Archeologist

Only experience and education obtained by 06/27/2024 will be considered.

In order to qualify for this position, you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification.

Basic Requirement:
A. Degree: that included three (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 (6) 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/or
  • surveying.

AND

• Archeological field school.

OR

B. 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 in A. above (including archeological field school).

OR

C. Combination of Education and Experience: College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described in A. above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education.

OR

D. Experience: Four (4) 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 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.

The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. NOTE: You must submit copies of all transcripts from an accredited U.S. college/university (see Education section) and your resume must contain sufficient detail, e.g., begin/end dates, hours worked per week, duties performed, etc., for each timeframe for consideration.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, applicants must meet the following specialized experience requirements in order to be rated as qualified for this position (this information must be clearly supported in the resume).

Minimum Qualification GS-12:
A. One (1) year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing work in or directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: 1) Planning, implementing and evaluating cultural resource studies providing recommendations to protect cultural resources from management activities or projects; 2) Preparing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act documents, making professional archeological determinations, and consulting with federally recognized Tribes, Indigenous communities, and State Historic Preservation Offices; 3) Implementing projects that adhere to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Archeological and Historic Preservation Act, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA); 4) Leading teams that implement multi-phased projects involving documentary, archival, and collections research; 5) Field investigations (both survey and excavation) as a professional archeologist; 6) Laboratory analysis of recovered data, professional report writing, developing scopes of work for research and contracts, and using GIS technology and maintaining a GIS data layer and database.

NOTE: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level.

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.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP):Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For information on CTAP and ICTAP click here.