Program Manager

Submitted: 08/01/2024
Submitted By: Sabrina Sholts
Department: Anthropology
Institution: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Job type: Department chair
Apply by: 09/06/2024
Application Email:
Application URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/802606900 (public candidates); https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/802605300 (current/formal federal candidates)

The Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) invites applications for the Manager of the Human Dignity Program (HDP).

The HDP Manager will join a large staff of anthropologists, collections professionals, archivists, and educators in the Department of Anthropology at the NMNH. The HDP Manager will assume a new position at the helm of an important and transformative program at the NMNH, in coordination with the Repatriation Program Office and Ethical Returns and Shared Stewardship program. Since the passage of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Act in 1989, the NMNH has offered the return, or repatriation, of the remains of nearly 7,000 Indigenous people, of which over 4,600 have been repatriated. At the NMNH, these efforts are led by the Repatriation Office, which addresses only Native American individuals and objects. The HDP will address all human remains that are not subject to the NMAI Act, most of which were acquired without consent during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Human Dignity Program Manager has responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the development, operation, and administration of a new program for the return of non-Native American human remains currently held in Smithsonian Institution (SI) collections. The manager supervises Human Dignity Office staff (which may include anthropologists, genealogists, archivists, and provenance researchers), oversees the research and outreach efforts of the HDP, prioritizes and directs the inventory and documentation of human remains under the purview of the HDP, and engages with relatives, descendants, communities, and/or institutions of interest as appropriate to return human remains. The Program Manager also initiates discussions with descendant communities on matters of mutual concern and facilitates dialog between other Department of Anthropology and NMNH/SI staff.

This position will be offered as a permanent Federal position and the position will be filled at the GS-13 or 14 level, which starts at $117,962 per year. U.S. citizenship is required. For complete requirements and application procedures go to https://www.si.edu/ohr/jobs_public or www.usajobs.gov and refer to Announcement:
24R-TK-311288-DEU-NMNH (open to public candidates)
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/802606900; or
24R-TK-311288-MPA-NMNH (open to current/former federal candidates)
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/802605300.

All supporting documentation must be received online by September 6, 2024. Applicants will be notified by email when their applications are received.