I spoke with the employee who would be the supervisor over the phone. She was pleasant, excited about her job, and showed a genuine interest in my resume and skills. When I followed up, we scheduled an interview about two weeks later. I met with her at the DC office, and she was extremely thorough in explaining the job function, showing me the software I would use, and making sure I understood the background of the project.
Several weeks later, I had an interview with the HR department. The interviewer was pleasant, but I couldn't shake the feeling that she was purposely trying to intimidate me. She did, however, do a great job of explaining the company's mission, goals, and policies, and said for me to feel free to contact her with any questions or concerns. I did, and never heard back from her. That being said, it was just before the holiday, but I would have expected to hear at least something back from her at all.
All in all, from the first time I spoke with anyone from National Geographic to when I heard back about the job, it took about six or seven weeks. Ended up losing out to someone with a more applicable degree, but overall the process was a positive experience.