Museum Curator

Application Deadline: 29 June 2026Department: National Museum of the American LatinoLocation: Washington, DCCompensation: $85,447 - $133,142 / yearOpen Date: May 29, 2026Closing Date: June 29, 2026 (first 500 applications accepted, may close sooner)Position Type: Trust FundAppointment Type: Temporary Trust, NTE 4 yearsSchedule: Full TimeDuty Location: Washington, DCPosition Sensitivity and Risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low RiskOverviewThis position is located organizationally in Content and Interpretation, National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). SI is a diverse museum and research complex dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. NMAL connects with audiences both online and in-person as a national museum dedicated to enriching the appreciation of America's Latino heritage, sharing the experiences and perspectives of Latinos across history and deepening our shared understanding of what it means to be American.Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) seeks an enthusiastic, experienced and innovative museum curator who applies an interdisciplinary lens of history, cultural studies and current U.S. and world societies, to further the collection's holdings and foster its stewardship. The employee will deploy historical and contemporary understanding, subject matter and collections expertise and imaginative commitment to collaboration within and beyond the Museum's walls to creatively engage public audiences and stakeholders bridging the power of the past and our contemporary moment.Advances the Museum's strategic and interpretive plans by pursuing work that supports the Museum's mission, interpretive program and philosophy of community-centered engagement.Studies Latino contributions to U.S. history, culture, and science and demonstrates interdisciplinary and creative approaches to the field.Helps to identify possible acquisitions and researches the same. Develops and carries out gallery exhibitions, online digital exhibitions, books, articles, live public programs, podcasts, blogs etc.Works to extend the ability of the collections to tell inclusive and revealing stories of the past and present; maintain standards of physical care and intellectual control of the collections; extend public access to the wealth of knowledge the collections represent.Uses primary research and scholarship to understand and deploy the Museum's collections. Contributes documentation and historical context essential to collections records and collaborates with collections management staff to help monitor conservation and storage needs and to determine digitization priorities.Contributes generously to advancing the effectiveness of Museum operations.Demonstrates ability and willingness to work collaboratively with all museum departments including curatorial, collections, education, digital, exhibit design teams as well as interns and fellows, colleagues and communities.Additional Position FactorsAbility to communicate in written and spoken English and Spanish is preferred.Travel may be required.Work during the evenings and weekends may be necessary.Requires ability to stand for long periods of time.Requires ability to lift objects up to 50 pounds, unassisted.Requires dexterity to manipulate delicate, intricate equipment and objects.QualificationsBasic Education Requirement:A) Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject‑matter field.B) Combination of education and experience – courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience (described below) or additional education.C) Four years of experience (described below) that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4‑year course of study as shown in A above.Experience:To qualify at the IS‑11 level, applicants must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IS‑9 level in the Federal service or comparable experience outside the Federal government.Scholarly knowledge within the context and historiographies of Latino contributions to U.S. art, history, culture and science, requiring an advanced degree in interdisciplinary studies with multiple areas of subdisciplines such as History, Foodways, Art (Contemporary and Traditional), or Cultural Studies.Knowledge of American Latino history and familiarity with different facets and points of view.Ability to conduct primary and community‑based research.Experience in developing exhibition scripts, supporting elements and public programming projects.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 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.Relocation expenses are not paid.The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact youmansc@si.edu.The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer . To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please visit

Application Deadline: 29 June 2026Department: National Museum of the American LatinoLocation: Washington, DCCompensation: $85,447 - $133,142 / yearOpen Date: May 29, 2026Closing Date: June 29, 2026 (first 500 applications accepted, may close sooner)Position Type: Trust FundAppointment Type: Temporary Trust, NTE 4 yearsSchedule: Full TimeDuty Location: Washington, DCPosition Sensitivity and Risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low RiskOverviewThis position is located organizationally in Content and Interpretation, National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI). SI is a diverse museum and research complex dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge. NMAL connects with audiences both online and in-person as a national museum dedicated to enriching the appreciation of America's Latino heritage, sharing the experiences and perspectives of Latinos across history and deepening our shared understanding of what it means to be American.Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) seeks an enthusiastic, experienced and innovative museum curator who applies an interdisciplinary lens of history, cultural studies and current U.S. and world societies, to further the collection's holdings and foster its stewardship. The employee will deploy historical and contemporary understanding, subject matter and collections expertise and imaginative commitment to collaboration within and beyond the Museum's walls to creatively engage public audiences and stakeholders bridging the power of the past and our contemporary moment.Advances the Museum's strategic and interpretive plans by pursuing work that supports the Museum's mission, interpretive program and philosophy of community-centered engagement.Studies Latino contributions to U.S. history, culture, and science and demonstrates interdisciplinary and creative approaches to the field.Helps to identify possible acquisitions and researches the same. Develops and carries out gallery exhibitions, online digital exhibitions, books, articles, live public programs, podcasts, blogs etc.Works to extend the ability of the collections to tell inclusive and revealing stories of the past and present; maintain standards of physical care and intellectual control of the collections; extend public access to the wealth of knowledge the collections represent.Uses primary research and scholarship to understand and deploy the Museum's collections. Contributes documentation and historical context essential to collections records and collaborates with collections management staff to help monitor conservation and storage needs and to determine digitization priorities.Contributes generously to advancing the effectiveness of Museum operations.Demonstrates ability and willingness to work collaboratively with all museum departments including curatorial, collections, education, digital, exhibit design teams as well as interns and fellows, colleagues and communities.Additional Position FactorsAbility to communicate in written and spoken English and Spanish is preferred.Travel may be required.Work during the evenings and weekends may be necessary.Requires ability to stand for long periods of time.Requires ability to lift objects up to 50 pounds, unassisted.Requires dexterity to manipulate delicate, intricate equipment and objects.QualificationsBasic Education Requirement:A) Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject‑matter field.B) Combination of education and experience – courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience (described below) or additional education.C) Four years of experience (described below) that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4‑year course of study as shown in A above.Experience:To qualify at the IS‑11 level, applicants must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IS‑9 level in the Federal service or comparable experience outside the Federal government.Scholarly knowledge within the context and historiographies of Latino contributions to U.S. art, history, culture and science, requiring an advanced degree in interdisciplinary studies with multiple areas of subdisciplines such as History, Foodways, Art (Contemporary and Traditional), or Cultural Studies.Knowledge of American Latino history and familiarity with different facets and points of view.Ability to conduct primary and community‑based research.Experience in developing exhibition scripts, supporting elements and public programming projects.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 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.Relocation expenses are not paid.The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact youmansc@si.edu.The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer . To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please visit

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