Seasonal Archeologist

Seasonal Archeologist

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Yosemite National Park, California

Salary Range: $29.43 - $38.26 Per Hour

Job Summary: This position is located in Yosemite National Park, in the Division of Resource and Management. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Yosemite National Park is May, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: June 2026. Open to the first 101 applicants or until 12/29/2025 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Major Duties:

• The Pacific West Region is recruiting for TEMPORARY seasonal positions not to exceed 6 months (1,039 hours) work in a service year. Dates of employment will vary depending on funding, weather conditions and visitation. Within regulatory limitations, the length of initial appointment may be shortened or extended depending on work availability and funding. Some of the duties you will perform will include, but are not limited to: Participates in, and conducts independently, a variety of archeological and cultural resource tasks including pre-fieldwork research, consultation, survey, reconnaissance, monitoring, test excavation, data recovery excavation, analysis and reporting. Provides professional and technical assistance in a variety of areas related to or impacted by the archeology function, including National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106 compliance, clearance and planning, archeological assessments, evaluations, and field inspections. Prepares the following types of documentation including, but not limited to: Archeological Small Project Reports, Cultural Resource inventory Systems (CRIS), and site forms. Drafts correspondence and complete archeological project packages for consultation. Maintains databases, forms, maps and files with project information. Enters archeological artifact and project data including artifact information, catalog records, field notes, site records and GIS information into automated systems. Physical Demands: The work is partially sedentary with prolonged standing, walking and bending often required. Heavy items such as backpacks weighing 40-50lbs must be lifted and carried on a regular basis. Backcountry operations may require hiking with a full pack for 10 or more miles in a day, sometimes across off-trail areas. Archeological survey work may be carried out in steep, isolated terrain. You must be able to hike on rough, obscure trails, and be able to navigate cross-country using a map and compass. Excavations may require strenuous physical exertion and heavy lifting. Working Conditions: Approximately 60-75% of the work is performed in the office. Survey, testing, excavation, and monitoring work is performed in park areas, often these are located in the backcountry. You may be required to work independently to complete fieldwork projects in isolated and rugged areas. You must be familiar with outdoor safety and survival skills and must be able to operate a vehicle on rough roads. Backcountry operations are usually limited to the summer season, although fieldwork may occur year-round and limited backcountry operations may be required at any time of the year. You must be able to operate effectively in the backcountry for extended periods (7-10 days). Project areas vary from heavily forested river valleys to steep subalpine and alpine landscapes; therefore, you need to be knowledgeable about the hazards of working in each setting. The Cascades Mountains are known for their rapidly changing weather conditions. You need to be able to operate effectively in a variety of less than optimum weather conditions. For more information about this park, please visit Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service).

Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by 11:59 EST or when the 'applicant cut-off' is reached (which may be sooner than 12/29/2025). Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized exp. For this position, you must meet the basic requirement AND minimum qualifications: Basic Requirement - You must possess at least one of the four basic requirements:1. Education: 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. You must include all transcripts. -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 above (including archeological field school). You must include transcripts. -OR- 3. Combination: College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described in 1 or 2 above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education to total 4 years. This combination must demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of an archeologist comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study. You must include hours per week worked and transcripts. -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. You must include hours per week worked. -AND- Minimum Qualifications: In addition to the basic requirement listed above, you must meet one of the following minimum qualifications: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: applying the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of archeology to the conduct of prehistoric and historic archeological field investigations and cultural resource projects in the American West which included the preparation of survey reports, site recording forms, site maps, overlays, field notes, and using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS). GS-07 Archeological Technician experience is NOT qualifying to meet this requirement. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or completion of all requirements for a master's or equivalent graduate degree. To be qualifying, graduate study must have been in archeology, anthropology, or other closely related field. The total education offered to meet this provision must have provided you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the work of this position. To receive credit, you should describe how the specific course work, research projects, dissertation, theses, etc. demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of this position. (Eighteen semester hours or 27 quarter hours or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study is considered to be equal to one full year of graduate education). You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Note: Only graduate education in excess of one year is creditable for combination. You must include 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. CTAP/ICTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

How to Apply: To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/29/2025. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application." Click here for USAJobs Help with "How to create an application" To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12848729 Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS. Select documents you want included in this application. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed. Select if you want to include your demographic information. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site." Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown. Upload any missing required documents or optional documents. Review and Submit Application. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement. To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job. Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-29