Digital Content Specialist

Application Deadline: 5 July 2025

Department: National Air and Space Museum

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Supervisory Information Specialist

Compensation: $101,401 - $114,923 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: June 20, 2025                   CLOSING DATE: July 5, 2025               POSITION TYPE: Trust FundAPPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite SCHEDULE: Full Time DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC 

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-Sensitive (NS)/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

The IT Specialist (Digital Product Designer) is responsible for leading the design and production of user-centered digital products for the organization’s websites, digital applications, and associated digital initiatives. The position combines technical and product design and implementation skills, including product management, digital experience design, visual interface design, and interactive application development, with a knowledge of user-experience best practices to create engaging and highly usable digital experiences.  

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Digital Product Design 

• Manages digital product design and development to fulfill a variety of audience engagement strategies and goals, ensuring products perform according to requirements and comply with Smithsonian and industry standards and best practices.  
• Coordinates cross-functional teams working with a variety of stakeholders internal and external to Smithsonian to facilitate the completion of digital products from start to finish.
• Conducts research and discovery, verifying product requirements, coordinating product reviews and iterative enhancements, quality assurance and performance testing, and final preparation and launch of new products.  
• Coordinates digital user experience (UX) research to inform the design and improvement of digital products.
• Applies quantitative and qualitative research techniques and data analysis to gather insights about user needs and preferences around digital products and websites.
• Incorporates an understanding of audience motivation and behaviors into product design through the creation of audience segments, profiles, user journeys, or other techniques. 
• Employs user-centered practices to determine optimum content layout and design for a given digital audience. 
• Develops or collaborates on the development and testing of creative briefs, information architectures, storyboards, wireframes, and prototypes.
• Verifies KPIs and metrics to identify goals that signal enhancements to user satisfaction, ensuring stakeholders have qualitative user data and data-informed recommendations to create digital products that are intuitive, accessible, and user-friendly.

Technical Competence

• Utilizes HTML, CSS, JavaScript, databases, APIs, and related tools and languages to support the production and maintenance of complex, interactiv