Supervisory Museum Specialist (Natural Science)

Company

Other Agencies and Independent Organizations - Smithsonian Institution

Location

Washington, District of Columbia

Type

Full Time

Job Description

Summary The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a major bureau of the Smithsonian Institution that is responsible for the acquisition, curation, and preservation of collections of objects and specimens of natural history within the specialization of botany for this position. Learn more about this agency Duties The Supervisory Museum Specialist (Natural Science) will manage and direct the United States National Herbarium collections, ensures they are properly acquired, documented, prepared, and stored, and that adequate access is provided to all collections by both staff and visitors to the herbarium. In this position, you will: Supervise the work of Collections Management staff, and recruit oversee contractors, volunteers and interns on collections improvement projects. Manage and direct the United States National Herbarium collections, ensuring they are properly acquired, documented, prepared, and stored. Coordinate all transactions including all acquisitions, loans, exchanges, transfers, and disposals. Serve on the Department, Museum, and outside committees as required, provide lectures to outside groups on collections management and stewardship, and provide tours of the collections for donors, VIPs and others. Participate with scientific staff in planning the Department’s exhibit/outreach program by providing specimens, maps, or scientific information. Requirements Conditions of employment Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation May need to complete a Probationary Period Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service. May be required to serve an 18-month probationary period for supervisors. Conditions of Employment Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website. Qualifications Experience related to the operation or management of a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include collections management, registration, cataloging, research, preservation, restoration, or conservation of collections of museum material, or other experience related to the position to be filled.  Most positions require a particular subject-matter specialization, e.g., aeronautics, anthropology, art, geology, history, natural science, technology, biology, or zoology. In addition to the basic qualification requirement above: Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of full-time experience at the GS-12 grade level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system that is close or similar to the operation or management of a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. For this position specialized experience is defined as experience in plant systematics and herbarium collections in a museum, university or public science center including management and supervision of planning, collections care and preservation, enhancing access, oversight of collection digitization projects and external transactions, and working with scholars and participation in outreach activities.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. Additional information This position is not included in the bargaining unit. Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position.  However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period. 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. Expand Hide  additional information 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. Benefits 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 https://www.si.edu/OHR/benefits for a complete description. Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/ Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.aspLeave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.aspLife Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.aspLong Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.comRetirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/
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Date Posted

04/10/2026

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