Assistant Director for Communications

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world. The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a national museum for the study and exhibition of African American history and culture. 

Qualifications:

Basic Qualification:  Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

In addition to the basic qualification above:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in public information or public relations in a museum, cultural institution or similar organization; leading, overseeing and/or motivating a team of professionals in public relations, communications, marketing, design, and web and social media; and developing and maintaining long and short term strategic planning. 

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

All applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will receive a final rating within one of three category groups based on one or more stages of evaluation which measure job-related criteria:

Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.

Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.

Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-veterans within each quality category. The Hiring Manager may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no veteran in that category is passed over to select a non-veteran in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Veterans who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Responsibilities:

The Assistant Director for Communications exercises leadership over the National Museum of African American History and Culture's (NMAAHC) communication and marketing strategy, is the principal spokesperson for the NMAAHC and is responsible for the development and management of all aspects of public and media relations activities, including oversight and all media platforms including web and social media and website visibility, advertising and marketing activities.

In this position, you will:

• Lead the effort to establish and maintain a strong and consistent brand identity for the Museum.  Develop and implement strategic communications plans to maximize awareness of the Museum, its achievements and its programs.
• Participate actively in the decision-making process in order to speak authoritatively to the public on all NMAAHC issues.
• Oversee the development and execution of a broad social media strategy, coordinating with stakeholders across the museum to ensure its effectiveness.  Create and execute internal/external communications plans with focus on strong media strategies.
• Craft a public relations program that conveys information on challenging, controversial, and hotly contested issues to diverse audiences.  Apply exceptional representational skills to create meaningful communication interchanges with individuals with antagonistic views and positions.
• Establish and oversee the editorial direction, design, production and distribution of all Museum publications.  Review and approve all press releases, establish guidelines for web communications, and review and approve all media and marketing materials produced and contracted media/marketing concerns.
• Plan and carry out the full range of supervisory and managerial authorities.  Determine goals and objectives for the Office of Communications where emphasis should be placed, and how best to utilize resources including realignments to address shortfalls or to satisfy priority needs.

Salary : $148,484 - $176,300