Archaeologist (Cultural Resource Specialist)

Summary

The incumbent provides leadership for Archaeology and cultural resources activities of NRCS and is supervised by the State Resources Conservationist.

This position's location is negotiable within the State of Hawaii and will be determined at the time of selection. This is a Term Appointment -- See Additional Information Section.

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Duties

• Serves as a staff specialist on all cultural resources issues and concerns that result from the implementation of NRCS programs and activities.
• Prepares and maintains all technical guides and information dealing with cultural resources.
• Keeps abreast of developments and research in Archaeological methods and procedures.
• Carries out field investigations and produces professional quality cultural resources investigation and assessment reports.
• Identifies necessary cultural resources studies, develops specifications for scopes of work, determines cultural and scientific significance of identified resources in accordance with the guidelines and national Register of Historic Places criteria.
• Prepares technical cultural resource sections of contracts, environmental documents, agreement documents and other instruments of agency intent.
  
  

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected you will be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position; requires operating a motor vehicle on public/private roads during the day and sometimes after dark.
  
  

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Basic Requirements: Education

1. Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study 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.

• 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
  
  

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

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required:

Specialized experience GS-11: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to GS-09 level in the Federal Service or comparable experience not gained through Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience assisting in conducting background studies and document reviews pertaining to archeological project development. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Assisting in the development of compliance policy and procedures for cultural resources preservation and tribal consultation in the state;
• Managing archeology field experience with a combination of archeological survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials;
• Providing archaeology and cultural resources technical assistance, guidance and training to various personnel;
• Evaluating the significance of archaeological, historical, and traditional cultural resources.
  
  

Specialized experience GS-12: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience, equivalent to GS-11 level in the Federal Service or comparable experience not gained through Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as experience assisting in conducting background studies and document reviews pertaining to archeological project development. Examples of specialized experience include:

• Developing compliance policy and procedures for cultural resources preservation and tribal consultation in the state;
• Managing archeology field experience with a combination of archeological survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials;
• Providing archaeology and cultural resources technical assistance, guidance and training to various personnel;
• Evaluating the significance of archaeological, historical, and traditional cultural resources.
  
  

Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level.

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF

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 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

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

You must submit a copy of your transcripts to include course number, title, completion and grade. 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. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g. special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college for that particular course to ensure you are properly evaluated. Please note that qualifications determinations are based solely on the information submitted for each particular vacancy announcement.

Important: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Click on this link for more information.

Failure to provide all of the required documents/information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Additional information

• This is a Term Appointment, which is time-limited. The appointment is for 2 years with the possibility of extension of up to 4 years maximum at the discretion of management.
• In addition to salary, compensation also includes a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) of 3.15-8.90% depending on location (subject to change). COLA is not subject to Federal income tax & is not calculated as salary for retirement. This allowance is to offset the cost of goods and services, housing, transportation and miscellaneous expenses. For more information visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-systems/nonforeign-areas/.
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
• Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
• Physical Demands: The work will involve both an office environment and a field environment. Field work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as walking, climbing, bending, crossing rivers and creeks, excavating sampling sites and performing shovel tests, and walking across farmland, rangeland, or forested terrain for periods of several hours' duration carrying loads of up to 20 pounds. Physical fitness and common sense precautions typical for both office and field settings is required.
• Work Environment: Work environment is variable. In the office, the work is primarily performed in a normal setting. In the field the environment is varying including extreme cold, hot sun, rain and snow; special protective measures may be required.
• PLEASE NOTE: In the interest of filling this position as efficiently as possible, we are requiring the following:
• If called for an interview, applicants must be available to interview within 3 business days of being contacted.
• If a tentative job offer is extended, selectee will have 2 business days in which to accept or decline.
• This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8 hour work day, 4 days per week; other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
• Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.
  

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• Help 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.
  
  

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.

Natural Resources Conservation Service

1400 Independence Ave SW

Washington, DC 20250

US