Director of Collection.

Smithsonian Institution; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Paid vacation and sick leave

Retirement program

Job summary

The Smithsonian Institution is seeking a Director of Collections to supervise the Collections Department, set annual goals, and lead efforts in preservation, accessioning, and access to the institution’s digital and physical holdings.

The role requires directing digitization projects, developing new protocols, and advising the Director on complex collections management issues with stakeholders and donors.

Qualifications

• Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service.
• Specialized experience includes senior-level collections management in a museum, cultural or historical organization.

Responsibilities

• Supervise the staff of the Collections Department.
• Develop and circulate annual goals and benchmarks for the department in preservation, collections management, accessioning, exhibiting, lending, collecting, digitizing, and access to the collection.
• Develop new protocols for capture, storage, and accessibility of digital collections, including digitizing practices and best practices.
• Serve as the principal advisor to the Director on complex collections management issues, and communicate with stakeholders and potential donors on activities.

Skills

Leadership

Staff supervision

Collections management

Digitization

Job description

Duties

The Director of Collections Assigns projects, provides technical direction, and ensures staff are informed of and follow established operating plans, procedures, and instructions.

In This Position, You Will

• Supervise the staff of the Collections Department.
• Develop and circulate annual goals and benchmarks for Collections Department in the areas of preservation, collections management, accessioning, exhibiting, lending, collecting, digitizing, and providing increased access to the collection.
• Develop new protocols and processing for capture, storing, and providing accessibility to digital collections, as well as creating new protocols and procedures for digitizing NPM’s collections. This includes analyzing, developing, and implementing best practices for digitizing NPM’s collection.
• Serve as the principal advisor to the Director on all complex collections management issues including accessioning (gifts bequests transfers purchases exchanges etc.), deaccessioning, conservation, preservation, security, environmental protections etc., and communicates with museum stakeholders or potential donors on collections management activities.

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 within 30 days of the job announcement closing date. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

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

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience serving as a senior specialist performing collections management activities in the collections department of a museum, cultural or historical organization.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual 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.

In an effort to streamline our hiring process, SI employees whose current position of record is in the same job series 1001 and who are in a (Federal competitive or excepted service appointment) as this advertised position, are not required to submit a transcript with your application package. However, if selected, you will be required to provide a copy of your transcript before your start date in the position.

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).

Education

NO Basic Education is Required for this position.

Additional information

This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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

• Flexible Spending Accounts -
• Health Insurance -
• Leave -
• Life Insurance -
• Long Term Care Insurance -
• Retirement Program -