Visual Information Specialist (Designer)

Job Description

Description

OPEN DATE: 09-23-25

CLOSING DATE: 10-14-25

POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary, NTE 3 Years

SCHEDULE: Full Time

DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC

Position sensitivity and risk: NON-SENSITIVE/LOW RISK

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

This position is located in the Design Studio, Office of Building Renovation & Exhibition Services

(OBRES), National Museum of American History (NMAH), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture,

Smithsonian Institution (SI).

The purpose of this Visual Information Specialist (Designer) position is to provide in-house design services for exhibitions, programs, public spaces, and graphics.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Work with project teams through the design and fabrication processes by transforming intellectual content into three-dimensional built environments, printed graphics and assets, virtual environments, and multi-media delivery systems within the built environment; assist in conceptualizing, ideating, planning, visualizing, developing, documenting, detailing, and coordinating the design of all aspects of assigned projects, including interpretation of and compliance with criteria, regulations, policies, procedures, standards, and best practices.

Contribute design skills and technical knowledge to conceptualize, communicate, and document designs for museum exhibition or similar projects.

Assist to create assets including phase-end deliverables, detail packages for in-house or contracted exhibit/graphic fabrication, interim design presentations for teams, museum leadership and other stakeholders, as well as renderings, visualizations, or other products for the purposes of fundraising, publicity, and other external communications.

Coordinate communication between project teams and technical experts in exhibition fabrication and maintenance, exhibit lighting, audio/visual technology, media and software development, accessibility, facility maintenance, and operations.

Work with curators, collection managers, conservation specialists, mount makers and other specialists to balance a project’s interpretive and experience goals with artifact conservation, preservation, and security requirements.

Coordinate between Project Directors, curators, exhibit developers, educators, other team members or museum staff contributing to script writing/review, editors, and translators on the creation and implementation of a project’s interpretive strategy and graphics including final typesetting, creation of graphic production files and proof review.

Participate in the collaboration within a creative studio environment and on multiple project teams.

Assist with multiple projects in various phases of design simultaneously.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university in a related field (such as design); two or more years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience required for this position is as follows:

Knowledge in the design and development of museum exhibitions and programming spaces from concept through installation and maintenance sufficient to analyze risk, monitor progress, troubleshoot problems, and craft appropriate solutions to achieve project goals -- including schedule, scope, and budget.

Knowledge of exhibition design concepts, tools, and processes (both two- and three- dimensional drawing) including the use of software such as VectorWorks, Adobe Creative Design Suite, and similar to ideate, visualize, document and detail-built environments and exhibitions as well as environmental and interpretive graphics.

Knowledge of exhibition and graphic fabrication materials and techniques and architectural materials and techniques related to the design and construction of museums, exhibitions, and programming spaces.

Knowledge of graphic design best practices including typography, typesetting, branding and graphic identity creation and management, bilingual graphic design, image manipulation and environmental graphic design.

Knowledge of the use of color and light, exhibit lighting design and the materials and methods used to display/protect museum artifacts.

Experience working with or for contract design firms and reading architectural drawings, shop drawings, and other contracted design deliverables.

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 . 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:

Full-time