Seasonal Archeologist

Summary These positions are temporary seasonals not to exceed 1560 hours work in a service year. Duties Acting as Crew Chief and overseeing fieldwork and data collection activities. Inventorying and monitoring the condition of cultural resources and compliance projects in areas impacted by construction and visitor activities. In coordination with appropriate staff, researchers, and partners, designs, implements, and documents cultural resource inventory and monitoring activities in accordance with Director's Order 28, Cultural Resource Management Guidelines. Incorporates appropriate GIS and database technology into job to facilitate compliance documentation and professional management of cultural resource data and records Applies communication skills to coordinate and collaborate with park staff, researchers, and others to ensure mutual understanding of project objectives, methods, and compliance requirements Prepares reports and other forms of written materials to document and communicate plans, methods, results, and management implications of cultural resource inventory and monitoring activities. Anticipated season beginning and ending dates: April/May through October/November. Additional location-specific information: Brooks Camp: Please apply under Lake and Peninsula County for opportunities at Katmai National Park and Preserve's Brooks Camp. Bartlett Cove King Salmon Kotzebue Copper Center Fairbanks Denali National Park & Preserve Government housing may be available at Bartlett Cove and Copper Center. Government housing is available at Denali Park, Brooks Camp (Lake Peninsula and Peninsula County), King Salmon, and Kotzebue. Government Housing in NOT available at Fairbanks. Hourly Rate Pay Range by Grade: GS-09 steps 1 to 10: $33.44 to $43.47 per hour + COLA GS-11 steps 1 to 10: $40.46 to $52.60 per hour + COLA An additional cost of living allowance (COLA) will be added to the pay for these duty stations: 1.49% COLA for Anchorage and Fairbanks and 3% COLA for all other locations. Pay is subject to review and adjustment. Selectees may be moved between duty stations within park boundaries. 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. Work Environment: 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, fire lines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-winged aircraft and helicopters is possible. 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. For positions located in Denali Park, Brooks Camp (Lake & Peninsula County), King Salmon, Kotzebue, and Fairbanks: You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. For positions located in Denali Park, Brooks Camp (Lake & Peninsula County), King Salmon, Kotzebue, and Fairbanks: This position is subject to drug testing based on the collateral duty requiring firearms in the back-country or other locations for non-law enforcement reasons such as protection from animals. All positions will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License, Driving Record, and within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities, 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. All positions except Kotzebue, Copper Center and Fairbanks will 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. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 21 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. 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-03/23/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To qualify for this position, you must possess at least one of the following Individual Occupational Requirements (Basic Requirements) by close of the announcement: 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: 1) History of archeology, 2) Archeology of a major geographic area such as North American, 3) Regional Archeology, archeological cultures, or sites in a specific part of a major geographical area to acquire or develop a foundation for regional specialization for professional development, 4) Theory and methods of archeology. Methods include, but are not limited to, typology, classification, sampling, cultural evolution, diffusion, dating, and analytical techniques, 5) 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 6 semester hours of related course work in: 1) geography, geology, or cultural geography; 2) history; historiography, or historical archeology; 3) environmental studies; 4) scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/or 5) surveying; AND Archeological field school. (You must submit a college transcript (official or unofficial) to verify this claim. Failure to include your transcripts will make you ineligible for this position). A full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a related curriculum: Anthropology (with emphasis on ethnology, physical anthropology, or scientific linguistics); history; American studies: or a related discipline, provided the curriculum supplies academic course work sufficiently similar to the requirements above, including archeological field school (You must submit a transcript (official or unofficial) to verify this claim. A combination of college-level education or training that provides the knowledge equivalent to that described above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education. Four years of archeological work experience that demonstrated 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 archeology survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials. Applicants with such field experience should, after additional experience under the direction of a higher graded archeologist, be able to demonstrate the ability to be a crew chief, directing the work of others at a single location as part of a larger archeological project. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-09 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 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). This experience includes activities such as: (1) applies Federal and State environmental laws, regulations, and polices to planning efforts to ensure compliance in cultural resources management project designs and processes; (2) basic knowledge of the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures that govern cultural resources management in order to provide advice and assistance to park staff concerning the implementation of NPS (or similar organization) programs pertaining to the identification, preservation, and enhancement of cultural resources; (3) manages administrative records for compliance projects; (4) completes cultural compliance for NHPA streamline or 4-step process for all appropriate projects; (5) conducts segments of archeological research for planning documents, including general management plans, resources management plans, environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, archeological overviews and assessments, and archeological field investigations of all types, as required to meet the needs of the park. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or higher, or completion of all requirements for a master's or equivalent graduate degree. To be qualifying, graduate study must have been in archeology, anthropology, or other closely related field. The total education offered to meet this provision must have provided you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the work of this position. To receive credit, you should describe how specific course work, research projects, dissertation, theses, etc. demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of this position (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours has determined to represent one year of full-time study is considered to be equal to one full year of graduate education). -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. -OR- 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 specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: (1) applies Federal and State environmental laws, regulations, and polices to planning efforts to ensure compliance in cultural resources management project designs and processes; (2) leads government to government consultation with American Indian Tribes and other state and federal agencies on the conservation of archeological sites; (3) conducts archeological research for planning documents, including resources management plans, environmental impact statements, environmental assessments; (4) completes cultural compliance for NHPA streamline or 4-step process for all appropriate projects. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree. To be qualifying, graduate study must have been in archeology, anthropology, or other closely related field. The total education offered to meet this provision must have provided you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the work of this position. To receive credit, you should describe how their specific course work, research projects, dissertation, theses, etc. demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of this position (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours has determined to represent one year of full-time study is considered to be equal to one full year of graduate education). -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with 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. 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. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS). If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility. The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM. Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. 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. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. 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.