Museum Specialist (Zoology)

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 purpose of this position is to serve as a museum specialist in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology, NMNH.

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Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

01/11/2024 to 01/25/2024

$82,764 – $107,590 per year

Based on the 2024 Federal Pay Scale.

GS 11

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

No

Yes-Based on Smithsonian policy.

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Permanent – Federal

Full-time – Full-Time, Permanent

Competitive

11 – None

1016 Museum Specialist And Technician

No

Other

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

24R-JW-310187-MPA-NMNH

770047900

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This job is open to

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

Current Smithsonian Institution Internal Employees/Agency Employees Only may apply including current Smithsonian Institution employees with Federal career/career-conditional status or eligibility. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

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Duties

The Museum Specialist (Zoology) performs a broad range of tasks associated with use, management, outreach, and physical care of collections in the museum.

In this position you will:

• Conduct complex invertebrate specimen preparation and imaging methods for facilitating research.
• Teach students, interns and others in invertebrate specimen preparation and imaging.
• Prepare specimens in the department’s preparation lab.
• Serve on departmental or museum committees.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Requires career/career-conditional status or eligibility.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met by the closing date of the announcement. See the ‘Required Documents’ section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

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 a 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-09 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 conducting invertebrate specimen preparation and imaging, training students and interns in specimen preparation and imaging, and microscopy and histology laboratory maintenance and safety in a museum or similar setting.

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.

For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards.

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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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.

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

• Knowledge of invertebrate specimen preparation and imaging techniques.
• Ability to train students, interns and others in invertebrate specimen preparation and imaging techniques.
• Knowledge of histology and microscopy laboratory protocols, including maintenance and safety procedures.
• Ability to provide effective service on departmental or museum committees.

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 detailed 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.

• Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24). Please provide a SF-50 that shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade level. Examples of appropriate SF50s include: Appointments, Reassignments, Within-grade/range increases or Promotion actions. NOTE: Pay adjustments and award SF-50s do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable SF-50’s on their own. You may need to provide more than one SF-50.

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).

• All current federal employees MUST submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal.

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

202-633-6383

TDD

202-633-6409

Fax

202-312-2875

Email

[email protected]

Address

SMITHSONIAN

Office of Human Resources

POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517

Suite 5060

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.
• 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.

• Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24). Please provide a SF-50 that shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade level. Examples of appropriate SF50s include: Appointments, Reassignments, Within-grade/range increases or Promotion actions. NOTE: Pay adjustments and award SF-50s do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable SF-50’s on their own. You may need to provide more than one SF-50.

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).

• All current federal employees MUST submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal.

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

202-633-6383

TDD

202-633-6409

Fax

202-312-2875

Email

[email protected]

Address

SMITHSONIAN

Office of Human Resources

POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517

Suite 5060

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.
• 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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Share

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• Twitter

Help

Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

01/11/2024 to 01/25/2024

$82,764 – $107,590 per year

Based on the 2024 Federal Pay Scale.

GS 11

1 vacancy in the following location:

No

Yes-Based on Smithsonian policy.

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Permanent – Federal

Full-time – Full-Time, Permanent

Competitive

11 – None

1016 Museum Specialist And Technician

No

Other

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

24R-JW-310187-MPA-NMNH

770047900

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/770047900. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.