Supervisory Production Specialist (Head, NLS Media Lab) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. VAR003168 Department Library of Congress
Salary $142,488.00 to $185,234.00 Grade 14 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/12/2025 Close Date 9/26/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Media Lab, Collections Division, National Library Service Blind/Print Disabled, Library Collections and Services Group.

The position description number is 465561.

The salary range reflects the locality pay for the Washington, D.C., Metro area.

The incumbent of this position will work a flextime work schedule.

This is a supervisory, non-bargaining unit position.

Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person selected under this vacancy announcement.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

AGENCY EMPLOYEES - CONSIDERATION UNDER THIS VACANCY IS LIMITED TO THE STAFF OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, TEMPORARY NOT-TO-EXCEED (NTE) AND INDEFINITE NOT-TO-EXCEED (NTE) EMPLOYEES ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. (EMPLOYEES MUST MAINTAIN THEIR ELIGIBILITY AT THE TIME OF SELECTION.)

Duties

Supervises audio and tactile materials production staff performing work at GS-13 level and below. Provides administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit. Supervises the audio and tactile production of the section. Distributes and balances the workload among subordinates; solves complex problems that arise during the course of the work; reviews and assesses the quality and quantity of work products for adequacy and compliance with instructions and procedures. Performs the administrative and human resource management functions relative to the staff supervised. Establishes and works in the context of facilitative, project, and program management. Assigns and coordinates work; reviews progress revising work where necessary; provides supervision for assigned staff.

Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff members, observes workers’ performance, and conducts work performance critiques. Provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance. Recommends promotions and other forms of recognition. Resolves informal complaints and grievances. Develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary. Provides advice and counsel to workers related to work and administrative matters. Effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area. Reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests. Assures that subordinates are trained and fully comply with the provisions of the safety regulations. Manges the production process that has extensive planning and scheduling complications. Serves as the Head, NLS Media Lab the creation and production of accessible content in the NLS Media Lab. Develops technical standards and standard operating procedures and assures the quality control of the products delivered by the staff.

Provides guidance to the Media Lab staff; advises and counsels the staff concerning quality and techniques; provides direction on procedures of all accessible products; remains responsible for the operational continuity of work performed. Establishes efficient workflow procedures, including assignments of responsibility, and institutes methods and timetables accordingly. Reviews and appraises work performed by staff. Directs all training of new Media Lab staff. Casts production teams according to artistic, educational, and experimental requirements of books being recorded. Provides guidance on spoken conventions, linguistics, and foreign languages and directs research work by staff to ensure proper pronunciation, vocal presentation, and interpretation.

Provides guidance on tactile material production that may accompany accessible books, including subject research, context interpretation, component material selection, and product construction. Provides guidance on the development of image descriptions that may be included in accessible books. Identifies technical support for present and newly installed equipment In the NLS Media Lab. Supervises and approves the work of contract repair and maintenance personnel. Resolves significant planning and scheduling problems related to equipment, space, and staff availability. Oversees a wide range of digital recording and production techniques, utilizes professional recording equipment and specialized software for the production of digital talking books (DTB) and other reading material, and makes available resources to research complex audio productions. Oversees and utilizes equipment for the production of tactile material.

Advises NLS staff, contract production studios, and volunteer recording studios on effective ways to handle complex recording problems and drafts instructions detailing how to handle difficult books. Provides guidance concerning recording standards and suitability of materials for inclusion in the NLS program. Pans and conducts training sessions and informational workshops in various locations throughout the United States for accessible content production studios, library organizations, conferences, and national organizations representing blind and print disabled individuals; provides expertise on the art of narration and the art and technique of accessible book production. Conducts narrator/monitor/reviewer workshops at contract and volunteer recording studios. Serves as an expert/guest speaker on the production of accessible books as part of regional library outreach programs throughout the United States.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Conditions of Employment

The Supervisor leads his/her staff toward meeting the Library’s vision, mission, and goals by acting decisively, leveraging diversity and inclusiveness, demonstrating flexibility and resilience, fostering continuous improvement and innovation, and fostering integrity and honesty. To view the Library’s Supervisory Core Competencies click the following link: Supervisor Core Competencies

Library of Congress employees are prohibited from using illegal drugs, including marijuana. The Library is part of the Federal Government and abides by federal law, so regardless of individual state or District of Columbia laws, marijuana use is illegal, considered criminal activity, and can affect your employment at the Library. In addition, past or current drug use and activities (e.g., selling or distributing) may deem you ineligible for employment.

Qualifications

Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision.

Ability to supervise and lead a diverse workforce.**

Knowledge of multimedia production.**

Knowledge of industry standard media production and post production methods and techniques.**

Ability to communicate in writing.

Ability to resolve production issues and problems.

Ability to provide advice and guidance.

Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

Additional information

Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous Federal service will generally be paid at step one of the grade.

The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. All who meet the eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit a complete application package that is received by the closing date of this announcement.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please email ADA@loc.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.  Certification from health care providers are not accepted. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.


The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation. For more information, please see: https://www.loc.gov/careers/working-at-the-library/frequently-asked-questions/vetting-personnel-at-the-library/

The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.

Initial permanent appointments to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period.  In addition, per Library of Congress Regulation 9-532, an appointee or internal selectee is subject to a one-year supervisory probationary period if this is their first supervisory/managerial position at the Library of Congress. Probationary periods served at other Federal agencies do not count toward this requirement.

The Library of Congress may offer repayment for all or part of federally insured student loans. However, not all service units within the Library of Congress participates in the repayment of federally insured student loans. Therefore, determination to repay a federally insured student loan is subject to approval by the appropriate service unit.

The selected applicant may be required to file a financial disclosure statement with the House of Representatives, U.S. Congress, in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 95-521, Ethics in Government Act of 1978.

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

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.

The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview. The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview. The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.

Are you a veteran?  Please indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim.  Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214.  Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15 (click here for the form) and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form.  If required supporting documentation is not attached, Veterans' Preference will not be considered in the application process.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Current or former federal employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent).

Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The proof or disability/certification may be issued by the State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of the applicant’s college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The letter must verify that the applicant has a severe disability and must be dated within three years of the date of the application.  The program does not accept certification from health care providers. For more information contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-707-6024 or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.

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

Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position.
You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps.
Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume on USAJOBS. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress.
Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your USAJOBS resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions.
Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account and submit your resume. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements.
Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. Step 5: Hiring Management offers three options that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement.
(1) You may select a document that you have already uploaded to USAJOBS for a previous announcement.
(2) You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer or in your USAJOBS profile before uploading them. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date.
Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement.
If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov, no later than 4:30pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

Agency contact information

Job Help Desk
Address
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington, District of Columbia 20540
United States

Next steps

Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.


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