Museum Specialist (Biological Anthropology)

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 in the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). The National Museum of Natural History is a major bureau of the Smithsonian Institution that is responsible for the acquisition, curation, and preservation of collections of objects and specimens of natural history and anthropology.

Learn more about this agency

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Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

03/15/2024 to 03/28/2024

$68,405 – $88,926 per year

GS 09

Location

2 vacancies in the following location:

No

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Permanent – Federal

Full-time – Full-Time, Permanent

Competitive

11

1016 Museum Specialist And Technician

No

Other

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

24R-RS-310368-DEU-NMNH

781771300

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This job is open to

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.

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Duties

The Museum Specialist (Biological Anthropology) performs tasks associated with use, management, outreach, and physical care of collections in the museum.

In this position, you will:

• Perform assignments and collections management support duties that may include processing and distribution of scientific items entering the Department.
• Prepare collection items as traditional museum study collection items within the anthropology departments.
• Provide physical access to collections for users according to departmental guidelines.; may provide limited tours and outreach content.
• Assist with maintaining departmental database by examining collection items from their original data sources for information to aid in identification of the collection item and describing its characteristics.

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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.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds in order to move collection items.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Conditions of Employment

• Incumbent may be required to use a forklift or scissor lift while performing their duties.
• Incumbent may be required to obtain and maintain a valid state’s driver’s license.
• Incumbent may be required to work with dry or fluid-preserved museum collections using personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Incumbent may be required to climb ladders while performing their duties.

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.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

Experience related to the operation or management of a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include collections management, registration, cataloging, research, preservation, restoration, or conservation of collections of museum material, or other experience related to the position to be filled. Most positions require particular subject-matter specialization, e.g., aeronautics, anthropology, art, geology, history, natural science, technology, biology, or zoology.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement above:

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service that is similar to the operation or management of a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience working with biological anthropology/human osteology, including museum documentation for accessions and loans, working with researchers to provide collections access, coordinating with repositories to ship/loan collections, and using collection information systems and databases.

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: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

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 Qualification Standards.

Education

Refer to the above for education requirement. Education can be substituted for experience at these grade levels.

Additional information

This position is 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.

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.

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Help

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 https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description.

Flexible Spending Accounts – https://www.fsafeds.com/

Health Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp

Leave – http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp

Life Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp

Long Term Care Insurance – http://www.ltcfeds.com

Retirement Program – https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/

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 of biological anthropology and related field techniques and recording systems used in biological anthropology/human osteology fieldwork or lab work.
• Knowledge of museum collections management policies, procedures, and professional standards, to include collections care, registration, cataloguing, permitting, curating, item identification, inventory, and preventative conservation.
• Knowledge of ethical and professional considerations in the management of human remains and other sensitive collections, including handling, storage, access, use, analysis, acquisition and disposal, reproductions, communications, and other aspects of stewardship.
• Ability to operate a computer and use of a variety of database software programs involved in management of a scientific collection of archeological items, including facility in entering, modifying, querying data and producing reports.

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.

Help

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 https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description.

Flexible Spending Accounts – https://www.fsafeds.com/

Health Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp

Leave – http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp

Life Insurance – http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp

Long Term Care Insurance – http://www.ltcfeds.com

Retirement Program – https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.

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.
• Most current performance appraisal, 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.

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).
• 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.

Agency contact information

Jan Williams

Phone

202-856-5662

TDD

202-633-6409

Fax

000-000-0000

Email

[email protected]

Address

SMITHSONIAN

Office of Human Resources

Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012

United States

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

At the end of the application process, you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab “My USAJOBS;” e-mailing [email protected]; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.

Additional Information:

• Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
• The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
• The Smithsonian embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity (www.si.edu/oeema).
• Fair and Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Financial suitability
• Selective Service
• New employee probationary period
• Signature and false statements
• Privacy Act
• Social security number request

Help

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.
• Most current performance appraisal, 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.

Help

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).
• 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.

Read more

Agency contact information

Jan Williams

Phone

202-856-5662

TDD

202-633-6409

Fax

000-000-0000

Email

[email protected]

Address

SMITHSONIAN

Office of Human Resources

Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012

United States

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

At the end of the application process, you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab “My USAJOBS;” e-mailing [email protected]; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.

Additional Information:

• Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
• The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
• The Smithsonian embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity (www.si.edu/oeema).

Read more

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Financial suitability
• Selective Service
• New employee probationary period
• Signature and false statements
• Privacy Act
• Social security number request

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Help

Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

03/15/2024 to 03/28/2024

$68,405 – $88,926 per year

GS 09

2 vacancies in the following location:

No

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Permanent – Federal

Full-time – Full-Time, Permanent

Competitive

11

1016 Museum Specialist And Technician

No

Other

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

24R-RS-310368-DEU-NMNH

781771300

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/781771300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.