Collections and Acquisitions Coordinator Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. NGA-26-013-DE Department National Gallery of Art
Salary $85,447.00 to $133,142.00 Grade 11 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/7/2026 Close Date 1/21/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Nearly four million people come through our doors each year—with millions more online—making us one of the most visited art museums in the world. Our renowned collection includes nearly 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. Admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all United States Citizens and Nationals. More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.

Duties

The Collections and Acquisitions Coordinator directs, supervises, and aligns the activities of the Curatorial and Conservation Division (C) with the museum’s mission, vision, values and strategic priorities.

As the Collections and Acquisitions Coordinator, you will:

  • Oversee the Gallery’s art acquisition process
  • Conduct curatorial research
  • Provide financial and administrative support to the Curatorial and Conservation Division
  • Manage special projects

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:
It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant experience as it relates to this job announcement. 

Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. Your resume must not be longer than 2 pages in length. 

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:  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 requirements above:

Specialized Experience: GS-11: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience managing communications between an office and at least ten (10) internal stakeholders.

GS-12: 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 managing a research function for an organization.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:
It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant experience as it relates to this job announcement. 

Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. 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). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week. Your resume must not be longer than 2 pages in length. 

Education

There are no basic education requirements for this position. 

Additional information

The National Gallery of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.

AN EXTERNAL SELECTED CANDIDATE MUST BE FINGERPRINTED AND RECEIVE A BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION, RESULTING IN A SATISFACTORY SUITABILITY DETERMINATION BEFORE BEING HIRED FOR THIS POSITION.

All males born after December 31st 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The National Gallery of Art does not discriminate against any employee or any applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), age (40 and older), disability (mental or physical), or genetic information, or in retaliation for opposing discrimination or participating in the EEO process.    For more information, visit https://www.nga.gov/employment-opportunities/equal-employment-opportunity

Reasonable Accommodation

The National Gallery of Art provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.  If you need an accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the contact person listed in this announcement.  The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

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.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

For Category Rating: Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of the three quality categories: The quality categories are defined as: Qualified, Well Qualified, or Best Qualified.

Qualified Category = Does not exceed the basic qualifications requirements described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement.

Well Qualified Category = Meets the basic qualifications requirements described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the Critical Competencies defined below. (This category must be met to be considered under ICTAP procedures)

Best Qualified Category = Meets the basic qualifications requirements described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and excels in the Critical Competencies defined below. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent or higher will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

The National Gallery of Art uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  1. Your Resume showing the applicant's name, email address, work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed to include pay plan, series, and grade level for relevant federal experience. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. Your resume must not be more than 2 pages in length. 
  • Do not include the following types of information in your resume:
    • Classified or government sensitive information
    • Social Security Number (SSN)
    • Photos of yourself
    • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
    • Encrypted and digitally signed documents
  1. Other supporting documents:
    • Cover Letter, optional
    • Most recent Performance Appraisal, optional
    • Your most recent Promotion, Within Grade Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held.
    • Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
    • Disability Annuity Termination: Notification of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
    • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act, Veterans Recruitment Appointment, and 30% Disabled Veteran Eligible: DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days.
    • Schedule A, Persons with Disabilities Appointment Eligibles: Schedule A letter from a physician, local, state, or federal rehabilitation office citing your eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u).
    • Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13832: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The application process is as follows:

Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page.

  • You must have a USAJOBS account and be logged in.
  • You must have a completed resume. (You may use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS)
  • You must respond to all applicant assessment questions, carefully following all instructions provided.
  • You will be able to upload additional supporting documentation, which may include, but not limited to transcripts, notification of personnel actions (SF-50), certifications and verification of veterans status (SF-15, DD-214)

 
The complete application package, including any additional supporting documents required for this position is due in the National Gallery of Art Personnel Office on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.


 NOTE: Applicants who cannot apply on-line must request a hard copy application packet from the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy announcement.  Resumes and/or supporting documentation alone will not be considered without the inclusion of a hard copy application packet. The complete package is due no later than 5:30 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement.

The National Gallery of Art receives many applications for each job.  Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks.  You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS".

Agency contact information

Staffing
Phone
202-842-6814
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
staffing@nga.gov
Address
National Gallery of Art
4th and Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, District of Columbia 20565
United States

Next steps

After each step in the recruitment process, your status will be updated in our application tracking system. Once this happens, if you have elected to receive e-mail updates, you will be notified through your USAJOBS registered e-mail address. If you have not elected e-mail updates, you can review your current application status in USAJOBS at any time. Please check that your USAJOBS profile contact information is current and correct each time you apply to a job--this will ensure we are able to contact you as quickly as possible.

In addition to changing your status online, we will send you e-mail notifications at each major step in the process, to include: application received, eligible or not eligible, referred or not referred, selected or not selected.

We expect to make a selection within 30 to 90 days of the closing date of this announcement.

For Fair Chance Act Covered Positions: An agency may not request, orally, in writing, or electronically through the USA Jobs website or other electronic means, that an applicant for appointment for a position in the civil service disclose criminal history record information before the appointing agency extends a conditional offer of employment. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit https://www.opm.gov/about-us/careers-at-opm/opportunities/


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.