Museum Specialist (Art) IS-1016-9/11

Smithsonian Institution•Washington, DC

3d•$70,623 - $85,447•Onsite

About The Position

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, established in 1923, is America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. It houses one of the world's most important collections of Asian art, spanning antiquity to the present, alongside an unparalleled collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American art. The museum functions as a global and national resource for understanding Asian arts and cultures and their interaction with America through collecting, conservation, exhibitions, programming, and research. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., it is free and open 364 days a year. This position is within the Collections Management department, responsible for the logistics and documentation of acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, and the physical care and access to object collections.

Requirements

One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IS/GS-07 level, including knowledge of and skill utilizing collections management systems, supporting acquisitions documentation, object handling and storage, supporting collections care activities and inventory, and assisting with loan/exhibition registrar support.
OR Two (2) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or a master’s (or equivalent graduate) degree in a field related to the work (e.g., museum studies, art history, library/information science, fine arts, public history, archives/records management, or a related field).
OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience may be used to meet the qualification requirements for IS-09.
To qualify for IS-11 level, one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IS/GS-09 level, including experience processing acquisitions in a museum setting, strong object handling and storage experience, experience with exhibition installation and deinstallation, ability to work on various projects simultaneously with minimal supervision, knowledge of and skill utilizing collections management systems, experience directing the work of others in a coordinative role, and strong communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

Coordinating the packing and shipping logistics related to proposed acquisition intake and movement
Managing acquisition milestone tracking and documentation; working with donors and collectors to coordinate completion of acquisition paperwork; liaises with the Office of Contracting to complete artwork purchase agreements
Maintaining acquisition files across all object collections, physically and digitally
Creating and maintaining the collection database records in The Museum System
Assisting collections managers in collection care duties including annual cyclical inventory, object numbering and rehousing, and supporting researcher access to collections
Supporting emergency management and incident reporting documentation and training
Supporting deaccession documentation and logistics
As assigned, acting as project registrar for assigned loans and/or exhibitions and supports NMAA loan and exhibition program; supports overall temporary exhibition loan management, including coordinating logistics, insurance, loan agreements, packing and crating, installation, and deinstallation, as well as file management
Supporting researcher object file requests, scanning and redacting files for dissemination
Participating in collections management-related policy and procedure revisions