Visitor Services Coordinator Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25R-BY-312857-MPA-NMAI Department Smithsonian Institution
Salary $57,164.00 to $90,898.00 Grade 07 to 09
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/4/2025 Close Date 8/18/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Museum Learning and Programs (MLP). The NMAI is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere, past, present and future, through partnership with Native people and others.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

The Visitor Services Coordinator is responsible for the oversight of the Visitor Services Department (VSD) by leading visitor services support staff who welcome and assist visitors and guests for the best possible museum experience.

In this position, you will:

GS-07

  • Assist the Supervisor in all Visitor Services programs and activities, including customer service; wayfinding; indoor and outdoor queuing and line management; safety; security; volunteer management and scheduling; group/VIP visits. Assist with support and accessibility services; creation and dissemination of maps, guides and information concerning the public areas of the museum, facilities use, exhibitions, collections, and objects; and engagement and interpretation of difficult and challenging content for visitors and guests. 

  • Train or arrange for training in team building and working in teams to accomplish work. Monitor and report on the status and progress of training. Serve as coach and facilitator in coordinating team initiatives and consensus building in trainings.

  • Participate in management of the Visitor Services volunteer program at NMAI and provide leadership over a large volunteer population. In conjunction with supervisor, interview and onboard prospective volunteers. Follow up to ensure volunteers are oriented and trained, in collaboration with NMAI Supervisory Visitor Services Coordinator and Office of Visitor Services (OVS) policies & procedures.

  • Participate in management of the Visitor Services volunteer program at NMAI and provide leadership over a large volunteer population. Follow up to ensure volunteers are oriented and trained, in collaboration with NMAI Supervisory Visitor Services Coordinator and Office of Visitor Services (OVS) policies & procedures.

GS-09

  • Provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of the Visitor Services programs and activities, including customer service; wayfinding; indoor and outdoor queuing and line management; safety; security; volunteer management and scheduling; group/VIP visits; assist with support and accessibility services; creation and dissemination of maps, guides, and information concerning the public areas of the museum, facilities use, exhibitions, collections, and objects; and engagement and interpretation of difficult and challenging content for visitors and guests.

  • Ensure that the SI and Museum’s strategic plans, mission and vision are communicated and are a part of the team’s strategies, goals, objectives and work plans.

  • Communicate to the team assignments, projects, and problems to be solved, including deadlines and times frames for completion.

  • Together with the supervisor, provide volunteer program management, leadership, and development of the Visitor Services volunteer program at NMAI and provide leadership for managing a large volunteer population. Interview and onboard prospective volunteers. Follow up to ensure volunteers are oriented and trained in collaboration with NMAI Volunteer Manager and Office of Visitor Services (OVS) policies & procedures.

  • Works with the Supervisor to oversee Visitor and Guest Services funding, expenditures, and participates in purchasing for the program that can include invoicing, program reports, and budget preparation, development, justifications, and monitoring. Works with staff to ensure visitor materials, equipment, and office supplies are monitored and sufficient for program implementation.

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.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

Qualifications

Grade-07

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as working in a visitor services department for a museum or similar cultural institution; giving public presentations or demonstrations to small visitor groups; and working with museum or cultural institution volunteers.

Or Education: One full year of graduate level education related to the position or Superior Academic Achievement may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement.   Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualification. 

Grade- 09

Experience:   You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position Specialized experience is defined as working in a visitor services department for a museum or similar cultural institution; giving public presentations or demonstrations to large visitor groups; and providing general direction to museum or cultural institution volunteers.

Or Education:  Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL. B or J.D., if related OR Equivalent combinations of education and experience. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards.


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.

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.

Additional information

  • This position is included in the bargaining unit.  

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.

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

The Federal Government offers a comprehensive benefits package. 

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.

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above.  The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

  1. Knowledge of museums program missions, regulations, and policies to oversee and manage Visitor Services staff, volunteers, contractors, and interns for the execution of Visitors Services programs in greeting visitors and presenting information, orientation, exhibitions, interactives, and immersion experiences.

  2. Knowledge of and skill in administrative concepts, theories, principles, methods, and techniques to manage operational and staffing requirements for Visitor Services activities; to assist with guest services and administration; to lead operations; to organize, guide, direct, administer, and motivate staff; and to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, goals, and objectives.

  3. Knowledge of evaluation methods and techniques and ability to lead, manage, and evaluate a volunteer program; to coordinate its development with needs of NMAI, other Museums, and institutional offices; to advise and assist volunteers to improve or enhance their performance of duty; and to guide the daily program operations as the team lead.

  4. Knowledge of basic procurement and budgeting procedures to participate in program purchases and budget preparation, development, justification, and monitoring

  5. Skill in the use of Sensourse and Dexibit, visitor experience database(s) to obtain information needed to respond to inquiries and monitor and track visitor data.

  6. Ability to lead and manage others; to guide the daily program operations as the team lead; to coordinate its development with needs of NMAI, other Museums, and institutional offices, and to advise and assist volunteers to improve or enhance their performance of duty.

BASIS OF RATING:  Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed 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

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA):  If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities:  The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

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.

  • Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24). Please provide a SF-50 that shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade level.  Examples of appropriate SF50s include: Appointments, Reassignments, Within-grade/range increases or Promotion actions.  NOTE: Pay adjustments and award SF-50s do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable SF-50’s on their own. You may need to provide more than one SF-50. Failure to provide the appropriate SF-50(s) may prevent you from receiving consideration for this position.  

  • 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.
  • Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA
  • Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration.
  • Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order.
  • Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.

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;
    OR
    You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package.
  • 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

HR Specialist
Phone
202-633-0000
TDD
202-633-6409
Fax
202-633-6401
Email
personal.email.address@si.edu
Address
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States

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 www.sihr.si.edu/jobs.cfm.
  • The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses.
  • The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer. Additional information can be found on our website at (www.si.edu/oeesd).


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


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