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Archaeological Technician

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

BLM is seeking a dynamic and energetic individual to join the seasonal team to serve as an Archaeologist Technician for the Western Montana District Office, Missoula Field Office, in Missoula, Montana. Information about the Missoula area can be found at the Missoula Chamber of Commerce website. 

Housing is not provided for this position.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
11/18/2019 to 12/02/2019
Salary
$16.27 to - $23.57 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 05 - 06
Location
Missoula, MT
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Overnight travel may be required on a regular and recurring basis and employee will be required to obtain and use a government charge card, when travel is necessary.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - This is a temporary appointment, not to exceed 1039 hours (6 months). 2020 summer season - generally from May-November.
Work schedule
Full-time - Work Schedule is full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
No - These positions have no promotion potential; to be considered for a higher grade, you must apply for the higher grade.
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
MT-TEMP-2020-0003
Control number
551704400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous Federal Service is required.

Duties

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The Archaeological Technicians assist Archaeologists with preserving the history of our natural resources.  They assist other professional resource specialists with on-the-ground field studies to identify cultural, historical, and/or paleontology resources.  Work may involve designing and conducting inventories; compiling and interpreting collected data; researching reference materials; writing reports on inventory activities; excavating sites and searching surface areas for historic and prehistoric remains and artifacts; and preparing documents for determination of eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places. 

Note:  This position requires the incumbent to often work alone for extended periods in remote areas, traveling on foot or on an ATV over rugged terrain while carrying/transporting equipment.  

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can
  • You have interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Land
  • Direct Deposit required
  • Background Investigation is required
  • Be sure to read the "How to Apply" and "Required Documents" sections.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.  In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factors: This position requires special qualifications that have been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as screen out elements. Those who do not provide evidence in their resume/application package they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified:

  • A valid state driver's license.

In addition to the Selective Placement Factor:

For GS-5: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 level. Examples of specialized experience may include assisting professional archaeologist in performing actual field studies; and carrying out field studies to identify cultural, historic and/or paleontological resources for planning systems regarding cultural resources; OR Successful completion of a full 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with related course work; OR A combination of experience and education to meet total experience.

For GS-6: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5 level. Examples of specialized experience may include working with a professional archaeologist, planning and carrying out field studies to identify cultural, historic and/or paleontological resources and writing reports based on findings; and applying and adapting a wide range of established data analysis methods to fit a variety of circumstances; OR Successful completion of one full year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position; OR A combination of experience and education to meet total experience.

Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

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.

Education

See qualifications section above.

Additional information

  • RELOCATION EXPENSES:  Travel, transportation and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior.  Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • HOUSING: There is no government housing available – securing housing will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they fall within the Well or Best Qualified categories on the rating criteria for this position.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act: If selected from this or a similar competitive, seasonal announcement, your appointment may be creditable for consideration under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)​. The Act allows certain individuals, who have or had time-limited appointments at land management agencies, to compete for any permanent position in the competitive service under “internal” merit promotion procedures. For more information, see the section under Eligibility, which starts with Question #15 (Q15. Who is eligible for appointment under these provisions?).
  • MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Employees required to operate a motor vehicle must be at least 18; otherwise, you must be at least 16 at the time you report for work.

How you will be evaluated

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

Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position:

GS-05/06:

  1. Knowledge of terminology and commonly used rules, procedures and operations pertaining to archaeology.
  2. Knowledge of computer capabilities sufficient to produce reports with graphics; produce increasingly complex maps; develop spreadsheets; and enter, retrieve and manipulate data.
  3. Ability to read maps and use GPS to record site datums, site boundaries, and navigate to site locations.
  4. Ability to use common tools associated with archaeological fieldwork.
  5. Ability to safely operate 2 and 4 wheel drive vehicles and ATV's.

To preview questions please click here.

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