Project Director for Tribal Partnerships (34825

Project Director for Tribal Partnerships

Northern Illinois University (NIU) is collaborating on a long-term partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), serving the environmental and cultural compliance needs of the northern third of Illinois. With direction from IDOT, the partnership conducts regulatory compliance work to advance transportation infrastructure while protecting natural and cultural resources and the communities that depend on them for their wellbeing and resiliency.

NIU seeks a culturally informed and SOI-qualified professional to serve as a Tribal Relations Liaison within the university's Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS). This academic professional position is fully funded through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and supports respectful, legally compliant engagement between IDOT and Tribal Nations on transportation related cultural resource projects across Illinois.

The Tribal Relations Liaison will facilitate government-to-government communication, ensure compliance with federal cultural resource legislation, and collaborate with NIU faculty and staff in support of culturally responsive research, outreach, and limited student learning opportunities.

Essential duties and responsibilities include serving as the primary point of contact between IDOT and federally recognized Tribal Nations, supporting and facilitating government-to-government consultation under NAGPRA, NHPA Section 106, NEPA, and related legislation, coordinating Tribal engagement for archaeological surveys, site evaluations, avoidance/mitigation efforts, and other cultural resource activities linked to transportation infrastructure, conducting regular outreach to Tribal Nations across Illinois and the Midwest to build and maintain collaborative partnerships, advising NIU and IDOT staff on cultural protocols, Indigenous perspectives, and best practices for ethical, culturally responsive engagement, reviewing IDOT Environmental Survey Requests (ESRs) and assisting in the coordination of Tribal notification or consultation as required under federal and state regulations, collaborating with NIU archaeological and cultural resource staff to ensure compliance with applicable preservation laws, maintaining accurate documentation, tracking, and reporting related to Tribal consultation and cultural resource review, assisting with interagency coordination involving IDOT, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS), FHWA, and other stakeholders, supporting the development of program procedures, guidance materials, and outreach initiatives relevant to Tribal coordination and cultural resource compliance, participating in NIU's educational mission by providing occasional support for student learning, including guest lectures, workshops, or mentorship related to Tribal consultation, Indigenous heritage, or cultural resource law, engaging students in experiential learning opportunities related to cultural resource management (CRM), when appropriate, collaborating with faculty to strengthen the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives within cultural resource curriculum and related programming, note: this role is not primarily a teaching position;

student engagement is supplemental.

Minimum required qualifications include a doctoral degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, History, or a closely related field, meeting the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards for Archaeology or History (36

CFR Part 61), minimum of 5 years of experience in Tribal consultation and cultural resource management, including work supporting federal or state compliance processes, demonstrated expertise in NAGPRA, NHPA Section 106, NEPA, and related cultural resource regulations, and experience working with state or federal agencies on cultural resource issues.

Additional requirements include knowledge of Tribal sovereignty, Tribal governance systems, and government-to-government consultation principles, knowledge of federal cultural resource laws and regulations, including the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Section 106 Review Process, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), and related federal and state regulations, knowledge of cultural resource management (CRM) practices, including archaeological survey methods, site evaluation, mitigation strategies, and historic preservation principles, knowledge of Indigenous histories, cultural traditions, ancestral landscapes, and contemporary issues affecting Tribal Nations in Illinois and the Midwest, knowledge of transportation project development processes and associated environmental review requirements, knowledge of ethical standards and best practices for culturally responsive engagement with Indigenous communities, skill in facilitating and…