerns or irregularities to the supervisor. Assist visiting scholars with collection access, proper handling of collection materials, and use of library resources. Respond to inquiries from researchers and the general public regarding collection holdings, curatorial practices, and archival materials. Prepare correspondence and create records for loans, acquisitions, and disposals of collection items as directed. May resolve minor issues with lenders, borrowers, or donors to the collection. Maintain various departmental databases on packages, supplies, equipment, literature, space, etc. relevant to collections management. Assist in the logistics of moving parts of collections in and out of the museum campus, offsite storage facility, and other associated collections facilities.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factor: This position has a Selective Placement Factor, which is a skill, knowledge, ability, or other characteristic essential for the job's satisfactory performance. The Selective Placement Factor represents the minimum requirements for this position and is a prerequisite for appointment. Applicants who do not meet the Selective Placement Factor are ineligible for further consideration. Selective Placement Factor: You must demonstrate the ability to read Italian, German, and/or French to support collection research, cataloging activities, exhibition development, and related duties. Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as handling objects in a museum or similar cultural institution and using collections management software to enhance metadata and/or object location moves. 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. Or Education: 1 full academic year of related graduate level education or superior academic achievement Or a Combination: 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.

Requirements

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.

How to apply

Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note: You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you). Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages. You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process. The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.