Skip to main content
U.S. flag

Archeologist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions may be filled at one or more of the duty locations included in this announcement. Final determination of the duty location will be made at the time of the job offer. Positions will be filled at the GS-09, GS-09/11, or GS-11 level, depending on location.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Dana Gardunio at dana.gardunio@usda.gov.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open date: 04/21/2026
Closed date: 04/29/2026
Location
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—A recruitment or relocation incentive, or reimbursement of relocation expenses may be authorized at the discretion of management in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$61,722 - $97,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Promotion potential
00 - Promotion potential will vary based on position filled and will either be at the GS-09 or GS-11 grade level.
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-GVA-12922582-FS
Control number
865648800

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent Forest Service (FS) employees with competitive status; Land Management eligible candidates whose last appointment was with the FS; and CTAP/RPL eligible candidates.

Videos

Duties

Help
  • Duties are listed at the GS-11 grade level.
  • Provide consultation and advice to personnel regarding cultural resource matters to resolve problems.
  • Develops, coordinates, and implements the Heritage Resource Program on the unit, including the development of policy, immediate and long-range objectives, integration with resource activities, and establishment or priorities.
  • Consult with recognized Indian Tribes under provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to discuss concerns, ensure compliance, and assess impact.
  • Coordinate the budget and project plan of work for archeological and cultural activities.
  • Prepare maps, inventories, reports, and records relative to the discovery, protection, inventory, salvage, and interpretation of heritage and cultural resource areas to provide support to survey crew.
  • Plan and execute surveys for the location and verification of archeological and historical sites.
  • Administer archeological examination of road, reservoir, recreation, and other ground disturbing projects where archeological materials may be subject to destruction or damage for protection and mitigation of cultural sites.
  • Performs supervisory duties less than 20% of the time.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or 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.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
  • 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

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. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

Basic Requirement:

For the 0193 series :

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 listed above (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 meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GS-09: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as performing one or more of the following: Performed standard tasks or portions of larger projects of an archeological program, such as conducted performance studies and examined historical research documents pertaining to project development; interpreted cultural resources to public and professional audiences through presentations, exhibit development, or publication in professional journals; assisted professional archeologists in developing/enhancing archeological program components, such as scientific reporting, records and database management, and cultural resource condition monitoring; and/or evaluated problems associated with archeological site protection and implemented corrective measures within the framework of archeological program and legal requirements.

OR

Successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or have received a master's or equivalent graduate degree in archeology or directly related coursework;

OR

An appropriate combination of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-07grade level) and graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level).

For the GS-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as 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; interpreted cultural resources to public contacts in one-on-one conversations; received formal and on-the-job instructions and training on the practical application of archaeological principles, theories, methods, practices, and techniques; and/or 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.

OR

Successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or have received a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in archeology or coursework that is directly related to the work of this position;

OR

A combination of graduate level education (beyond 36 semester hours) and specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-9 level) that is directly related to this position that together meets the qualification requirements for this position.

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.

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. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See above for education required to qualify for this position.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): 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.

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary and term employees the opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years and the last temporary or term appointment must have been with the Forest Service. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met.


Salary wage as shown is for Rest of the U.S. Final salary will be determined at the time of selection dependent on the duty location for more information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Salary and Wages web page.

Promotion potential will vary based on position filled and will either be at the GS-09 or GS-11 grade level.

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 not guaranteed.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website.

Transfer of station may be authorized. Final determination will be made at time of official job offer.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Final determination of the duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of the job offer. Pay rates vary depending on location. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates.

Forest Service daycare facilities may be available.

Government Housing may be available.

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet minimum qualification requirements. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12922582

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
HRM_Contact_Center@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.