Supervisory Museum Curator (Assistant Director) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. JMD-LS-26-13078470-ST Department Offices, Boards and Divisions
Salary $169,279.00 to $197,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/29/2026 Close Date 10/13/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Supervisory Museum Curator (Assistant Director)

Department of Justice
Offices, Boards and Divisions
Justice Management Division, Library Staff

Summary

Serves as the Supervisory Museum Curator of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), manages professional, technical, and operational activities of the DOJ Museum. Directs museum administration, artifact and historical collections, preservation and conservation, exhibits, interpretation, education, historical research, and documentation.

Duties

The duties and responsibilities for a Supervisory Museum Curator generally include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Serve as the Assistant Director for Museum Management for U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), manages museum operations, collections, exhibitions, preservation activities, and history programs.
  • Perform the administrative and human resource management functions relative to the staff supervised.
  • Direct museum administration, artifact and historical collections, preservation and conservation, exhibits, interpretation, education, historical research, and documentation.
  • Implement Department-wide policies governing museum operations, historical collections, preservation, research, interpretation, and information access.
  • Manage museum program budgets, collections care resources, contracts, facilities, technology investments, and internal controls.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen or National.
  • You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
  • You may be required to complete a probationary or trial period. See "Additional Information" section for specific details.
  • Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31, 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
  • You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
  • Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
  • You may be required to complete a one-year supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Supervisory Museum Curator (Assistant Director), at GS-1015-15 you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below.

Basic Requirements:

1. Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field.

OR

2. Combination of education and experience-courses equivalent to a major, shown A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

OR

Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to the normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course study as shown in A above.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level or equivalent band in the Federal service, which includes: Researching, maintaining, and/or exhibiting historical collections of artifacts and media; Developing policies governing museum operations, historical collections, preservation, research, interpretation, and/or information access; Evaluates emerging technologies for digital exhibitions, online collections, public history platforms, and/or preservation systems.

You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by 10/13/2026 of this announcement.

Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements, please see the statements below.

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

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Transcripts must be uploaded with your application to verify education. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required:

  1. You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
  2. Your transcript must come from a nationally accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
  3. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made from this announcement.

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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Probationary or Trial Period (as applicable): As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
1) your performance and conduct;
2) the needs and interests of the agency;
3) whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
4) whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy

Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.

Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement. Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.


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.

Review our 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.

How You Will be Evaluated
Once the announcement closes, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist. This information will be compared against your responses to the application questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position. If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible.

One of the multi hurdles will consist of applicant resumes being reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel for related position competencies against a pre-determined rating schedule. This process will determine the final rating of the applicant for possible referral to the hiring official for hiring consideration.

BASIS OF RATING: DOJ's Merit Promotion Procedures will be used to evaluate candidates.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):

  • Change Management
  • Museum Administration
  • Supervisory and/or Managerial


If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13078470.

Required Documents

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility.

Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

  • Official position title,
  • Employer name and contact information,
  • Start and end dates (including month and year),
  • Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
  • A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
If you are a current or former Federal employee:
  1. You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent agency form. Do not submit an award SF-50, these do not contain sufficient information about your appointment. Your SF-50 should list the full position title, series, grade and step,organization, duty location, service computation date, effective date, and your service type and tenure status.
  2. Submit a copy of your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal, signed, showing your final rating. If a performance appraisal is not available submit a statement explaining why one is not available. Note: See USAJOBS Current & Former Employees for more information.
Due Weight for Performance:
  1. You must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal, and
  2. A list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. Due weight for performance applies to federal and non-federal work. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available.
If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:
  1. When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
  2. If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating, you will need to additionally submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
  3. If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information.
  4. For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.
If you are applying for consideration under the Military Spouse Appointing Authority:
  1. Spouse of a member of the armed forces on active duty: documentation showing 1) your spouse's active-duty status and 2) your marriage to the member of the armed forces (i.e., a marriage certificate or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
  2. Spouse of service members who incurred a 100% disability because of the service member's active-duty service: documentation showing 1) the member of the armed forces retired, or was released or discharged from active duty, with a disability rating of 100 percent; and 2) documentation of marriage to the member of the armed forces (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
  3. Spouse of service members killed while on active duty: documentation showing a) the member was released or discharged from active duty due to his or her death while on active duty; b) the member of the armed forces was killed while serving on active duty; c) proof of the widow or widower's marriage to the member of the armed forces (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage); and d) a statement certifying that the individual seeking to use the authority is the un-remarried widow or widower of the service member.
If you are a person with a disability, claiming eligibility under Schedule A:
  1. You must submit "proof of a disability" documentation ("Proof of a disability" is a letter stating that you have an intellectual disability, severe physical disability or psychiatric disability).
  2. You must get this letter from your doctor, a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any Federal, state, or local agency that issues or provides disability benefits.
  3. For more information about Schedule A and verification requirements, please see OPM's Schedule A site.

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

To apply for this position, you must complete the application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/13/2026 to receive consideration.

The application process is as follows:

  • Click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
Need Help?
If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc.

Reasonable Accommodation: To request reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement for assistance.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): This program applies to DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:
  1. Meet CTAP eligibility criteria;
  2. Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and
  3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility.
Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies clearly exceeding the minimum qualifications for the vacancy.

If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP:
  1. You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency OR if you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force.
  2. Submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location OR Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.
  3. See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information.

Agency contact information

Tamara Shelton
Phone
202-286-6440
Email
tamara.d.shelton@usdoj.gov
Address
Justice Management Division, Library Staff
2 Constitution Square
145 N Street NE
Room 9W.300
Washington, DC 20530
US

Next steps

You will receive e-mail notifications as your application status is updated by DOJ. However, you can also see your application status any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account and looking on the "Applications" page. Click the position title to expand the display for each application in the list.

We strive to extend a final offer of employment within 90 days from the close of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement within 90 days.

Offices, Boards and Divisions

Are you interested in a rewarding and challenging career? Join the U.S. Department of Justice!

The Department of Justice (DOJ) leads the nation in safeguarding Americans while upholding constitutional freedoms. As part of our team, you'll contribute to a vital mission while advancing your career.

Mission:
DOJ is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights.

Core Values:

  1. Independence and Impartiality. DOJ works each day to earn the public's trust by following the facts and the law wherever they may lead, without prejudice or improper influence.
  2. Honesty and Integrity. DOJ's employees adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior, mindful that, as public servants, we must work to earn the trust of, and inspire confidence in, the public we serve.
  3. Respect. DOJ's employees value differences in people and in ideas and treat everyone with fairness, dignity, and compassion.
  4. Excellence. DOJ works every day to provide the highest levels of service to the American people and to be a responsible steward of the taxpayers' dollars.

Agency contact information

Tamara Shelton
Phone
202-286-6440
Email
tamara.d.shelton@usdoj.gov
Address
Justice Management Division, Library Staff
2 Constitution Square
145 N Street NE
Room 9W.300
Washington, DC 20530
US

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