Museum Curator

Full Job Description

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo.

This position is in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a national museum for the study and exhibition of African American history and culture. Basic Education Requirement: 1.

Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field. or 2.

Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in 1 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. or 3.

Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in 1 above.

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-11 level in the Federal Service.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience initiating, developing and conducting research projects; producing scholarly publications and/or exhibitions related to the field of the slave trade and/or community life; participating in public service efforts; responding to public inquiries and media requests.

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

The Museum Curator performs scholarly research, defines and implements plans for development of a pre-eminent collection in the Center for the Study of Global Slavery (CSGS) and crossover work across Centers for the African American Religious Life (CSAARL), Community Curation and African American Media Arts (CAAMA) and work with the Office of Curatorial Affairs (OCA) divisions of history, art and culture.

In this position, you will: initiate, develop, and personally participate in research programs.

prepare for publication, scholarly reports of a descriptive and theoretical nature based on field of work, on study of collections in this and other institutions, and on the existing scholarly publications.

define and implement plan for development of a pre-eminent collection in any specialty field of African American history and culture (e.g., Global Slavery, Religious Life, Community Curation and Media Arts).

collect, curate and interpret work around the subject of Community life.

participate in conferences, symposia, programs for professional audiences and the public to share research, collections, and projects related to slavery and the slave trade.