Museum Specialist (Aeronautics)

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 Air and Space Museum (NASM), Preservation & Restoration Unit (PRU). The PRU is responsible for protecting the National Collection of Aeronautics and Space Artifacts through proper and authentic preservation and restoration techniques.

Duties

The Museum Specialist (Aeronautics) serves as a skilled member of the preservation/restoration team and works under the supervision of a Shop Supervisor. In this position, you will: Perform tasks of a highly technical nature in support of NASM's preservation/restoration program, primarily but not exclusively, preparing the large artifacts in the aeronautics and space history collections for movements to and from exhibit and/or artifact storage. Select and applies appropriate cleaning solvents, fabrics and fungicidal materials for restoration and conservation. Maintain a clear, concise and detailed report of each restoration project, often with daily entries. Determine what tasks are necessary to ensure the preservation of complete aircraft and space craft that have been subjected to outdoor exposure, and storage environments that have been less than museum standards. Design and construct forms, jigs, cradles, dollies and slings as needed to safely handle the artifacts during the restoration process and in preparation for the movement of the artifacts to be rigged into locations for exhibit.

Requirements

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.

Qualifications

GS-9 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Application of conservation, preservation or restoration techniques to technical, industrial, and/or transportation machinery or aerospace equipment Documentation of project progress or completion summary Ability to read and understand manuals and technical data related to this field Movement and rigging of aircraft, spacecraft, and/or aerospace artifacts Or Education: 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the position. 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. 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. GS-11 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as: Application of conservation, preservation or restoration techniques to industrial, and/or aerospace equipment Performing projects on an independent level, including resource planning (such as materials and time estimates) Movement and rigging of aircraft, spacecraft, and aerospace artifacts 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.

Evaluations

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 extract essential concepts and facts from a range of research sources and be able to carry on work of a long-term and short-term nature, simultaneously. Ability to manage various artifact materials, conflicting installation and transport schedules and interpersonal relationships simultaneously and with great polish. Ability to ascertain which guidelines apply in each situation, and for referring problems and questions to the supervisor when situations arise that are not clearly covered by existing guidelines. Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, standards and practices related to the care, handling, movement, transporting, shipping, receiving, packing, unpacking, internal movement and storing of museum collections. Knowledge of the proper storage support making techniques for 3D objects as well as archival materials appropriate to museum collections. Knowledge of museum collection management software system/s for artifact documentation and Microsoft Office programs is required. 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.

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 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.

Other 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. 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.