Other Agencies and Independent Organizations

Supervisory Museum Specialist (Art) (Head of Paper Conservation)

Washington, District of Columbia Full time

Supervisory Museum Specialist (Art) (Head of Paper Conservation)

Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $167603 - $195200 Per Year

Job Summary: The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Nearly four million people come through our doors each year—with millions more online—making us one of the most visited art museums in the world. Our renowned collection includes nearly 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today.

Major Duties:

  • This position reports to Chief of Conservation within the Curatorial and Conservation division. Operates and administers the paper conservation department comprehensively, including all personnel actions, assignment of work, space and budget planning and goal implementation. Create a strategic plan for the paper conservation department and advise on conservation policies, treatments and improvements to laboratory conditions. Supervises staff, contractors, interns and fellows, assigning work based on availability, capability and special qualifications of staff. Leads with empathy and encourages collaboration and creativity. Decides appropriate methods and techniques of treatment to ensure that current treatment procedures are consistent with sound technology and that the National Gallery maintains a leadership role in the field of conservation. Oversees and assigns exhibition and loan tasks related to paper conservation. Conduct research in the developing methods and materials of conservation, as well the history and technology of each object, the incumbent shares findings with colleagues in scholarly meetings and publications and represents the National Gallery in academic and professional matters related to collections and paper conservation issues.

Qualifications: Individual Occupational Requirement Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-5 and above): Experience related to the operation or management of a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include collections management, registration, cataloging, research, preservation, restoration, or conservation of collections of museum material, or other experience related to the position to be filled. Most positions require a particular subject-matter specialization, e.g., aeronautics, anthropology, art, geology, history, natural science, technology, biology, or zoology. Specialized Experience Statement: Candidates must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in responsibility to the federal GS-14 level, managing a paper conservation lab for a museum with a collection of 10,000 or more paper objects, to include responsibility for all of: - Budgeting - Personnel administration - Conservation treatment

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The application process is as follows: Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. You must have a USAJOBS account and be logged in. You must have a completed resume. (You may use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS) You must respond to all applicant assessment questions, carefully following all instructions provided. You will be able to upload additional supporting documentation, which may include, but not limited to transcripts, notification of personnel actions (SF-50), certifications and verification of veterans status (SF-15, DD-214) The complete application package, including any additional supporting documents required for this position is due in the National Gallery of Art Personnel Office on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. NOTE: Applicants who cannot apply on-line must request a hard copy application packet from the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy announcement. Resumes and/or supporting documentation alone will not be considered without the inclusion of a hard copy application packet. The complete package is due no later than 5:30 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement. The National Gallery of Art receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS".

Application Deadline: 2025-12-10