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The Director of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is responsible for promoting, sustaining and further developing a more informed understanding of Native peoples using a “One NMAI” approach linking all three facilities and following the guiding philosophy of being a place where the voices of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas are primary in the interpretation of Native histories and cultures.
Learn more about this agency06/01/2021 to 06/29/2021
$300,000 - $350,000 per year
SY 00
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
No
Permanent - Trust Appointment. This is not a Federal position.
Full-time
Competitive
00
Yes
No
EX-21-10
603249100
This position is open to all applicants with the right to work in the United States.
The Director of the National Museum of the American Indian is responsible for promoting, sustaining and further developing a more informed understanding of Native peoples using a “One NMAI” approach linking all three facilities and following the guiding philosophy of being a place where the voices of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas are primary in the interpretation of Native histories and cultures. The Director must understand and promote the Museum’s role, through exhibits, education, scholarship, publications, convenings and online platforms, in affirming the centrality of Indigenous Peoples and cultures in shaping our past, present and future.
The Director of the National Museum of the American Indian will lead and inspire the Museum’s dedicated staff, steward and improve the museum’s financial health, oversee day‐to‐day management, maintain the museum’s relationships with the Tribal Nations, provide strategic direction for the organization, and be a leading voice on Native American cultural affairs. The Director will supervise and manage a senior leadership team of Associate Directors responsible for the detailed management of the museum’s Assets and Operations, Scholarship and Research, Learning and Programs, Advancement and Administration. The Director will also be supported be an experienced and dedicated Deputy Director. The Director will play a crucial role in fundraising, and work in close collaboration with the museum’s Board of Trustees and committed donor community. The Director represents the NMAI in Smithsonian leadership forums and engages with the leaders of other Smithsonian museums and research units and administrative offices on matters of common concern.
DESIRED OUTCOMES:
- Successfully maintaining the values and focus of NMAI while supporting audience growth and enhanced philanthropy
- Addressing the evolving needs of the complex, nuanced set of communities making up the Indigenous peoples of the Americas so that the museum remains relevant and audience-focused
- Continued significant growth in impact, including a focus on the educational reach of the museum
- Continued significant growth in access to, and engagement with, the collections of the museum by communities, including object loans and consultations
- Ensuring the museum plays a prominent role in pan‐Smithsonian priority setting, initiatives, and programs, including participation in Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past, American Women’s History Initiative and Open Access, among others
- Building on NMAI’s role as a leading voice of Native peoples in national conversations on major issues such as biodiversity, race, identity, access to health care, environmental quality, education, governance, etc.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE:
Subject Matter Expertise
With a national reputation for thought leadership, the Director must also possess deep, textured knowledge of Native Peoples’ histories and cultures, combined with the ability to frame those histories and experiences as a broader story that impacts America and the world in profound ways. Demonstrated ability to manage and cultivate national and international community relationships with finesse and strategic thinking will be key to successful institutional leadership.
Relevant Leadership Experience
The Director must have relevant experience and the capacity to lead and manage a purpose‐driven and complex organization. Experience in a museum, a cultural organization or higher education is helpful, but not required. Recommended skills include the ability to demonstrate responsiveness to evaluation and audience engagement as well as digital comprehension and ability to plan for evaluation and digital needs.
Profile and Fundraising Record
The Director serves as the lead fundraiser for the museum and must have presence in working with volunteer leadership and funders (individual and institutional). A track record of success in raising philanthropic dollars, ideally from both public and private sources, is essential.
Communications Expertise
The Director will have strong interpersonal, media and presentation skills, and will be able to inspire and elicit support from a wide spectrum of people from different social and cultural backgrounds.
Candidates must possess the following critical leadership capabilities:
Vision and Strategy
The Director will articulate a vision and direction for NMAI that engages and energizes current and potential audiences, supporters, and partners. The Director will develop and implement a strategy that embraces its role in education and its potential to partner with and support museums around the world in framing the stories and narratives of Indigenous peoples and their impact on and importance in global history and culture. An updated Strategic Plan for the organization will be ready to assist with grounding vision in the goals of the organization.
Collaborating and Influencing
Strategic partnerships expand the museum’s influence and enhance the quality of its products. The Director must be a strong collaborator and relationship builder who welcomes partnership with stakeholders across the Smithsonian and with other cultural and educational institutions across the country, including schools and universities. The Director must possess strong negotiation skills, demonstrating a genuine give‐and‐take approach; invest the time to identify and understand all stakeholders in order to develop a collective consensus; and proactively seek opportunities to build relationships.
Management and Leadership
By embodying a leadership style that promotes a collaborative culture across three unique locations, values teamwork, and facilitates open communication, the Director will partner with a dedicated leadership team to successfully bring a “One NMAI” approach to meeting all the museum’s goals. The Director will identify necessary changes in staffing structure and policies, define explicitly what must change and why, and effectively communicate changes to different audiences so that changes are understood and accepted.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must clearly demonstrate the necessary level of managerial and leadership skills and competence to perform successfully in this position. This includes a degree in museum work or an applicable subject-matter field, or a combination of education and appropriate experience that provides knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a four-year course of study in an applicable subject-matter field.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
In addition, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-15 level. Specialized experience is defined as the demonstrated knowledge and leadership skills as it relates to managing programs and initiatives of a large museum, cultural or educational institution, or a similar organization with an emphasis on Native Peoples’ histories and cultures.
The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:
1. Experience and demonstrated results in presenting Native Peoples’ histories, cultures, contributions, themes and issues through scholarly research, public programming, exhibitions and/or publications.
2. Demonstrated track record of raising funds from individuals, foundations, corporations and governmental organizations through gifts, grants and partnerships.
3. Demonstrated interpersonal and communications skills to build relationships and lead collaborative initiatives with both internal and external stakeholders. This includes ability to effectively persuade and influence stakeholders, build trust and credibility, and to form successful partnerships with a wide variety of constituencies (i.e., senior leadership, boards, donors, and staff) across an organization.
4. Demonstrated skills for leading and managing a multi-disciplined and culturally diverse workforce, including fostering teamwork and high morale, attracting, retaining, and mentoring staff, fellows, interns and volunteers, and implementing EEO/Affirmative Action policies and programs.
SUPERVISORY CONTROLS
The position reports to the Under Secretary for Museums and Culture. Working in concert with the Under Secretary and within broad policy guidelines and established objectives, the Director manages all aspects of the NMAI. The Director exercises a high degree of judgment in the management of the NMAI, working independently to carry out program goals and objectives. The incumbent keeps the Under Secretary informed on the progress of major programs and projects through written and oral communication. Work performance is appraised in terms of overall effectiveness in the attainment of program goals and objectives.
SECURITY LEVEL
This position has been reviewed to determine the level of POSITION SENSITIVITY. Based on the nature of the work, the position has been determined to be Public Trust/HIGH RISK. This designation will require (1) a pre-employment Security Agency Check (SAC) for the prospective incumbent; and (2) a subsequent comprehensive background investigation and favorable adjudication in order to continue in the position.
EEO
The Smithsonian Institution does not discriminate against any employee or any applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization or other non-merit factors.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
The Smithsonian provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need an accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the contact person listed in this announcement. The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
RELOCATION
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The qualifications listed in this document will be used along with your resume and your responses to the questions posed in the electronic application process to determine the candidates who will move forward in the evaluation process. When crafting your responses to the questions, please provide concise, detailed information on your background and experience.
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 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 the major duties and qualifications criteria listed for this position.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid work on the same basis as for paid experience. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. To receive credit for such experience you must indicate clearly the nature of the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the average number of hours per week spent in such employment.
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Your Resume
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
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After you apply and the position has closed, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We usually have a large response to senior level positions and it may take some time to effectively review application packages. We will contact you by email as decisions are made.
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This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/603249100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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