Museum Specialist (Aeronautics)

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #26R-ID-314482-MPA-NASM More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Museum Specialist (Aeronautics) serves as a skilled member of the preservation/restoration team and works under the supervision of a Shop Supervisor.

In this position, you will:

• Perform tasks of a highly technical nature in support of NASM’s preservation/restoration program, primarily but not exclusively, preparing the large artifacts in the aeronautics and space history collections for movements to and from exhibit and/or artifact storage.
•  Select and applies appropriate cleaning solvents, fabrics and fungicidal materials for restoration and conservation.
• Maintain a clear, concise and detailed report of each restoration project, often with daily entries. 
• Determine what tasks are necessary to ensure the preservation of complete aircraft and space craft that have been subjected to outdoor exposure, and storage environments that have been less than museum standards.
• Design and construct forms, jigs, cradles, dollies and slings as needed to safely handle the artifacts during the restoration process and in preparation for the movement of the artifacts to be rigged into locations for exhibit.
  
  

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
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds unassisted
• Must be able to walk, stand, bend and reach for long periods of time
• Must be able to work in extreme temperatures, dust, or hazardous materials
• Must work at heights up to 100 ft. operating from a ladder, lift or shelf
• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must wear and properly use personal protective equipment (PPE)

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

GS-9 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

• Application of conservation, preservation or restoration techniques to technical, industrial, and/or transportation machinery or aerospace equipment
• Documentation of project progress or completion summary
• Ability to read and understand manuals and technical data related to this field
• Movement and rigging of aircraft, spacecraft, and/or aerospace artifacts

Or Education: 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the position.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications; For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

GS-11 Experience: 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:

• Application of conservation, preservation or restoration techniques to industrial, and/or aerospace equipment
• Performing projects on an independent level, including resource planning (such as materials and time estimates)
• Movement and rigging of aircraft, spacecraft, and aerospace artifacts

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

1. Ability to extract essential concepts and facts from a range of research sources and be able to carry on work of a long-term and short-term nature, simultaneously.
2. Ability to manage various artifact materials, conflicting installation and transport schedules and interpersonal relationships simultaneously and with great polish.
3. Ability to ascertain which guidelines apply in each situation, and for referring problems and questions to the supervisor when situations arise that are not clearly covered by existing guidelines. 
4. Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, standards and practices related to the care, handling, movement, transporting, shipping, receiving, packing, unpacking, internal movement and storing of museum collections.
5. Knowledge of the proper storage support making techniques for 3D objects as well as archival materials appropriate to museum collections.
6. Knowledge of museum collection management software system/s for artifact documentation and Microsoft Office programs is required.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

• Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
• Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
• Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This 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. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Your application package should include the following documents:

• Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), and hours worked per week, for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.

  For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
• Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
• Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
• Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

Next steps