Associate Project Archaeologist

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an Associate Project Archaeologist for our Rocky Mountain Plains subregion. This position will be based out of our Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN office, or our Bismarck, ND office, but distributed employees within driving distance of either office will be seriously considered. Under the supervision of a Project Manager or Lead Archaeologist, the Associate Project Archaeologist will be responsible for assisting on all aspects of cultural resource projects from pre-field desktop reviews to coordinating agency deliverables.

This work is well suited for a team-oriented individual that thrives in a collaborative work environment. Creative problem‑solving skills are a must.

This position has an approximately 30% field-based component, with overnight travel required.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing, 1,960+ staff, employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #Always Learning, we #Never Settle, and we #Give Back.

Final date to receive applications:
Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

• Assist project managers on all aspects of cultural resource projects, including budgeting, schedule, fieldwork, and reporting.
• Conduct background research for archaeological studies, including records searches.
• Ensure that appropriate preliminary research is conducted and organized prior to fieldwork, and that necessary equipment, staff, and other resources are ready for fieldwork.
• Coordinate with agency personnel, subconsultants, construction crews, and Native American monitors, as needed, to arrange fieldwork and facilitate projects.
• Supervise fieldwork, including archaeological survey, testing, data recovery, and/or construction monitoring and ensure quality and completeness of data collected.
• Communicate regularly with project managers to ensure that a project’s budgetary and timetable needs are met.
• Take initiative, resolve problems, and create improved procedures to ensure that tasks are completed in the most effective and efficient manner.
• Maintain SWCA’s high standard of scientific ethics and quality assurance; is motivated to identify and resolve problems in creative ways.
• Take responsibility for team safety, develop safety plans (when applicable), and anticipate potential safety hazards.

• Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or a related field.
• Meets the requirements to be an Archaeological Principal Investigator in North Dakota.
• Experience with the archaeology of the Midwest.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in cultural resources management (CRM) on a variety of project types, sizes, regions, and agencies, with demonstrated increasing levels of responsibility.
• Minimum of one (1) year of experience in managing all aspects of archaeological projects (from pre-field tasks through final report preparation), including working on a variety of project types and sizes, in multiple regions, and with a variety of regulatory agencies.
• Experience with federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to the management of cultural resources (National Environmental Policy Act, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act).
• Has provided QA/QC review of field documents, site forms, and reports.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changes in project needs, agency requests, and more.
• Ability…