Clarification from the agency

This job is open to United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) and those eligible under ICTAP/CTAP

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Some of the duties you will perform, include, but are not limited to:

• Leading archeological field surveys using standard professional methods. Recording data and preparing survey records.
• Leading excavation and testing of archeological sites, including the careful recovery of sample materials.
• Using tools and equipment common to archeological functions. Hiking, camping, and working in remote backcountry settings.
• Communicating information and maintains working relationships with staff and park partners.
• Writing and editing professional documents. Entering, retrieving, and synthesizing data. Maintaining archeological information databases including geographic information system (GIS). Producing documents and reports using software applications. Querying data when writing reports.

Additional information:

• Park Information: Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life thrives here in Death Valley. You can find colorful badlands, snow-covered peaks, beautiful sand dunes, rugged canyons, the driest and lowest spot in North America, and the hottest in the world. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. To learn more, visit: Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
• Government housing MAY be available.

Physical Demands: The position requires strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. You must be able to hike long distances off trail in remote backcountry areas carrying up to 50lbs. 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.

Working Conditions: 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, high elevation environments, mine shafts, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-winged aircraft and helicopters is possible. Working with potentially dangerous wildlife may be required.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.

• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• You will be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle in remote, back country areas.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 4-8 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• Applicants 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 11:59 EST when the 'applicant cut-off' is reached (which may be sooner than 12/01/2023).

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 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.

For this position, you must meet at least ONE of EACH the following basic requirement AND minimum qualifications:

Basic Requirement - You must possess at least one of the four basic requirements:
1. 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 transcripts.
-OR-
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 above (including archeological field school). You must include transcripts.
-OR-
3. Combination: College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described in 1 or 2 above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education to total 4 years. This combination must demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of an archeologist comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study. You must include hours per week worked and transcripts.
-OR-
4. 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.

-AND-

Minimum Qualifications: In addition to the basic requirement listed above, you must meet one of the following minimum qualifications:

• 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) [Note: Normally one grade interval work such as technician work in a single grade occupational series (i.e. 102, Archeological Technician) at the GS-07 level does NOT qualify for this position, however GS-08 level may]. Specialized experience is performing PROFESSIONAL archeological work in one or more of the following: Assisted in conducting background studies and document reviews pertaining to archeological project development; Participated in archeological survey and site evaluation work and preparation of technical reports; Received formal and on-the-job instructions and training on the practical application of archeological principles, theories, methods, practices, and techniques; Developed and coordinated networks and contacts beneficial to the successful performance of archeological work assignments, such as interacting technically with colleagues and supervisors, and demonstrating the ability to work cooperatively with other persons; Used Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to record archaeological sites and projects. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-

• EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or masters or equivalent graduate degree. To be qualifying, graduate study must have been in archeology, anthropology, or other closely related field. To receive credit, you should describe how the specific course work, research projects, dissertation, theses, etc. demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of this position. (Eighteen semester hours or 27 quarter hours or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study is considered to be equal to one full year of graduate education.). You must include transcripts.-OR-
• Successful completion of a COMBINATION of experience and education as described above. Note: Only graduate education in excess of one year is creditable for combination. For example, you may have six months of the specialized experience equivalent to GS-07 (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-09) and 27 semester hours of appropriate graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement for GS-9, in excess of that required for GS-7). You must include transcripts.

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.

CTAP/ICTAP: 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 visit: USAJOBS Help Center | Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• History and Archaeology
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence
• Writing

To Preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12182420

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.

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 one of three 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.