Supervisory Museum Specialist

Job Details

Position Overview

This position is located in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), Rubenstein National Institute for Holocaust Documentation, Collections Services Division, Conservation Branch, David and Fela Shapell Collections, Conservation, and Research Center, Bowie, MD.

In this position, the Deputy Director, will provide comprehensive strategic direction for the three CSD branch chiefs and their staffs, with an emphasis on the management and administration of collections programs.

Duties

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a federally chartered, nonpartisan institution that was created by the US Congress to serve as America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an educational institution dedicated to the history and lessons of the Holocaust. The Museum seeks to educate Americans from all 50 states and all walks of life as well as international audiences. The Museum has three areas of expertise: Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust scholarship and education, and genocide prevention.

In carrying out its important memorial and educational mission, the Museum is guided by its institutional values for our workplace: Honor the memory of the victims; carry out our work with dignity, humility, integrity and respect for others; and strive for excellence through teamwork, rigor, and a culture of continuous learning. Consistent respect for others is the foundation for trust, collegiality and inclusion.

Duties include: 

Provide comprehensive strategic direction for the three CSD branch chiefs and their staffs, with an emphasis on the management and administration of collections programs and activities.

Oversees the daily operation of the Collections Management and Registration branches and ensures that the Museum's policies for acquiring, maintaining, and safeguarding the collections are implemented.

Develops and establishes procedures to ensure the cohesive and cooperative nature of services and activities for the registration and collections management of the Museum's collections.

Provides leadership in short and long-range strategic planning and for the development, implementation, and management of programs, policies, systems, and procedures in accordance with professional museum standards, Museum policies, and Federal guidelines.

Serves as an expert technical authority on collections management matters, registration matters, an advisor on conservation matters, and acts as an advisor to Museum staff and leadership.

Initiates or drafts preparation of grant proposals and reports to donors in cooperation with the Office of Development staff, and in collaboration with the Rubenstein Institute Director of Planning and Administration and Office leadership.

Qualifications & Requirements

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards. 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.

Specialized Experience:

You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-13 (or equivalent) grade level in the federal government. Specialized Experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience for this position is overseeing the daily operation of the Collections Management and Registration branches and ensures that the Museum's policies for acquiring, maintaining, and safeguarding the collections are implemented; implementing collections management and registrarial procedures and priorities in close collaboration with the needs of and workflows within the Office; developing procedures to ensure the cohesive and cooperative nature of programs, services, and activities for the collections management and registration of the Museum's collections; and preparing and delivering presentations on behalf of the Museum at meeting and conferences of appropriate professional organizations.

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). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "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, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

***Failure to submit required documentation will result in an ineligible rating.

Education

If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration.

Requirements

On-line resumes must be submitted by 11:59pm EST of the closing date.

·       You must be a suitable for Federal employment.

·       You must be a U.S. citizen.

·       You must be registered for Selective Service if applicable (www.sss.gov).

·       Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date.

·       A one year supervisory probationary period may be required.    

·       Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

·       The USHMM is an equal opportunity employer.

·       This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.  If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency.  The decision granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

·       As a condition of employment, all new hires must agree to direct deposit of their salary checks.  Employees will have up to two (2) pay periods from the date they enter on duty to arrange for their direct deposit transaction.

·       This is a Federal agency.  Former employees who received a voluntary separation incentive (“buyout”) must repay the full amount of it if reemployed under any type of appointment or under a personal service contract within five years after separation with a buyout.

Evaluations

We will review your resume and supporting documentation (transcripts if applicable) to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire that you completed as part of the application. However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the occupational questions, or your score will be lowered. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for a structured interview.

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (ex: resume and supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and the results of the online assessments required for this position. Be sure your resume includes enough detail to support your qualifications.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Strategic Thinking and Planning, Leading and Developing People, Innovation and Solution Development. 

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Optional Essay Questions:  Applicants may choose to respond to four short essay questions (200 words max each) to help us better understand your alignment with the agency's mission. These responses are optional and will not affect the applicant's eligibility.

Required Documents

A complete application includes

1. Resume showing relevant experience. Your resume must clearly demonstrate, in two pages or less, how your skills and experiences align with the "Qualifications" section and support your questionnaire responses. If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed. 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Please ensure all required documents are included to your application package.

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. Please limit your resume to two-pages.  If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed. To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.

• RESUME
• RIF
• SF-50
• TRANSCRIPTS

How to Apply

Click the Apply Online button to create an account on USAJOBS.gov or log into your existing USAJOBS account. Pull up the Museum’s vacancy announcement that you are interested in.  Follow the prompts to complete the on-line Assessment Questionnaire. Please ensure that you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

Application Assistance: If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you must contact [email protected] no later than noon Eastern Time on the closing date to request a complete application package.  After this time, requests to apply will not be granted. 

All electronic application packages must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. eastern time by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

NOTE: Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. This position requires the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described previously. Please carefully review the complete job announcement and the "How to Apply" instructions. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in you not being considered for employment.

You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov and clicking on “Track Your Online Application.” The four points of notification are:

1. Application Received or Application Incomplete
2. Minimum Qualification Requirement Met or Minimum Qualification Not Met;
3. Eligible (Application Referred to the Selecting Official) or Eligible (Application Not Referred to the Selecting Official); and
4. Selected or Not Selected.

By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application.  If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed.  After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment.  The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans’ preference, disability, etc.).