Archaeological Conservation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position serves on a NRCS State Resource Technology Staff and is located in a State Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The incumbent provides leadership for Archeology and cultural resources activities of NRCS and is supervised by the Assistant State Conservationist for Water Resources and Planning.
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Duties
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• Serves as a staff specialist on all cultural resources issues, including Native American issues and concerns that result from the implementation of NRCS programs and activities.
• Completes Section 106 consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act to include developing Memorandums of Understanding or Agreements and Programmatic Agreements.
• Prepares technical cultural resource sections of contracts, environmental documents, agreement documentations and other instruments of agency intent.
• Where an applicant is tasked with completing cultural resource compliance to include surveys, provide guidance to applicant to ensure all criteria for PPAs is met.
• Assists field staff to include, planning or coordinating field surveys for archeological and historical sites to comply with cultural resources protection laws and regulations.
• Carries out field investigations and produces cultural resources investigation and assessment reports.
• Prepares and maintains all technical guides and information dealing with cultural resources to include development of compliance policy and procedures for cultural resources preservation and tribal consultation in the state;
• Establishes and maintains contacts and cooperative working relations with resource conservation districts, federal, state and local government agencies, private organizations, etc.

Requirements
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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 may be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are unable to reimburse for any fees incurred.
• Probationary and Trial Period - Successful completion of a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period unless previous federal service is creditable. Refer to Next Steps for more information.
• 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.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.

Qualifications
In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.
Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. This position has a positive education requirement; therefore, a legible copy of your college transcripts is required to be attached to your application prior to the closing date of the announcement; applicants who fail to submit their transcripts will not be given credit for their education.
Basic Requirements:
A. 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.
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
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-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. This experience must include: 1. planning and carrying out the NRCS cultural resources management programs; 2. managing archeology field experience with a combination of archeological survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials; 3. Applying knowledge of specific historic preservation legislation 4. utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) to capture, store, manipulate and present spatial or geographic data; and 5. utilizing GPS software for mapping.
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.
Time-in-Grade Requirement: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. You must meet this requirement by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Note: There is no education substitution for the GS-12 level.
Additional information
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): 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 candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
Physical Demands: This position requires both sedentary work, usually performed in an office setting, and moderate physical exertion, usually associated with outside field work. The incumbent is required to visit job sites where extensive walking in rough terrain, moderate climbing, bending, lifting carrying moderately heavy objects, and being outdoors in all types of weather may be required. Office work includes the use of a computer and other office equipment, with the physical demands typical of an office setting.
Work Environment: This work is performed in both an office and field environment. Field visits are made to project locations to inventory and otherwise gather cultural resources and Tribal data. Adverse weather and unimproved roads are often encountered during field visits and may require the use of special protective equipment. Office work includes the use of a computer for extended period of time. Evening work and overnight travel are occasionally required.
Telework: This position is eligible for telework as determined by the agency policy.
Incentives: Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.
Bargaining Unit: This is a non-bargaining unit position.
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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
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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.