Maritime Archaeologist Project Manager

Job Overview

APTIM Environmental & Infrastructure LLC, a leading engineering and environmental firm with a thriving coastal engineering and resilience practice, is pleased to announce an immediate opening in our Tampa, FL office for a Maritime Archaeologist/Project Manager. The successful candidate will serve as a technical and regulatory lead for marine cultural resources projects. This is a high‑impact role for an experienced professional who meets (or exceeds) Secretary of the Interior (SOI) standards and can function as a Qualified Maritime Archaeologist (QMA).

The candidate will step into active projects with minimal onboarding, lead cultural resources efforts independently, and produce defensible, regulator‑ready deliverables. APTIM supports offshore energy, coastal restoration, and marine infrastructure projects nationwide. Our work requires close integration between archaeology, marine geophysics, and engineering disciplines. This position is primarily office‑based, focused on project management, data interpretation, QA/QC, and reporting, with some offshore survey participation expected.

• Serve as lead maritime archaeologist on projects requiring compliance with Section 106 and related federal and state regulations.
• Act as or support the Qualified Maritime Archaeologist (QMA) responsible for project‑specific archaeological interpretations, recommendations, and technical sign‑off.
• Manage maritime archaeology scopes across multiple concurrent projects, including planning, execution, budgeting, and schedule adherence.
• Serve as Project Manager or technical lead and primary point of contact for clients and internal teams.
• Interface directly with regulatory agencies (e.g., BOEM, SHPOs) and represent APTIM in technical discussions.
• Lead the collection, review and interpretation of marine geophysical datasets (sidescan sonar, magnetometer, sub‑bottom profiler) for identification of potential cultural resources.
• Direct anomaly screening, prioritization, and investigation strategies for archaeological targets.
• Establish and enforce QA/QC procedures for archaeological data review, interpretation, and reporting.
• Integrate geophysical data with archival research, historical context, and ground‑truthing results.
• Lead preparation and final QA/QC of technical deliverables, including Phase I archaeological assessments, remote sensing reports, and clearance/avoidance recommendations.
• Ensure all deliverables are technically defensible, internally consistent, and regulator‑ready.
• Support proposal development, including technical approach, scope definition, and cost estimating.
• Mentor junior and mid‑level staff and contribute to the growth and development of the cultural resources team.
• Provide some offshore support for critical project phases or technical oversight.
• Contribute to business development and client engagement efforts.
• Provide technical input for project planning and survey design.

• Master's degree (preferred) or Bachelor's degree in Maritime Archaeology, Archaeology, Anthropology, or related field.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in maritime archaeology or marine cultural resources.
• Meets Secretary of the Interior (SOI) Professional Qualification Standards for Archaeology.
• Demonstrated experience functioning as a Qualified Maritime Archaeologist (QMA) or equivalent lead role.
• Proven ability to independently develop and defend archaeological interpretations and recommendations.
• Extensive experience collecting, reviewing, and interpreting marine geophysical data for cultural resources identification.
• Strong technical writing skills with a demonstrated record of regulator‑accepted deliverables.
• Experience with federal and state regulatory frameworks, including Section 106 compliance.
• Experience supporting offshore energy, coastal restoration, or marine infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience with geophysical survey methods and datasets (sidescan sonar, magnetometer, sub‑bottom profiler, boomer).
• Proficiency with GIS platforms (e.g., ArcGIS).
• Experience preparing clearance/avoidance recommendations for offshore investigations (e.g., vibracores, borings, anchoring…