Archeologist
What you'd do
Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as an Archeologist. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment. Duty Location: Sacramento, California
Major duties
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Division of Environmental Affairs, Cultural Resources Branch, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Performs various assignments involving the cultural resources management program (archeological, historical, and significant architectural structures, sites, and features) throughout the California - Great Basin Region. Interprets and provides advice on the National Historic Preservation Act and regulations of 36 CFR Part 800, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, Archaeological Resources Protection Act, and other cultural resources legislation to Area Office staff and management. Performs occasional cultural resources surveys, inventories, and National Register of Historic Places eligibility evaluations. Recommends preservation, mitigation, avoidance, protection, and/or restoration measures on existing and future project lands. Prepares technical specifications and contract clauses for historical and archeological investigations and for evaluations and mitigation programs prepared by outside entities. Reviews and interprets reports received to ensure that they meet Reclamation standards. Develops procedures and actions to implement historical and archeological field investigations, personally or by contractors. Monitors construction for activities in historically and archeologically sensitive areas. Collaborates in the preparation of determination of eligibility documents, inventories for historic properties, preliminary case reports, and subsequent negotiations for mitigation of impacts. Maintains liaison with appropriate Federal and State representatives, universities, and private organizations to facilitate Reclamation's cultural resources program. Physical Demands: The work is generally sedentary, although there are some periods of extensive walking, hiking on uneven terrain, bending, excavating, minor lifting, and minor climbing during field investigations. Work Environment: Work environment is primarily in an office setting, although there is frequent travel to meetings and to field sites to conduct inspections, inventories, and related studies.
What you need to qualify
All qualifications must be met by the 07/15/2026 of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENT - Archeologist: Applicants must possess the basic requirement for an Archeologist. If qualifying based on education, transcripts MUST be submitted and include your name, school name, credit hours, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. We cannot determine eligibility without this information. (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected). The Basic Requirement may be met in one of the following ways (see below). Education: 1. 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. 2. 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.1 (including archeological field school). -OR- 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- 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above for this position, applicants must also meet the minimum qualifications outlined below: Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the difficulty and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped you with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience may include: planning and conducting archeological investigations; conducting or overseeing work in support of historic preservation including architectural inventory and monitoring; conducting cultural resource surveys and excavations; and performing field inspections, research, and assessments. 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. 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.
Before you apply
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