Museum Curator

Summary You will serve as Museum Curator for the Western Arctic National Parklands in the Resource Management Division. The position provides a full range of complex curatorial work for four park units (Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve) and is duty-stationed in Anchorage, AK at the Alaska Regional Curatorial Center. Responsibilities As a Museum Curator, you will manage and preserve a diverse collection of cultural and natural resources in support of the National Park Service mission. You will ensure proper documentation, storage, conservation, research, and interpretation of museum objects while supporting exhibits, compliance requirements, and public engagement. This position plays a vital role in protecting museum collections and providing professional guidance to staff, researchers, and partner groups. Day-to-Day Duties: Maintain, catalog, inventory, and document museum objects and archives while ensuring proper preservation, security, and environmental conditions. Monitor and manage collection storage areas, integrated pest management, conservation needs, and object movement. Support exhibit development by researching content, preparing documentation, and reviewing exhibit plans to ensure accuracy and object preservation. Conduct research to identify, authenticate, and document collection items, supporting cataloging, preservation planning, compliance, and exhibit development. Provide curatorial guidance to park staff, researchers, and partner groups, and prepare required plans, reports, and documentation related to museum collections management. Requirements Conditions of Employment Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/22/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Basic Requirements Applicants must meet ONE of the following basic requirements for the Museum Curator, GS-1015-11 position: Degree Requirement: - A bachelor's degree or higher in museum work or in a related field such as art history, history, archeology, or museum studies. Transcripts must be submitted. Combination of Education and Experience - A combination of education and experience that includes coursework equivalent to a major in museum work or a related field, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Transcripts must be submitted. Specialized Experience Equivalent to Education - Four years of experience that provided knowledge equivalent to completing a four-year course of study in museum work or a related field. Resumes must reflect hours worked per week. Applicants who do not meet one of the basic requirements listed above will be found ineligible. Minimum Qualification Requirements In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must meet ONE of the following minimum qualification requirements for the GS-11 grade level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service performing duties in the Museum Collections and Records Management Field. This experience includes but is not limited to a museum or similar collection of valuable objects. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include handling of artifacts and collection management; researching and cataloging museum collections; leading collections-related projects and working collaboratively to accomplish project goals; preparing museum registration documentation related to accessioning and deaccessioning actions; and participation in committees established to review museum acquisitions and deaccessions. Note: You must indicate the number of hours worked per week on your resume. Education: Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D., or possession of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Transcripts must be submitted. A combination of graduate education and specialized experience. Education in excess of 36 semester hours is divided by 18 (or the school's definition of one academic year). Months of full-time experience are divided by 12. The resulting percentages must total 100% or more. Transcripts must be submitted. Volunteer Experience: 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. Education You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: Additional Information Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior. Physical Demands: The work requires mental alertness, better than average manual dexterity, and mobility. Although primarily sedentary, inspections and operations evaluations involve activities demanding a certain amount of exertion such as walking, climbing, crawling, lifting of heavy objects, bending, stooping, and reaching. Working with collections can involve prolonged exposure to hazardous materials and equipment. Working with lighting systems, environmental control systems, and alarm systems can involve exposure to electrical current and the use of power tools with physical hazards. The work entails the ability to concentrate for long periods of time. Work Environment: Most of the work is performed in an office and storage or laboratory facility. Frequent visits are made to the library, visitor center, and other museums in the park. The incumbent makes occasional field trips to the backcountry. Some travel to other facilities and museums, as well as to training and professional meetings is required. The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. In addition to hourly salary, you will receive a 1.49% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), subject to annual review and adjustment. Information on COLA can be found at the following link: Nonforeign Areas