What are the responsibilities and job description for the Special Assistant (IS-0301-12) position at Smithsonian Institution?

Job Description

Description

OPEN DATE : January 29, 2025

CLOSING DATE : February 12, 2025

POSITION TYPE : Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE : Indefinite

SCHEDULE : Full Time

DUTY LOCATION : Washington, DC

Position sensitivity and risk : Non-sensitive (NS) / Low Risk

Open to all Qualified Applicants

What are Trust Fund Positions?

Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit / Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).

Conditions of Employment

Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
Complete a Probationary Period.
Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit / Electronic Transfer.
The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

OVERVIEW

This position is located in the Office of the Director, National Museum of American History (NMAH), Smithsonian Institution (SI). NMAH's mission is empowering people to create a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of our past.

The incumbent of this position serves as Special Assistant to the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The purpose of this position is to ensure successful operation of the Director’s Office and that the Director manages and meets all his / her priorities and obligations. The incumbent contributes to the effective and efficient management of NMAH, providing information and program analyses on a variety of issues. This role translates directly into NMAH meeting its priorities and obligations.

This position requires an onsite presence—situational / ad-hoc telework may be considered. This position may also require the incumbent to work nights or weekends for meetings or special events and to travel domestically or internationally.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Serves as the Special Assistant to the Director of the Museum ensuring smooth operations in the front office by using organizational skills and exercising considerable diplomacy and tact.

Serves as the primary point of contact for staff and other visitors to the Director's Office.

Manages Director's calendar, accepting, declining, rescheduling, or arranging alternate representation for meetings, speaking engagements, ceremonies, travel, and other obligations.

Maintains an awareness of all activities important to the Director, and anticipates all materials needed by the Director for various meetings, reports, and a wide range of museum functions.

Manages the office; establishes and maintains the Director's files, obtaining materials from other sources as necessary.

Prepares, processes, tracks, and creates and submits vouchers for the Director's travel, as well as travel for occasional special guests and visitors.

Provides advice and recommendation on matters relative to the coordination, integration, and synchronization of events and activities personally affecting and involving the Director.

Contributes to the development, coordination, drafting and implementation of the museum-wide policy and guidance pertaining to office administrative procedures and directives.

Monitors and facilitates all communications, including regular and electronic mail, and telephone calls, and receives in person visitors to the Director’s Office.

Reviews proposals, inquiries, recommendations, and other communications; gathers, prepares, and analyzes for relevance and / or assures that background information is provided.

Arranges and prepares agendas for a variety of meetings, including the regular staff meetings, Senior Leadership Team meetings, and those associated with the site selection and other early phases of museum development, and assists in organizing NMAH Advisory Board meetings in collaboration with NMAH Advancement staff.

Coordinates briefings, conferences and other meetings involving the Director; anticipates and gathers or develops necessary data and information in advance.

Develops plans of action which can be implemented in a timely manner as well as providing sound, mature advice and recommendations concerning various proposed or anticipated events and activities.

Assembles background material; attends meetings, taking notes of requirements, commitments, and decisions made; and prepares and distributes minutes or summaries.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Experience : To qualify for this position, applicants must possess 3-5 years of related experience (described below).

Experience required for this position is as follows :

Ability to plan and coordinate a wide variety of activities relating to the programs of the Museum, to include coordinating and tracking the flow of incoming and outgoing correspondence; planning and scheduling meetings, conferences and travel; designing and organizing filing systems; locating and assembling information; following up with management and staff for assignments and commitments; organizing, coordinating and prioritizing a large amount of paperwork and electronic documents; and managing day-to-day activities.

Skill in developing procedures and other guidance for administering program services, and in recommending work processes sufficient to conduct administrative support functions or program operations support.

Knowledge and understanding of management principles, practices, methods, and techniques as well as skill in integrating administrative services with the general management of an organization in order to plan and coordinate functions of the office.

Skill in customer service to respond to inquiries and assignments from multiple sources; to anticipate and respond to needs of the Director; to support the collaborations between the Director and senior staff, senior SI management and Senior Leadership Team; and to respond to staff and others' visits, phone calls and emails.

Skill in written communication to prepare, review and edit correspondence, email, and reports for Director.

Skill in oral communication to delegate on behalf of the Director, receive phone calls and guests, arrange meetings, prepare, and review correspondence, brief executives, and staff on issues of interest to the Director and make arrangements for meetings.

Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.

Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.

What To Expect Next : Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.

Relocation expenses are not paid.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact NMAHApplications@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer . We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information : https : / / www.si.edu / oeesd.

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