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ARCHEOLOGIST

Department of the Navy
Immediate Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
Naval History and Heritage Command
This job announcement has closed

Summary

You will serve as an ARCHAEOLOGIST within the Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) of Naval History and Heritage Command.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/17/2025 to 09/23/2025
Salary
$101,401 to - $131,826 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington Navy Yard, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework at the discretion of management.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
ST-12802144-25-MHM
Control number
846233500

Duties

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  • You will serve as a field archaeologist leading or contributing to planning, researching, executing and reporting on archaeological fieldwork projects and collect, process, and interpret remote sensing data associated with submerged resources.
  • You will lead historic preservation consultations in furtherance of archaeological investigations, site preservation, and mitigation activities, and develop policy, programs, and procedures for the management of U.S. Navy sunken military craft
  • You will conduct historical research at archives such as the ones at the NHHC and the National Archives and Records Administration to support the identification, interpretation, and management of U.S. Navy sunken military craft.
  • You will lead outreach efforts involving archaeological fieldwork projects, including joint projects with the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, coordinating closely with museum staff for potential events, projects, and exhibits.

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.
  • MSP/PPP applicants must currently hold the required security clearance.
  • This is a Mission Essential position. You will be required to ensure organization or facility continuity of operations and/or completion of tasks that are considered essential to the mission designated by a local or command decision.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) or pay band in the federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector performing the following duties:

  1. Developing policy and cultural resource management strategies as they pertain to submerged cultural resources, including sunken and terrestrial military craft;
  2. Applying scientific analytical techniques and archaeological data interpretation, including the use of archaeological and remote sensing tools, applied underwater survey, and excavation methodology;
  3. Leading archaeological surveys or excavations as a principal investigator;
  4. Conducting archival research on maritime or naval history, ship design and construction, and aviation history in the context of archaeological investigation;
  5. Developing museum exhibit content and interpretive materials in the context of archaeological research.

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

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:

  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:

      AND

      • geography, geology, or cultural geography;
      • history, historiography, or historical archeology;
      • environmental studies;
      • scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/or
      • surveying;
    • 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).

  3. 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

  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.

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

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/

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

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 responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

  • ARCHEOLOGICAL FIELD INVESTIGATION
  • ARCHEOLOGY RESEARCH
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • HISTORIC PRESERVATION
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • MARITIME ARCHEOLOGY
  • PARTNERING
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


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.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

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.

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