Supervisory Financial Specialist

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 within the Small Unit Finance Division, Office of Human Resources (OHR), Undersecretary for Finance & Administration (OUSF&A), Smithsonian Institution (SI).

The Division supports financial operations at small units by providing centralized functions such as budgeting, contract administration, reporting, procurement and travel, and reconciliation.

Experience: For GS-14-You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS‐13 level in the federal service (or equivalent experience in the public or private sector) providing financial management work.

Experience must demonstrate responsibility for directing department or unit-wide financial operations, advising or applying federal financial laws and policy, advising unit or department leaders on significant financial matters.

For GS-15- You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS‐14 level in the federal service (or equivalent experience in the public or private sector) leading complex financial management programs.

Experience must demonstrate responsibility for directing unit-wide or enterprise‐level financial operations, applying federal financial laws and policy, advising senior executives on high‐impact financial matters, overseeing centralized or shared financial services, and exercising full supervisory authority over staff.

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.

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).

Major Duties:

The primary purpose of this position is to lead and manage enterprise-level budget, finance, and business services for multiple SI museums, research centers, and/or offices.

The incumbent leads the implementation of financial strategies, strategic management, and ongoing development of a centralized finance center that delivers comprehensive financial services for multiple units.

Responsibilities encompass financial and budget analysis, operations, grants and trust management, procurement, travel, contracts, audit, compliance, policy guidance, and program management.

In this position, the incumbent: Directs financial operations by overseeing daily financial systems, managing workflows across client units, and leads procurement, grants, and externally funded resources to ensure compliance, accuracy, and strategic alignment.

Provides expert guidance, audit leadership, and staff coaching while performing hands-on financial work to resolve operational challenges and supports mission‐critical programs.

Supports centralized financial operations across multiple Smithsonian units by assisting with multiyear financial planning, the full budget lifecycle, financial analysis and reporting, procurements, and advises on resource allocation, compliance, and resolution of financial and administrative issues.

Supervises and leads a team of financial and administrative professionals by setting priorities, managing workloads and resources, evaluating performance, supporting staff development, and ensuring compliance with HR, EEO, safety, and ADA requirements while maintaining high standards of accountability and a collaborative work environment.