Conservator (Preventive) (Fellow) IS-1001-11

Smithsonian; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 77,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

Smithsonian Institution in the Washington, DC area seeks a Conservator (Preventive) Fellow to develop a data-driven approach for protecting museum environments and to lead two pilot projects testing new environmental standards. The role is based at Suitland, MD, with responsibilities across conservation science and facilities collaboration.

The appointment is a two-year, temporary trust fund position with full-time schedule and requires a master's degree in conservation plus related experience.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in conservation from an accredited program.
• 1–2 years of research or fieldwork in preventive conservation.

Responsibilities

• Conservation research: assess practices and develop pilot projects for data-driven decisions.
• Interagency collaboration with conservators, scientists, and facilities staff.
• Conservation education: communicate results and share findings at conferences and in-house lectures.

Skills

Preventive conservation

Education

Master's degree in conservation

Job description

Conservator (Preventive) (Fellow) IS-1001-11

Application Deadline: 5 November 2026

Department: Museum Conservation Institute

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Director

Compensation: $85,447 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: October 22, 2026

CLOSING DATE: November 5, 2026

POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Trust, NTE 2 years

SCHEDULE: Full Time

DUTY LOCATION: Suitland, MD

Position sensitivity and risk:

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Open to all qualified applicants

What are Trust Fund Positions?

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
• Complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

OVERVIEW

This position is located in the Museum Support Center in Suitland, MD, the Museum Conservation Institute (MCI), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institute (SI). The Smithsonian Institute is a diverse museum, education, and research complex dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. The Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) increases and shares scientific and practical knowledge that improves the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage. This position is a two year fellowship. The fellow would focus on developing a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, data-driven approach to protecting and maintaining museum collections environments at SI.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Conservation Research:

• Maps and assesses historic and current research and practices in the maintenance of museum collections environments across the SI and within the broader conservation sector. Gathers and analyzes current best practices in preventive conservation regarding environmental controls and identifies opportunities or gaps in current environmental standards for museum collections. Develops and carries out 2 pilot projects that can be tested within SI to provide new or additional evidence that would assist in data-driven decision-making for setting collections environment parameters.

Interagency Collaboration:

• Collaborates closely with an interdisciplinary range of professionals including conservators, scientists, and cultural heritage practitioners at MCI as well as researchers, conservators, collection managers and curators throughout the Smithsonian and the conservation community. Additionally, works closely with Facilities Management and Design and Construction engineers and professionals to understand how their expertise and professional responsibilities work in relation to conservators’ expertise and professional responsibilities. Identifies a small multi-disciplinary advisory team to whom to report findings and receive feedback.

Conservation Education:

• Organizes a convening of key stakeholders and researchers on the topic of data-driven decision-making for setting collections environment parameters. Develops presentation tools for communicating results to conservators, collections staff and facilities staff as well as high-level decision-makers, for ex, unit directors and SI senior leadership. Shares project results through lectures and presentations both internally at SI as well as at professional conferences and academic audiences. Travels for research visits or deliver presentations, as appropriate. Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a master's degree (M.A. or M.Sc.) in conservation from an accredited conservation program, and one to two years of research experience or related museum or fieldwork experience in preventive conservation.

• Knowledge of principles, concepts, and methodologies requisite to preventive conservation, e.g., chemistry, material technology and deterioration, and art historical and technological understanding: and of the practical or craft skills to comprehend considerations in the examination and conservation treatment of museum collections, sufficient to assess museum collections environments, identify preservation risks, and evaluate preventive conservation approaches and research priorities.
• Knowledge of the chemical and physical properties of museum collections, specimens, and objects, and of the techniques used to preserve and conserve them in order to evaluate the effects of environmental conditions on collections and interpret conservation and research findings.
• Skill in documenting and interpreting conservation treatments and research findings and compiling, presenting, and disseminating results in written form, sufficient to communicate technical information to staff from different disciplines.
• Knowledge of a range of conservation technologies (e.g., cleaning, mending, consolidation, wet cleaning, replacement, coating, supporting, mounting, and rehousing) and of technical and scientific research procedures, sufficient to evaluate conservation practices, develop and assess pilot projects, and determine the applicability of research findings to museum collection environments.
• Skill in collaborating with interdisciplinary teams of both conservation and allied professionals.
• Skill in written and verbal communication of information accurately and with attention to detail to audiences that include art historians, curators, conservation scientists, as well as administrators and to the general public.

Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.

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