Archeologist (Seasonal)

Summary

Serves as a cultural resources specialist for one or more parks where archeological resources comprise a major part of the park story. The park may be one where archeological resources are predominant, or where natural resources are predominant but where significant archeological resources are present. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April-May 2027. Open to the first 125 applicants or until 10/26/2026 whichever comes first.

Duties

Some of the duties you will perform will include, but not limited to: GS-07 Collect field data contributing to the basic archeological inventory or a park Identifying cultural objects or archeological sites Investigating cultural sites, natural resources, historic scenes, and subjects not documented in park files to a level adequate to identify, protect or interpret them properly. GS-9 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. 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. Maintain detailed records and prepare survey records (e.g., site maps, GPS, photographs, artifact analysis forms, field notes). GS-11 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 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. Develops and maintains liaisons and effective working relations with related groups and individuals, agencies, and the public. Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. NOCA/GRBA: Government housing may be available. NEPE: You will be required to travel 50% of the time. NOCA: Backcountry travel required up to 8 nights a month. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. You 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-10/26/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page 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. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Education: 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/or surveying; -AND- Archeological field school. You must include all transcripts. 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 above (including archeological field school). You must include transcripts. -OR- B. 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 You must include hours per week worked and transcripts. -OR- C. Experience: 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 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. You must include hours per week worked. In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education. You must include hours per week worked. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 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 equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as: 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. 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. 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). (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 is defined as: 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. Specialized experience is defined as 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

Qualifications Continued... 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. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification How You Will Be Evaluated

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 any additional assessment(s) required for this position. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. 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 the following 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 assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Applies Technology to Tasks History and Archaeology Leadership Research Technical Competence Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Veterans' preference will be based solely on the claimed preference. Your eligibility will not be changed based on the documentation provided. If you are uncertain which preference to claim, you can learn more by visiting the VetGuide. Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. Other Information

For additional information about this position, please contact: Crater Lake National Park, Jason Allen [email protected] Mount Rainer National Park, Benjamin Diaz [email protected] Nez Perce National Historical Park, Russell Cash [email protected] North Cascades National Park, Kimberly Dicenzo [email protected] Olympic National Park, Kirstie Haertel [email protected] Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Juanita Bonnifield [email protected] Great Basin National Park, Margaret Horner [email protected] Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Some positions filled may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement. 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 1560 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 1560 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1560 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 1560 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1560 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. 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. All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.