Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a major bureau of the Smithsonian Institution that is responsible for the acquisition, curation, and preservation of collections of objects and specimens of natural history, which tells the history of the planet and a record of human interaction with the environment and one another.

This Vacancy Announcement will close once 150 applications are received.

Learn more about this agency

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

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-TK-314310-MPA-NMNH. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

The Visitor Experience and Accessibility Manager has responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the operation and administration of the Visitor Experience, Accessibility, and Volunteer Program.

In this position, you will:

• Oversee and support the day-to-day operations of visitor and accessibility services and learning spaces to ensure effective and consistent service delivery.
• Implement established policies and procedures governing visitor flow, service protocols, and public engagement activities.
• Provide guidance, assign work, monitor performance, and support employee development. Participate in hiring, preparing performance plans and evaluations, and recommending awards or corrective actions as appropriate.
• Plan, coordinate, and implement visitor experience, accessibility, and volunteer programs within established frameworks and priorities set by leadership. Track program performance metrics, analyze visitor feedback and operational data, and recommend improvements
• Coordinate volunteer program operations, including recruitment, onboarding, training, and communication, using established procedures and practices.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to support program activities and ensure visitor service considerations are addressed.

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 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.

Additional Requirements:

• A Tuesday through Saturday work schedule is required. In addition, this position will require the selectee to work occasional evenings.

• This position requires standing, walking, and moving throughout museum spaces or outside of the museum for extended periods while supporting program delivery. Some lifting or carrying of educational materials may be required. Physical demands are consistent with those of a museum and office environment.

• Work is performed primarily in museum spaces, classrooms, and office settings. The environment involves everyday risks typical of public and office environments. Some activities may occur in laboratory or collections areas, requiring adherence to established safety protocols and the use of appropriate protective attire.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as 1) overseeing visitor experience, accessibility, and volunteer programs, and 2) using customer service practices and visitor engagement strategies to create the highest quality experience within a large museum.

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.

Education

There are no basic education requirements for this position.

Additional information

This position is NOT 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 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:

• Knowledge of museum visitor experience and service delivery practices (including visitor communication, wayfinding, customer service, engagement techniques) sufficient to implement, evaluate, and improve programs in a large museum environment.

• Ability to supervise and accomplish work through staff, including providing guidance, monitoring performance, supporting employee development, hiring, evaluating, and recommending awards or corrective actions for a diverse staff.

• Knowledge of accessibility practices, assistive technologies, and applicable standards (e.g., ADA and Smithsonian directives) to support inclusive services.

• Knowledge of volunteer program operations, including recruitment, training, evaluation, and coordination to support a large volunteer workforce.

• Ability to communicate verbally effectively at all levels to interact with tact and diplomacy among diverse audiences.

• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels to interact with tact and diplomacy in preparing clear materials.

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.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Your application package will 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.
• 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.
• For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?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.
• 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.

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).
• Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages.
• 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.

Additional Information:

• Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at www.sihr.si.edu/jobs.cfm.
• The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
• The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer. Additional information can be found on our website at (www.si.edu/oeesd).

Agency contact information

Tony Khanna

Phone

202-633-6439

Email

[email protected]

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 [email protected]; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.

Overview

Accepting applications

This job will close when we have received 150 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more

Location

FEW vacancies in the following location:

Washington, DC

FEW vacancies

No matching locations found.

Work site options

Telework eligible

Yes—Ad Hoc Only

Remote job

No

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Salary

$102,415 - $133,142 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 12

Promotion potential

13 - Full Performance Level (FPL) is GS-13

Learn more about pay scale and grade

Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.

Work schedule

Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent

Travel Required

Occasional travel - 25% or Less

Appointment type

Permanent - Federal

Occupations and job series

• 1001 General Arts And Information

Supervisory status

Yes

Federal service type

This job is in the Competitive Service

Drug test

No

Security clearance

Other

Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.

Background check type

• Credentialing
• Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure required

No

Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.

Announcement number

26R-TK-314310-DEU-NMNH

Control number

887861900