Address
Form of workJob Description
Description
OVERVIEW
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
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.
OPEN DATE: January 5, 2024
CLOSING DATE: January 25, 2024
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Trust Temporary Not to Exceed June 30, 2026
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Anchorage, AK
Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Open to all qualified applicants
What are Trust Fund Positions?
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 and 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 as low risk.
- 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.
OVERVIEW
Come join a mission driven institution and be a central contributor to a new and exciting initiative at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)! The NMAI seeks a Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist to be a part of the museum’s new Outreach & Engagement Planning Office. The incumbent will be located in an office at the Anchorage Museum in Anchorage, Alaska. The Outreach & Engagement Planning Office is dedicated to advancing NMAI’s mission through developing and supporting collaborations and partnerships with Native and Indigenous communities and allied organizations.
This position is part of a long term, ongoing collaboration between the NMAI, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Anchorage Museum. The Anchorage Museum hosts an exhibition titled Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska that includes Alaska Native cultural belongings from Smithsonian collections. The partnership provides opportunities for Smithsonian staff to organize and host community engagement with items in the exhibition, arts and professional development workshops, collaborative research and educational projects, and collections consultations with Alaska Native community members. The incumbent will continue to strengthen this collaboration working closely with Anchorage Museum staff and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center to facilitate closer ties between institutions as well as the communities they serve.
The incumbent is responsible for maintaining and building new relationships with Alaska Native communities, as well as facilitating access for Alaska Native communities to the NMAI’s loan and other collections at the Anchorage Museum. The incumbent will also work closely with the head of the Outreach & Engagement Planning Office to propose, develop, implement, and evaluate Community Outreach and Engagement projects and initiatives.
This position is part of a long term, ongoing collaboration between the NMAI, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Anchorage Museum. The Anchorage Museum hosts an exhibition titled Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska that includes Alaska Native cultural belongings from Smithsonian collections. The partnership provides opportunities for Smithsonian staff to organize and host community engagement with items in the exhibition, arts and professional development workshops, collaborative research and educational projects, and collections consultations with Alaska Native community members. The incumbent will continue to strengthen this collaboration working closely with Anchorage Museum staff and the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center to facilitate closer ties between institutions as well as the communities they serve.
The incumbent is responsible for maintaining and building new relationships with Alaska Native communities, as well as facilitating access for Alaska Native communities to the NMAI’s loan and other collections at the Anchorage Museum. The incumbent will also work closely with the head of the Outreach & Engagement Planning Office to propose, develop, implement, and evaluate Community Outreach and Engagement projects and initiatives.
Please note, this is a trust position and applications are not through USA Jobs; all that is required is an uploaded CV or resume to the online job application and a cover letter. Please highlight how your resume and experience connect to the requirements of the position in your cover letter. A resume can be more than two pages given that it 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.
This position is located at the Anchorage Museum in Anchorage, Alaska. Occasional travel to the NMAI and other institutions and Native communities will be required. The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain ongoing communication with Alaska Native communities, individuals, and organizations.
- Assist the manager of NMAI’s Outreach & Engagement Planning Office with developing strategic plans for Community Outreach and collections engagements.
- Conduct outreach to Alaska Native communities, individuals, and organizations to determine appropriate methods, activities, and initiatives for collaborative projects, professional development workshops, and collections access.
- Facilitate Alaska Native communities’ access to NMAI’s loan and other collections at the Anchorage Museum.
- Conceptualize, propose, implement, document, and evaluate Outreach and Engagement projects and programs and takes on projects as assigned by the supervisor of the Office.
- Serve as project manager for assignments and projects that are often long-term and complex which may include writing summary reports after community engagements.
- Ensure that programs, projects, and activities are brought to completion within scope, schedule, and budget, with a keen focus on effective and consistent communication internally and with community partners.
- Assist in collection review preparations and activities with Alaska Native communities at the Anchorage Museum and participate in other Community Outreach and Engagement activities on and off site as determined by supervisor.
- Advise NMAI staff concerning Community Outreach and Engagement in Alaska.
- Represent the Museum at local, regional and/or statewide community events, meetings, and online forums serving Alaska Native communities, museums, cultural centers, colleges, and organizations in order to propose initiatives and opportunities to the supervisor and to facilitate and sustain essential collaboration and partnerships within SI, NMAI and outside organizations.
- Identify or provide training opportunities for staff at Alaska Native museums and cultural centers.
- Recommend budgets for community engagements and ensure provision of logistics in support of the program.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Lived or learned experience working directly with Alaska Native communities.
- Experience in museum collections access practices including handling and care of cultural belongings and advising others in these areas.
- Knowledge of Outreach and Engagement strategies, programs, and projects.
- Knowledge of Native perspectives on museums and the collections in their care.
- Ability to plan, coordinate, and prioritize multiple projects independently and with a high degree of efficiency and accuracy.
- Excellent organizational and long-range planning skills.
- The ability to work independently and in a team.
- Knowledge of budget and fiscal management principles to recommend project budgets.
- Excellent communication skills to write statements of work, letters, memoranda, reports, etc., and to present lectures, seminars, and symposia to live audience.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and creatively on internal and external teams in a collegial and respectful manner.
- Ability to manage conflicts and participate in problem solving with tact and empathy.
Preferred Qualifications and Experience
- 5-8 years of experience in community engagement or PhD in community-based research, Native American studies, cultural anthropology, American studies, applied anthropology, ethnic studies, history, sociology, or other related discipline.
- Experience in collections information systems and/or customer relationship management software; the incumbent may provide collections reports for Native community members as needed.
- Experience applying qualitative and quantitative evaluative methods to analyze and evaluate Community Outreach and Engagement program activities.
- Proficiency in the functions of Microsoft Office software, including include Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and virtual meeting platforms with the ability to learn new automated systems.
- Working proficiency in collections management information systems.
Working proficiency in Indigenous language.
Applicants, who wish to qualify based on education completed outside the United States, must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins.
The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. 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.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact Cruz-CarterK@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.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact Cruz-CarterK@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: www.si.edu/oeema.
