Research Assistant - TERM Not to Exceed 2 years Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25R-SC-311805-DEU-SAWHM Department Smithsonian Institution
Salary $55,924.00 to $72,703.00 Grade 07 to 07
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/6/2024 Close Date 11/21/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum expands the story of America through the often-untold accounts and accomplishments of women—individually and collectively—to better understand our past and inspire our future. The museum’s goal is to create space for women's history on the National Mall in Washington, DC, deepen our nation's stories, and inspire conversation, connection, and change. The museum’s ultimate vision is a more representative history, a more collective future.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

The Research Assistant is responsible for supporting curatorial, collections, digital engagement, and education staff with their initiatives to gather, organize, and make accessible to the public information on the history of women as they contributed to shaping the United States of America.

In this position, you will:

  • Conduct archival, material culture, oral history, image, and desk research in support of digital experience, including but not limited to digital exhibitions.
  • Support museum staff in developing storylines and content for web-based/online script and produce development, ensuring accessibility.
  • Deliver regular project updates, coordinate meetings with project teams, and assist in planning travel itineraries for curatorial project teams. Track research tasks in electronic file systems and enter metadata for assets into the Digital Assets Management System (DAMS).

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.
  • Valid Passport is required to meet the international travel requirements
  • Maintain a valid state issued driver's license.
  • The employee may be required to travel on boars for scientific scuba trips
  • May require walking extended distances over a variety of surfaces

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.

This is a term appointment not to exceed 2 years. Term appointments are non-status, non-permanent appointments of limited duration of more than 1 year, but not more than 10 years. Should the need warrant, term appointments may be extended without further competition up to a maximum of the 10-year limitation. The appointment to a term position does not confer eligibility for permanent employment.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized Experience for this position is defined as conducting archival, material culture, oral history, image, and desk research; supporting the development of storylines and content for web-based products; coordinating project team meetings and tracking project tasks; entering metadata into a Digital Assests Management System (DAMS); and securing licenses for use of restricted materials for publication or online programming.

OR

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one year of graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent) with coursework related to the duties of the position. Related fields of study include art, history, museum studies, scientific subjects, or other courses related to the position to be filled. You must include transcripts.

OR

A Combination of 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.

You must submit a copy of your unofficial college transcripts for verification to be considered.


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.

Education

All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), degree conferred/awarded, or type of degree being pursued (ex. undergrad, graduate (masters, PhD, etc,.), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcript, we cannot assume the credit. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts before starting the job.

Additional information

  • This position is included in the bargaining unit.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and,
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

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.

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.asp
Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com
Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/

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:

  • Ability to perform a variety of routine and special duties in connection with research efforts at the museum (image research, licensing/permission duties, oral history identification, and public programs).
  • Ability to work on special projects under general supervision and with limited instructions.
  • Knowledge of curatorial research and reporting including American cultural and/or women’s history and major museum initiatives. Possesses an understanding of basic methodology and principles, oral history collecting, and intergenerational conversations.

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.

Important Note:

The review of your resume will determine your final rating and should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

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), hours worked per week, and salary 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 here.
  • 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.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

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

  • You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
  • You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
  • The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
  • If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.

Agency contact information

Susie Cunningham
Address
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Ave., MRC517
Ste 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:

  • Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
  • The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
  • The Smithsonian embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity (www.si.edu/oeema).


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


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