Open every day 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

National Museum of African Art - Smithsonian Institution

Museum Curator (Global Latino Experience Curator)

Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world.  This position is in the National Museum of African Art (NMAFA). The museum is a leading research and reference center for the visual arts of Africa.

This job is open to

The public
 (U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S)
Individuals with disabilities
Federal employees – Competitive service
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Military spouses
Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
Special authorities. 
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
Veterans

How to Apply:

Click here

Clarification from the agency

This Merit Promotion position is open to Current and Former Federal Employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply such as Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A), former Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Vista volunteers; certain Military Spouses, or individuals eligible under various programs for Veterans (VRA, VEOA, 30% disabled).More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Overview

Accepting applications
Open & closing dates 
Opening and closing dates 08/08/2022 to 08/22/2022
Salary 
$74,950 – $97,430 per year
Pay scale & grade 
GS 11
Location Washington, DC 

Washington, DC 
FEW vacancies
Remote job 
No
Telework eligible 
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed 
No
Appointment type 
Permanent – Federal
Work schedule 
Full-time – Full-Time, Permanent
Service 
Competitive
Promotion potential 
11
Job family (Series) 
1015 Museum Curator
Supervisory status 
No
Drug test 
No
Announcement number
 22R-MP-307647-DEU-NMAFA
Control number 
670037600

Duties

The Museum Curator for Global Latino Experience performs professional work involving scholarly research in preparation of materials for exhibition and publication and public service/education for the National Museum African Art (NMAFA).

In this position you will:

    • Conceive, recommend, and develop projects relevant to the global Latino experience and their connection to U.S. Latino experience and to Africa’s histories, arts, and cultures. Scholarly research typically results in publications and/or exhibitions that contribute to the disciplines of African and African Diasporan art studies.
    • Serve as a curator of temporary exhibitions and programs.
    • Review, assess, and study Latino art collections, research, and historical text in support of temporary exhibitions and public programs that form linkages with Africa and its diasporas.
    • Advise and participate constructively in NMAFA collaborations in support of its collections and exhibitions to increase links between the Global and U.S. Latino community and Africa and the African diaspora.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment
Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
May need to complete a Probationary Period
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment
COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS:
For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination requirements and its impact on your application, click on Smithsonian Institution’s Frequently Asked Questions.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.
Experience:  You may qualify for this position if you possess the following Selective Factor, Basic Education Requirement and Specialized Experience requirements below.

SELECTIVE FACTOR:  Fluency in Spanish is determined to be essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of this position. Applicants who do not meet the selective placement factor are ineligible for further consideration.

You must meet these Basic Education Requirements:

1 Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field. or Combination of education and experience — courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. or 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.

In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicants must also have the following:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position Specialized experience is defined as experience with the history, art history, and/or culture of  U.S. and Global Latino 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: GS-11: Three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the position may be substituted to meet the experience requirements. 

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.

Education

Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field. or Combination of education and experience — courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. or 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.

Additional information

This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and,
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position.  However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.

Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

    • Knowledge or training in the  history, art history, or cultures of global Latino peoples  and U.S Latinos.
    • Ability to draw connections  between Global Latino experience and its connection and/or contributions to African Diasporan and Africa art studies.
    • Advises and participates constructively in NMAfA collaborations in support of its collections and exhibitions to increase links between the Global and U.S. Latino community and Africa and the African diaspora.
    • Ability to conduct studies on global Latino collections and U.S. Latino collections to identify potential acquisition by NMAfA  and/or loans for temporary exhibitions.
    • Ability to work with and connect with a variety of contacts to develop, expand, explore, and explain connection between global Latino and U.S. Latino communities and the African and African diaspora communities, including public engagement, written and oral correspondence.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

  • Best Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
  • Better Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
  • Good Category – Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans’ preference points or apply the “rule of three”, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:
Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Your application package should include the following documents:

  • Resume – Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
  • Proof of Veteran’s Preference – DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
  • Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
  • Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

  • You must apply for this position online through the ‘Apply Online’ button at the top of this page and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
  • You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process; OR You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package.
  • 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.

Agency contact information

Marie Parks Marie Parks
Phone 202-633-6332
TDD 202-633-6409
Fax 202-633-6401
Email Parksma@si.edu
Address
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States