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ARCHAEOLOGIST

Department of the Navy
Immediate Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND

Summary

You will serve as the Archaeological Collection Registrar in the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the Collection Management Division (CMD) of the NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 06/28/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 28, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework at the discretion of management
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$70,623 - $111,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Promotion potential
11
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
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Secret
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
ST-12990665-26-MAJ
Control number
874050600

Duties

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  • You will be responsible for the management, documentation, analysis, interpretation, curation and loaning of archaeological materials recovered from U.S. Navy sunken and terrestrial military craft.
  • You will develop and implement policies and procedures pertaining to the record-related and physical inventorying of the Underwater Archaeology Branch archaeological artifact collection.
  • You will ensure that the Branch archaeological artifact loan program is consistent with and in compliance with Branch, Collection Management Division and NHHC guidance, industry standards, best practices, and applicable laws and regulations.
  • You will draft, edit, and review technical reports, peer-reviewed articles and journals, and other literature related to archaeological research, conservation, naval history, and historic preservation.
  • You will disseminate archaeological findings through professional presentations, academic lectures, scholarly and popular publications, and other means such as website content.
  • You will participate as an Underwater Archaeology Branch field team member.
  • You will provide support to the Branch to ensure the curatorial facilities, equipment, and supplies associated with archaeological collections are maintained, stored and organized for operational readiness.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Generally, current federal employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.

Qualifications

GS-11 LEVEL:
In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
1) Applying expert-level knowledge of policies, procedures, curation standards, and day-to-day operations pertaining to the independent management of federally-administered artifacts collections; artifact inventory, cataloguing, documentation, digital and physical recordkeeping, handling, environmental control monitoring, and maintaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

2) Preparing and executing artifact loan agreements independently: tracking loan agreements, corresponding with borrowing institutions to address issues pertaining to loans, and ensuring compliance with professional standards and regulations;

and

3) Preparing complex correspondence addressed to international governments, foreign governments, federal agencies, state agencies, the private sector, interest groups, academia, and members of the public.

GS-09 LEVEL:
In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
1) Applying experience with policies, procedures, curation standards, and day-to-day operations pertaining to the management of federally-administered artifact collections, to include: artifact inventory, cataloguing, documentation, digital and physical recordkeeping, handling, and environmental control monitoring;
and
2) Assisting with preparing and executing artifact loan agreements: tracking loan agreements, corresponding with borrowing institutions to address issues pertaining to loans, and ensuring compliance with professional standards and regulations.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management websites:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0100/archeology-series-0193/

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: Applicants must possess

A. Education
1) 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.

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 in A 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.



Additional information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.

Vacancies filled from this announcement may be filled at any grade level listed.

If selected below the full performance level, you may be noncompetitively promoted to the next higher grade level after meeting all regulatory requirements, and upon the recommendation of management. Promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

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.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Teamwork
  • Resource Management
  • Archeological Field Investigation
  • Archeology Laboratory Management
  • Archeology Research
  • Historic Preservation
  • Maritime Archeology
This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: USA Hire & Structured Interview.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility, qualifications, and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Immediate Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

The Navy and Marine Corps team offers innovative, exciting and meaningful work linking military and civilian talents to achieve our mission and safeguard our freedoms. Department of the Navy provides competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and extensive professional development and training. From pipefitters to accountants, scientists to engineers, doctors to nurses-the careers and opportunities to make a difference are endless.

Civilian careers-where purpose and patriotism unite!

Agency contact information

Department of Navy EIC
Email
doneic@us.navy.mil
Address
NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND
805 Kidder Breese St
Washington, DC 20374
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Immediate Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Pages/Default.aspx

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