Description
OPEN DATE: September 21, 2026
CLOSING DATE: October 9, 2026
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: IS-09
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC
Position sensitivity and risk:
Low Risk Non-Sensitive
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
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art opened in 1923 as America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. It now stewards on of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present. The museum also hosts an unparalleled collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American art.
Through an ambitious program of collecting, conservation, exhibitions, programming and research, both onsite and online, the museum serves as a global and national resource for understanding the arts and cultures of Asia and their interaction with America, past and present. By presenting the arts and cultures of Asia in their extraordinary richness, the museum furthers cross-cultural understanding and aims to exemplify foundational ideals of curiosity, creativity and respect.
Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum is free and open 364 days a year (closed Dec. 25). The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex and welcomes millions of visitors yearly. For more information about the National Museum of Asian Art, visit asia.si.edu
The Opportunity
The National Museum of Asian Art seeks an Administrative Assistant to provide administrative and operational support to the museum, with a strong focus on human resources-related processes. This position supports the day-to-day administrative needs of the office by assisting with personnel action tracking, personnel files, time and attendance, recruitment and onboarding logistics, correspondence, scheduling, records management, procurement support, travel coordination, funds tracking, and other administrative processes.
The incumbent works closely with supervisors, managers, employees, and Smithsonian administrative and human resources offices to help ensure that actions are accurate, timely, well documented, and handled with appropriate discretion. The position requires excellent attention to detail, sound judgment, strong organizational skills, customer service, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while supporting confidential and time-sensitive administrative work.
This is a career ladder opportunity with promotion potential to grade 9. Promotion to the next higher grade, up to IS-9, may occur at management’s discretion upon the supervisor’s recommendation, subject to the availability of funds, classification requirements, satisfactory performance, and the employee's qualifications.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The incumbent will:
- Assist with maintaining personnel files, entering personnel action requests, and tracking and monitoring actions in the Human Resources Management System.
- Assist with recruitment, onboarding, interview scheduling, candidate communications, new employee meeting logistics, and preparation of related materials and records.
- Support Human Capital priorities by helping track workforce actions, staffing processes, onboarding steps, training requirements, manager follow-ups, and other employee lifecycle activities.
- Support time and attendance processes for assigned staff, reviewing documentation, and helping ensure that timesheets are accurate and consistent with employee tours of duty, leave categories, and established procedures.
- Provide administrative support to supervisors and managers by gathering information, tracking deadlines, preparing materials, and assisting with established HR and administrative procedures.
- Maintain administrative, functional, and HR-related files in hard copy and automated systems, ensuring that records are complete, organized, accurate, and handled with appropriate confidentiality.
- Maintain calendar appointments, schedule meetings and meeting rooms, coordinate Outlook invitations, and support meeting preparation and follow-up.
- Assist with procurement-related administrative support, including preparing purchase requests, tracking approvals, coordinating with vendors or contractors, maintaining documentation, and supporting purchase card or invoice reconciliation as assigned.
- Assist with funds management and budget tracking by entering or verifying information in tracking systems, maintaining records, monitoring expenditures and reconciling spending.
- Assist with travel arrangements and travel documentation, including preparing or reviewing travel authorizations and vouchers, and supporting timely completion of travel-related actions.
- Exercise tact, diplomacy, and discretion when handling confidential employee, candidate, PII, procurement, travel, and organizational information.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
To qualify for the IS-07 level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IS/GS-05 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system. Specialized experience is defined as experience providing administrative support for an office or program, including maintaining records or files; preparing or reviewing correspondence, reports, spreadsheets, or other documents; tracking deadlines, actions, or approvals; assisting with timekeeping, personnel, recruitment, onboarding, procurement, travel, or budget-related processes.
Applicants may also qualify for the IS-07 level based on one full year of graduate-level education, superior academic achievement, or a qualifying combination of education and experience, consistent with the applicable qualification standard.
To qualify for the IS-09 level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the IS/GS-07 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system. Specialized experience is defined as experience providing administrative support for multiple office or program functions, including tracking and monitoring personnel actions or HR-related transactions; maintaining confidential records or files; preparing and reviewing correspondence, reports, spreadsheets, or briefing materials; supporting time and attendance, recruitment, onboarding, procurement, travel, or budget processes; identifying and resolving discrepancies in records or transactions; and applying established procedures to respond to staff, supervisor, manager, applicant, or customer inquiries.
Applicants may also qualify for the IS-09 level based on a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a qualifying combination of education and experience, consistent with the applicable qualification standard.
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.
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 nmaa-hr@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. To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please click the following: https://www.si.edu/oeo
About National Museum of Asian Art
Established a century ago, the National Museum of Asian Art was the Smithsonian’s first art museum. Committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen our collective understanding of Asia and the world, the museum stewards one of North America’s largest and most comprehensive collections of Asian art.
Its rich holdings bring the arts of Asia into direct dialogue with an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American works, providing an essential platform for creative collaboration and cultural exchange between the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.
Beginning with a 1906 gift that paved the way for the museum’s opening in 1923, the National Museum of Asian Art is a leading resource for visitors, students, and scholars in the United States and internationally. Its galleries, laboratories, archives, and library are located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and are part of the world’s largest museum complex, which typically reports more than 27 million visits each year. The museum is free and open to the public 364 days a year, making its exhibitions, programs, learning opportunities, and digital initiatives accessible to global audiences.
When you visit our galleries or delve into the stories of our collections online, we hope you find a portal to different ways of interpreting our world. We invite you to learn and explore in your own way—to look deeply into the past to better understand the present and to break through the artificial barriers that can separate us.
