Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS A degree in museum work or in an applicable subject-matter field; or a combination of education and experience — courses equivalent to a major in museum work, or in a subject-matter field appropriate to the position, plus appropriate experience or additional education; or four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as described above. Ph.D. in American Studies, History, Public Humanities, or Science and Technology Studies is strongly preferred. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE In addition, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-15 level. This experience includes management level responsibility for the curatorial functions of a large museum or cultural organization with an emphasis on American History. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria: 1. Extensive knowledge of American History, material culture, and experience developing strategies for public engagement with this content in museum contexts. Experience in curatorial and scholarly leadership including managing institutional programs in exhibitions development, research, collections development and care, publications and programming. 2. Leadership experience at the managerial level that includes goal setting, long-term planning, implementation, and establishing metrics and reporting protocols. 3. Skill in executive level budgeting and resource management. 4. Skill in leading, supervising and managing a multi-disciplined and culturally diverse workforce. This should include attracting, retaining and motivating employees and implementing EEO/Affirmative Action programs.
The position serves as Associate Director, Office of Curatorial Affairs (OCA), National Museum of American History (NMAH). The OCA is a central-implementing office of the museum’s mission; it develops, preserves, documents, interprets, and makes accessible the NMAH scholarship and collections through research, exhibitions, and professional and public outreach.