Archaeologist Principal Investigator/Field Director SOUTHWEST

True Environmental; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Sundance Consultants, part of True Environmental, seeks an Archaeologist PI/Field Director to lead cultural resources field crews in the Southwestern U.S. You will oversee NHPA/NEPA-related studies, coordinate fieldwork, and develop deliverables for complex permitting actions.

The role requires supervising staff, coordinating with clients and agencies, and delivering high-quality technical products while managing scope, schedule, and budgets.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Archaeology, Anthropology or a related field.
• Registered Professional Archaeologist.
• Currently hold or are capable of acquiring State and Federal permits for archaeology in New Mexico and Arizona.
• Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory experience, preferably ten (10) years' experience in progressively responsible cultural resource positions including management and/or educational experience in the desert southwest and intermountain west region; including experience with architectural historians.
• Ability to meet deadlines while remaining detail-oriented, organized, and able to work well on simultaneous tasks and be team oriented.
• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication, professional writing, problem solving skills.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in project planning, development, and management.
• Ability to work independently with general supervision.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite, strong people skills, excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Ability to satisfactorily pass pre-employment and post-employment drug and alcohol tests.
• Valid driver's license and good driving record.
• Must be eligible to be employed in the US.

Responsibilities

• Lead cultural resources projects, business development opportunities and provide successful and independent management of archaeological and historic resources projects, including direction of field studies and assembly, supervision and direction of field teams.
• Lead/Principal investigator for cultural resources projects include performing research, archaeological fieldwork surveys, monitoring, testing, and data recovery projects, historical research, preservation activities, report preparation, site forms and curation of archaeological artifacts.
• Coordinate project mobilization and demobilization to project sites.
• Provide successful and independent management of archaeological and historic resources projects, including direction of field studies and assembly, supervision, and direction of field teams.
• Support Section 106 and Section 110 of the NHPA, including analysis, technical studies and project permitting for a wide variety of private, federal, state and local government clients and tribal entities.
• Mentor and provide technical and operations resources for staff and project managers and supervise cultural staff.
• Lead technical and strategy elements of proposal development including scope, schedule and budget.
• Meeting project scope, schedule, and budget obligations for project management tasks.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality technical products through implementation of independent and quality review protocols

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Professional writing

Problem solving

Project planning

Team oriented

Education

Master's degree in Archaeology, Anthropology or related field

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Sundance Consultants, a part of True Environmental and its partner firms, have united their strengths to establish the nation's premier environmental and engineering services consulting firm. This powerhouse organization offers an extensive range of services aimed at revolutionizing the built environment and preserving the natural one. Its diverse expertise encompasses environmental remediation, urban planning, engineering iconic coastal and marine structures, developing sustainable energy sources, and pioneering resource extraction methods. With a workforce of over 450 dedicated professionals, including environmental experts, engineers, technicians, scientists, planners, surveyors, and construction management professionals, this dynamic organization operates in more than 20 offices across the U.S. Explore further at Sundance-inc.com and True-Environmental.com to discover the full scope of our capabilities.

Career opportunity for an Archaeologist PI/Field Director to lead cultural resources field crews and assist in the expansion of archaeology services in the greater Southwestern United States. This position is responsible for leading and conducting all phases of cultural resource investigations under Section 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and other environmental planning projects, including but not limited to consultation, preparing data recovery and monitoring plans, lead field coordination and interpretation of state and federal laws and report writing. The position may also require knowledge of and experience with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and writing sections related to cultural resources for proposed permitting actions.

The Archaeologist PI/ Field Director will supervise and mentor junior or temporary level cultural resource personnel. The Archaeologist PI/FD will also frequently interact and coordinate with clients as well as agency and Tribal representatives. The Archaeologist PI/FD will be knowledgeable of federal, state, and local historic preservation and cultural resources regulations and demonstrate an established area of analytical expertise and/or archaeological research interest. The PI/FD will lead field crew, design fieldwork, oversee the execution of fieldwork, data management, and develop final deliverables.

What you'll do

• Lead cultural resources projects, business development opportunities and provide successful and independent management of archaeological and historic resources projects, including direction of field studies and assembly, supervision and direction of field teams
• Lead/Principal investigator for cultural resources projects include performing research, archaeological fieldwork surveys, monitoring, testing, and data recovery projects, historical research, preservation activities, report preparation, site forms and curation of archaeological artifacts
• Coordinate project mobilization and demobilization to project sites
• Provide successful and independent management of archaeological and historic resources projects, including direction of field studies and assembly, supervision, and direction of field teams
• Support Section 106 and Section 110 of the NHPA, including analysis, technical studies and project permitting for a wide variety of private, federal, state and local government clients and tribal entities
• Mentor and provide technical and operations resources for staff and project managers and supervise cultural staff
• Lead technical and strategy elements of proposal development including scope, schedule and budget
• Meeting project scope, schedule, and budget obligations for project management tasks
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality technical products through implementation of independent and quality review protocols

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Archaeology, Anthropology or a related field
• Registered Professional Archaeologist
• Currently hold or are capable of acquiring State and Federal permits for archaeology in New Mexico and Arizona
• Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory experience, preferably ten (10) years' experience in progressively responsible cultural resource positions including management and/or educational experience in the desert southwest and intermountain west region; including experience with architectural historians
• Ability to meet deadlines while remaining detail-oriented, organized, and able to work well on simultaneous tasks and be team oriented
• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication, professional writing, problem solving skills
• Demonstrated skills and experience in project planning, development, and management
• Ability to work independently with general supervision
• Proficiency with MS Office suite, strong people skills, excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Ability to satisfactorily pass pre-employment and post-employment drug and alcohol tests
• Valid driver's license and good driving record
• Must be eligible to be employed in the US

Preferred Qualifications

• Permitted or able to be permitted in New Mexico and Arizona. The ability to be permitted in Colorado or Utah will also be considered
• Experience and capability across the Western US in providing cultural resources services

Working Condiditions

• Extended periods of time in front of a computer screen in a climate-controlled office
• Overnight and day travel as needed to support field work
• Ability to work outdoors in variable weather conditions, including inclement weather

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift and move materials and equipment up to 50 -pounds on occasion
• Ability to pass pre-employment drug screen

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.