Archeologist Job

Vacancy No. PW-1549-CMBO-24-12435840-DE Department National Park Service
Salary $23.49 to $45.32 Grade 7 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/10/2024 Close Date 6/24/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
El Portal, CASequoia National Park, CASpalding, IDWisdom, MT


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

These positions are located in the Pacific West Regional Office, Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12 at multiple park units.

Open to the first 125 applicants or until 06/17/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Under this announcement, we are accepting applications from: 1. All United States Citizens (U.S. Citizens) 2. CTAP/ICTAP Eligibles.

Duties

Multiple positions in multiple duty locations will be filled through this announcement. Rate of pay will vary depending on duty location.

  • Great Basin National Park, Baker, NV - GS-07/09/11, Uniform and Driver's License Required, Telework Eligible, Government Housing May Be Available, Career Seasonal - Non-Pay for 2 weeks from Late Dec to Early January, PCS Not Offered.
  • Nez Perce National Historical Park, Walla Walla, WA; Wisdom, MT; Spaulding, ID - GS-07/09/11, Driver's License Required, Telework Eligible, No Government Housing, Permanent Full-Time, PCS Offered. Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment may be required.
  • Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Boulder City, NV - GS-09/11, Uniform and Driver's License Required, Telework Eligible, No Government Housing, Permanent Full-Time, PCS Offered.
  • Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, CA - GS-11, Uniform and Driver's License Required, Telework Eligible, Government Housing May Be Available, Career Seasonal - Non-Pay for 2 weeks in Late Dec to Early January, PCS Offered.
  • Yosemite National Park, El Portal, CA - GS-11, 2 Positions, Telework Eligible, No Government Housing, Career Seasonal - Non-Pay for 2 weeks from Late Dec to Early January, PCS Offered.
Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Some of the duties you will perform will include, but not limited to:

  • Participate in, and conduct independently, a variety of archeological and cultural resource tasks including pre-fieldwork research, consultation, survey, reconnaissance, monitoring, test excavation, data recovery excavation, analysis and reporting.
  • Provide professional and technical assistance in a variety of areas related to or impacted by the archeology function, including National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106 compliance, clearance and planning, archeological assessments, evaluations, and field inspections.
  • Maintain detailed records and prepare survey records (e.g., site maps, GPS, photographs, artifact analysis forms, field notes).
  • Assist with preparation of correspondence and documentation for compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act and tribal consultation. Communicate with, and assist project leads to support compliance, monitoring and consultation requirements.
  • Maintain and enter archeological and cultural resource information into various databases, forms, and integrate a variety of software applications in resource documentation.
  • Create detailed maps of cultural resources and other features using ArcGIS software and perform geospatial analyses.
  • Perform archeological field work necessary to assess potential impacts to cultural resources resulting from proposed undertakings. Conduct excavation and testing of archeological sites, including the careful recovery of sample materials.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by 11:59 EST when the applicant cut-off is reached (which may be sooner than 06/17/2024).

To qualify for these Archeologist positions, you MUST meet the specialized experience, basic education requirement AND at the GS-11, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archeology.

You must possess at least one of the following Basic Education requirements for the 0193 Archeology series by close of the announcement. You must include all transcripts at the time of application.

EDUCATION: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included 3 semester hours each in the following course areas: History of archeology; Archeology of a major geographical area such as North America or Africa; Regional archeology, archeological cultures, or sites in a specific part or portion of a major geographical area to acquire or develop a foundation for regional specialization for professional development; Theory and methods of archeology. Methods include, but are not limited to, typology, classification, sampling, cultural evolution, diffusion, dating, and analytical techniques; Archeological field school, to provide a basic understanding of theoretical and practical approaches to research design implementation, field preservation techniques, and report preparation by participation in actual field work; AND,Six semester hours of related course work in:geography, geology, or cultural geography;history, historiography, or historical archeology;environmental studies;scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/orsurveying;ANDArcheological field school.
-OR-
Bachelor's or higher degree in anthropology (with emphasis on ethnology, physical anthropology, or scientific linguistics), history, American studies, or a related discipline, provided the curriculum supplied academic course work sufficiently similar to the requirements above (must include archeological field school).
-OR-
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
Possess a combination of college-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education.
-OR-
EXPERIENCE:
Possess four years of archeological work experience that demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional archeology. The work experience must have included archeology field experience, which may include that gained in an archeological field school. Field experience should have included a combination of professional experience in archeological survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials. Applicants with such field experience should, after additional experience under the direction of a higher-grade archeologist, be able to demonstrate the ability to be a crew chief, directing the work of others at a single location as a part of a larger archeological project.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level:
EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). (One grade interval work such as technician or assistant work in a single grade occupational series at the GS-05 level does NOT qualify for this position, however GS-06 level may). Examples of specialized experience include the following: conducted archeological investigations as an experienced crew member; prepared reports on archeological site investigations; conducted surveys using Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping techniques and preparing GIS maps and overlays; and conducted historical archeological field investigations and report preparation.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year (18 semester hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education. To be qualifying, graduate study must have been in archeology, anthropology, or other closely related field.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above.
-OR-
Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). I have successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the duties of this position AND meet one of the following SAA provisions: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision , such as College of Liberal Arts or School of Business Administration, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grad-Point Average: earn a grade-point average of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum. Note: grade-point averages will be rounded to the one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9, and 3.45 = 3.5; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society: elected membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Freshman scholastic honor societies cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level:
EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). (One grade interval work such as technician or assistant work in a single grade occupational series at the GS-07 level does NOT qualify for this position, however GS-08 level may). Specialized experience includes the following: applying the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of archeology to conduct prehistoric and historic archeological field investigations and cultural resource projects which included the preparation of survey reports, site recording forms, site maps, overlays, field notes, and using Global Positioning System (GPS); assisting with Tribal consultation; and assisting with determinations of eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Master's or equivalent graduate degree in archeology, anthropology, or other closely related field.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Only graduate education beyond the first year is creditable when combining.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of professional experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Professional experience includes but is not limited to the following: develop and complete archeological research, including problem definition and work planning, implementation of data collection, written summary of methods and results, and final publication of work; Contribution to interdisciplinary environmental planning and resources management teams, providing information on archeological resources and contributing to, or reviewing, planning, inventory, assessment, and compliance documents; Design, implement, and supervise archeological projects involving documentary, archival, and collections research; field investigations (both survey and excavation); laboratory analysis of recovered data; and professional report writing.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D., or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in archeology, anthropology or similar coursework from an accredited college or university.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Only graduate education beyond the second year (36 semester hours) is creditable.

Education

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (GS-11 Only) - Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology, 0193 Series: The minimum professional qualifications in archeology are a professional graduate degree in archeology, anthropology or a closely related field PLUS at least one year of full-time professional experience or equivalent specialized training in archeological research, administration or management; AND at least four months of supervised field and analytic experience in general North American archeology; AND demonstrated ability to carry research to completion. You must include all transcripts at the time of application.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

CTAP/ICTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

Additional information

For more information about these positions, please contact:
Great Basin NP: Bryan Hamilton, bryan_hamilton@nps.gov
Lake Mead NRA: Chris Nycz, chris_nycz@nps.gov
Nez Perce NHP: Russ Cash, russ_cash@nps.gov
Sequoia NP: Juanita Bonnifield, juanita_bonnifield@nps.gov
Yosemite NP: Dawn Bringelson, dawn_bringelson@nps.gov

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Promotion Potential: Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work are sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, firelines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-winged aircraft and helicopters is possible.

Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Applies Technology to Tasks
  • History and Archaeology
  • Research
  • Technical Competence (GS-09/11 Only)
  • Leadership (GS-11 Only)
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of an additional assessment, which will be panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/17/2024:

  1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
  2. Complete All Required Assessments.
  3. ALL College transcripts, if qualifying based on education - undergraduate and graduate
  4. Documentation that you meet Selective Factors - Secretary's Standards (GS-11 Only)
  5. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
    • Veterans Preference Documentation:
      • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
      • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active-duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
      • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
  6. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/17/2024. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.

  1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
  2. Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
  3. Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
  4. Select documents you want included in this application.
  5. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
  6. Select if you want to include your demographic information.
  7. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
  8. Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
  9. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
    • Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
  10. Review and Submit Application.
  11. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
  12. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
    • To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
    • Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.

Agency contact information

Alexis Brooks
Address
Pacific West Regional Office, Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12
Interim Office 909 First Avenue, Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98104
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.