Interdisciplinary Archeologist/Landscape Architect Job in Glen Jean, WV

Vacancy No. NPS-IRA-25-12576876-ST Department National Park Service
Salary $72,553.00 to $94,317.00 Grade 11 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/21/2024 Close Date 11/4/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Glen Jean, WV


Summary

This Interdisciplinary (Archeologist/Landscape Architect) position is located in the Resource Managment Division at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, in Glen Jean, West Viriginia.

Duties

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

  • Works closely with the park's NEPA Planner to coordinate National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 compliance with the NEPA compliance process for three NPS units: New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River.
  • Provides technical assistance, direction, and training to park project managers and other staff on meeting Section 106 requirements for a wide variety of park plans and actions.
  • Develops and maintains working relationships with the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office, tribal governments, and cultural resource professionals in the NPS Northeast Region Office and other associated parks.
  • Takes a leadership role in consulting with affiliated tribes and nations on NPS projects and other undertakings.
  • Inventories, evaluates, and monitors cultural resources for three NPS units. Documents threats to resources and recommends actions to avoid, minimize, and mitigate threats and impacts.

Area Information:
The duty station of this position will be located at the headquarters complex in Glen Jean, West Virginia. Glen Jean is a small rural community located approximately 10 miles north of Beckley, WV. Beckley offers a wide range of educational (K-12 and small colleges) opportunities, medical, dental, hospital, and banking services, entertainment, shopping, and other amenities common in a small city, including passenger air, rail, and bus services. Major medical, shopping, educational, and other services can be found in the Charleston, WV (60 miles north of Beckley). Housing for rent or purchase is readily available in cities and towns surrounding the park with a reasonable 15-to-30-minute commute. Housing rental and purchase prices are considered moderate. There are outstanding recreational opportunities available in the local area including hiking, varied water-based activities, camping, rock climbing, snow skiing, horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, and hunting. In addition to the three National Park Service units, there is easy access to other public lands, including State Parks, Wildlife Management Areas, public lakes, National Forests, and designated wilderness.

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 will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also 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 disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.
  • Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/04/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

This position may be filled in any one of the following professional occupational series: Archeology GS-0193 or Landscape Architecture GS-0807. You must meet the Basic Requirements for each series you wish to be considered for, AND also meet OPM's Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific positions.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Basic Requirements for Archeology GS-0193:
Degree: Must have obtained the education described in A through C in this paragraph:
A) Bachelor or higher degree that includes 3 semester hours each in the following 5 course areas: 1) History of archaeology; 2) Archaeology of a major geographical area such as North America or Africa; 3) Regional archaeology, archaeological 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; 4) Theory and methods of archaeology. Methods include, but are not limited to, typology, classification, sampling, cultural evolution, diffusion, dating and analytical techniques; 5) Archaeological 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.
B) IN ADDITION, must have taken six semester hours of related course work in: geography, geology, or cultural geography; history, historiography, or historical archaeology; environmental studies; scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/or surveying.
C) AND must have completed archaeological field school. Field school must be documented in your transcripts or resume.

-OR-
Related Curriculum: Degree in anthropology (with emphasis on ethnology, physical anthropology, or scientific linguistics), history, American studies, or a related discipline may be accepted as satisfying in full the educational requirements, provided the curriculum supplied academic course work sufficiently similar to the requirements stated in A above, including archaeological field school. Field school must be documented in your transcripts or resume.

-OR-
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination (college-level education or training) that provided knowledge equivalent to that described above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education.

-OR-
Experience: Four years of archaeological work experience that demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional archaeology. The work experience must have included archaeology field experience, which may include that gained in an archaeological field school. Field experience should have included a combination of professional experience in archaeological 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 archaeologist, 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 archaeological project.

Basic Requirements for Landscape Architecture GS-0807:
Degree: A degree in landscape architecture or landscape design.

-OR-
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination with each year short of graduation, the applicant must have had 1 year of experience under professional leadership and guidance of such character and diversity as to be a satisfactory substitute for the required education. This experience must have included original landscape design.

In addition to the basic requirements above, to qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following:
Experience:
At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes: conducting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 compliance reviews in analyzing impacts to cultural resources; developing actions to avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts to cultural resources; using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping and analysis; evaluating sites, landscapes, and/or historic buildings for National Register eligibility; engaging with traditionally associated Native American tribes and nations; conducting or overseeing cultural resources-related research; engaging with partners and other agencies; interdisciplinary teamwork; and writing for professional and public reading.

-OR-
Education: Successfully completed at least three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree in archeology or landscape architecture or other field directly related to this position, which demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position. (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study is considered to be equal to one full year of graduate education.)

-OR-
Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of such education and experience as listed in 3A and 3B above. NOTE: only graduate education beyond the second year is creditable when combining. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described (50% of the experience requirement), and 45 semester hours or 68 quarter hours of directly related graduate level college study as defined above in an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education).

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.

Education

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.

*One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study.

Additional information

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.

Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Some work may require periods of standing, walking, climbing, or driving a motor vehicle in activities such as inspections and visits to various park sites. May carry light items (usually up to 25 pounds) such as books, instruments, and other similar materials. The work does not require any special physical effort. Occasional out of park travel may occur. In-park travel for field work or site visits is infrequent but may involve longer workdays and compressed work schedules to make the most efficient use of time away from the office.

Working Conditions: The work is usually performed in an office setting. The work area may involve occasional exposure to conditions in the field, construction or archeological sites and structures requiring normal safety precautions. Outdoor assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky or uneven terrain, thick vegetation, abandoned mine lands, and within a hot or cold environment depending on the season.

Many sites are only accessible by foot. Travel, when required, is by government or leased commercial vehicles, airplane, and on occasion, in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

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.

Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, you must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals, ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF-50s.

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 who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Information Management
  • Knowledge Management
  • Partnering
  • QTMATE
  • Technical Competence
  • Written Communication


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 additional assessments, including a job-related technical assessment (QTMATE). These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/04/2024.

  1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Your resume must clearly show how long your have held each grade in a federal position.
  2. Complete All Required Assessments.
  3. Merit Promotion Eligibility Documentation such as:
    • Federal employees or former federal employees must submit a copy of their latest or last SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" reflecting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service, shows position title, series, grade and an additional SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held, if not reflected on your latest SF-50. Examples of acceptable SF-50s include: Promotion, Within Rate Increases (WRI/WGI), or Appointment SF-50s. Do not submit an Award SF-50. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s. Your last Federal performance appraisal plan for your last position must reflect a rating of Fully Successful or equivalent. If the SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess the one-year time-in-grade, as required by this announcement. In this instance, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one-year.
    • Veterans Preference Documentation (e.g. DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter as appropriate)
    • Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act eligibility, which includes ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment as well as ALL performance evaluations, for each qualifying period of temporary employment claimed.
    • 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.
      • Performance Appraisals and Awards:
        • All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor. If submitting a performance appraisal not dated within the last 18 months, a statement as to why it is the most recent must be submitted. If no performance appraisal is available, applicants must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
  4. College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
  5. 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 80 on the rating criteria for this position.
  6. Noncompetitive or Special Hiring Authority. Applicants who are eligible to be considered based on a Noncompetitive or Special Hiring Authority (i.e. Schedule A, VRA, Peace Corps, AmeriCorp Vista, former PLC member, certain Military Spouses, 30% or More Disabled Veterans, Pathways Interns who have met the eligibility requirements for noncompetitive conversion, etc.) must submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.
  7. Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

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 11/04/2024. 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.

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.

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

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  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."
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  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.
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  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.
Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Agency contact information

Tiffany Micieli
Address
NPS Inflation Reduction Act
1849 C St. NW
Washington, DC 20240
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.