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Cultural Resources Program Manager

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Valles Caldera National Preserve

Summary

You will serve as a Cultural Resources Program Manager (Interdisciplinary: Cultural Anthropologist/Archaeologist/Museum Curator) with Valles Caldera National Preserve, a unit of the National Park Service.

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Overview

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Open date: 11/09/2026
Close date: 11/16/2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$75,489 - $98,141 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
None
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
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
Yes
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CAHN-27-13108140-IMP-EDL
Control number
891796200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

National Park Service (NPS-wide): This is a Merit Promotion announcement for current career and career conditional National Park Service employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), and National Park Service Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibles. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.

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Duties

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

  • Leads cultural resources projects involving sensitive and complex issues
  • Supports park planning by gathering information and contributing to resource management plans, interpretive plans, and other wide ranging park management processes.
  • Acts as the administrative and technical supervisor for a supporting staff and oversees the work of contractors and cooperators.
  • Acts as the park's Section 106 coordinator and makes significant contributions to the preparation of historic preservation documentation, compliance, and background material for clearances, permits, materials related NAGPRA and ARPA.

You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
You may be required to travel overnight away from home occasionally. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.

Located in the Jemez Mountains of north central New Mexico, the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve encompasses a 13-mile-wide volcanic depression interspersed with high-elevation montane forests and expansive grassland valleys. The park headquarters is in the village of Jemez Springs, and the preserve is located halfway between Jemez Springs and Los Alamos. Work area elevation ranges from 6,200 feet to 11,257 feet. Summer temperatures can range from the 30s to the 80s (Fahrenheit). Winter temperatures can drop well below zero. Snowfall occurs generally from November to as late as May. The closest communities with schools and services are in Rio Rancho, Jemez Springs, and Los Alamos. The nearest airports are in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Housing rentals range from $1200-$3000 for a two-bedroom/two-bathroom place. Housing prices range from $200,000 to $750,000 for a two-bedroom/two-bathroom home

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Direct Deposit participation required.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
  • You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment.
  • You must be able to lift up to 40 pounds.


Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/16/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Basic Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

Anthropology GS-0190:
A. Degree: appropriate field of anthropology.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, or a combination of courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in an appropriate field of anthropology, or related course work, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
OR
C.Experience: four years of appropriate experience in anthropology performing research, museum work, or similar professional-level work.

Archeology GS-0193:
A. 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.

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 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.

Museum Curator GS-1015:
A. Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject-matter field.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
OR
C. Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study as shown in A above.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:

Specialized Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Cultural Resources Program Manager. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience performing work such as: conducting historical research; preparing reports based on research; conducting oral history interviews; conducting archeological surveys and excavations; analyzing archeological materials; reviewing permits, project proposals; evaluating cultural landscapes, preparing landscape inventories, review of landscape or building rehabilitation; plan long range protection and management of cultural resources; utilizing computerized systems to process and analyze archeological data; supervise or conduct technical museum tasks, perform field condition assessments; completing site description forms, and evaluating projects in accordance with NHPA Section 106 compliance. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

Education: Successful completion of at least three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to this position.
.
-OR-

Combination of experience and education as listed above. To combine experience and education, first take the number of months of full-time specialized experience and divide by 12. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Then take the number of graduate level credits completed beyond the first 36 and divide by 18. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and 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.

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a recruitment or relocation incentive.

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activity will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long period of time.

Work Environment: Work is performed primarily indoors. Occasionally, work may be performed outdoors in all types of weather and conditions. Outdoor assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, fire lines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. On occasion, flying in fixed-winged aircraft and helicopters is possible.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

This is an interdisciplinary position. Position may be filled as: GS-0190-11 Cultural Anthropologist, GS-0193-11 Archaeologist, or a GS-1015-11 Museum Curator.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • History and Archaeology
  • Leadership
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a Structured Resume Review. This assessment measures the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

All qualified non-competitive and merit promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP). To be considered under CTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

National Park Service

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities. Click here to learn more about the Department of the Interior and its bureaus.

The mission of the National Park Service (NPS) is to preserve the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. You can make a difference by bringing your unique experience, background, and perspective to our work. Click here to learn more about the National Park Service.

Agency contact information

DOI Service Delivery Team 1, Unit B (IMR)
Email
StaffingTeam1_IMR@ios.doi.gov
Address
Valles Caldera National Preserve
90 VILLA LOUIS MARTIN
JEMEZ SPRINGS, NM 87025
US

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