Principal Consultant, Archaeologist - Nevada

Environmental Resources Management (ERM); Elko (NV); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Environmental Resources Management (ERM) invites a Principal Consultant, Archaeologist based in Nevada to lead cultural resources programs across the Great Basin and the United States. This role emphasizes senior leadership, technical excellence, and cross-functional collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to deliver complex projects.

You will mentor staff, guide field and desktop investigations, and support business development while ensuring regulatory compliance, safety, and quality across

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or closely related field.
• 6–8 years of related paid experience.
• Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) per SHPO requirements.
• Lead inventory, survey, testing and/or data recovery in the Great Basin.
• Author/reviewer on agency-reviewed technical reports and NEPA sections.
• Interact with regulatory agencies as a consultant for client interests.
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary teams and travel to field sites.
• Driver's license required; willingness to travel frequently.
• BLM Principal Investigator qualifications and permit experience preferred.
• Experience managing large cultural resource programs and business development.

Responsibilities

• Lead archaeological investigations across the Great Basin and the United States.
• Provide QA/QC review of deliverables by archaeologists.
• Oversee desktop studies and field investigations, including surveys and monitoring.
• Mentor archaeologists, participate in hiring, training and engagement.
• Coordinate with unit leads and managing partners to support delivery.
• Serve as signing PI or Task Manager on major projects.
• Ensure safety, scope, budget, schedule and quality compliance.
• Support multi-state infrastructure projects and cross-selling opportunities.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Regulatory liaison

Project oversight

Business development

Team collaboration

Travel readiness

Driver's license

RPA certification

Stakeholder management

Education

Graduate degree in Anthropology/Archaeology

Tools

Total Station

GPS

ArcGIS FieldMaps

Survey123

Job description

Lead the Future of Cultural Resource Management in the Great Basin. As a Principal Consultant, Archaeologist, you will play a critical leadership role in advancing complex cultural resources projects across Nevada and the broader Great Basin region, while helping grow ERM’s Cultural Resources Services practice. Based in Nevada (with a preference for candidates located near the Elko office), this position offers the opportunity to guide high-impact projects, mentor and develop talent, strengthen client relationships, and contribute to ERM’s continued leadership in environmental and sustainability consulting.

Why This Role Matters?

ERM is seeking a highly motivated Principal Consultant, Archaeologist to join our growing Cultural Resources Services team. This role combines technical excellence, project leadership, team development, and business growth. The successful candidate will provide archaeological expertise throughout the United States while supporting project delivery, client service, and business development initiatives within the Great Basin region.

What Your Impact Is:

Serve as a senior archaeological leader supporting cultural resources projects throughout the Great Basin and broader United States. Drive quality, consistency, and technical excellence across archaeological investigations and regulatory deliverables. Mentor and develop archaeologists while supporting team growth and succession planning. Strengthen existing client relationships and cultivate new business opportunities that contribute to ERM’s continued growth. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions for clients in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

What You’ll Bring:

• Required Graduate degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or closely related field of study, or equivalent experience.
• 6–8 years of related paid experience.
• Secretary of the Interior-qualified archaeologist listed as a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA), with skills and experience that meet or exceed SHPO requirements in the Great Basin.
• Demonstrated field experience and principal-level oversight for projects within the Great Basin, including leading inventory, survey, testing, and/or data recovery efforts.
• Experience as primary author and/or third-party reviewer on agency-reviewed technical reports, including but not limited to Class I and Class III technical reports, sections of NEPA documents, Cultural Resources Treatment Plans, and related regulatory documentation.
• Experience interacting with regulatory agency personnel as a consultant representing client interests.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams of archaeologists and other technical specialists.
• Ability and willingness to occasionally travel to field sites located within the Great Basin.
• Previous experience with mapping equipment and other specialized field technologies (e.g., total station, GPS, ArcGIS FieldMaps, Survey123, or similar applications).
• Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area.
• Preferred BLM Principal Investigator qualifications in Nevada and surrounding Great Basin jurisdictions.
• Established experience obtaining BLM Cultural Resources Use Permits and other applicable federal and state permits.
• Demonstrated success managing large capital-project cultural resource programs and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience supporting business development and client relationship management in the cultural resources consulting market.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as a permitted BLM Principal Investigator in Nevada and surrounding regions.
• Obtain BLM Cultural Resources Use Permits and other necessary federal and state permits required to execute projects and support new opportunities.
• Provide technical quality assurance and quality control review of deliverables prepared by other qualified archaeologists.
• Oversee teams conducting desktop studies and field investigations, including reconnaissance surveys, pedestrian surveys, testing, excavations, and construction monitoring activities.
• Lead, supervise, and manage archaeologists across varying experience levels, including participation in hiring, mentoring, training, and engagement initiatives.
• Coordinate with Cultural Resources Business Unit Leads, the Consulting Director for Archaeology, Area Managers, and Managing Partners to support team performance and project delivery.
• Serve as signing Principal Investigator and/or Task Manager for cultural resources studies associated with major capital projects.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and in accordance with scope, budget, schedule, and quality expectations.
• Support projects ranging from multi-state linear infrastructure developments to smaller site-specific assignments.
• Expand ERM’s profile and market share in the cultural resources consulting market through technical excellence and business development activities.
• Partner with Managing Partners to deepen key client relationships, develop new client opportunities, and drive revenue growth.
• Identify and promote opportunities for cross‑selling cultural resources services to existing clients.
• Collaborate closely with environmental planners, biologists, wetland specialists, GIS professionals, engineers, and other multidisciplinary experts across the Great Basin.
• Represent ERM in communications and meetings with clients, teaming partners, subcontractors, stakeholders, and regulatory agencies.
• Identify subcontractor needs and manage subcontractor quality, performance, and scheduling as required.

For the Principal Consultant, Archaeologist position, the anticipated annual base pay is $110,624–$144,756 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible).

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k) or RRSP/DPSP, and other applicable benefits to eligible employees. Note: Bonuses, commissions, and other forms of additional compensation are not guaranteed and subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures.

Who We Are:

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world‑class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

At ERM, sustainability is our business. We are the world’s largest advisory firm focused solely on sustainability, offering unparalleled expertise across business and finance. ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, through our unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. Our diverse global team of experts works with the world’s leading organizations to help them set clear sustainability targets, measure progress and operationalize strategy through deep implementation and business transformation. With more than 50 years of experience, our ability to integrate sustainability solutions and our depth and breadth of technical knowledge are why organizations choose to partner with us as their trusted advisor. Every one of us firmly believes in the potential to create value for our clients through an integrated approach to sustainability (because we have personally seen it and professionally achieved it). Our team members are passionate about client service. We work closely with our clients to help them operationalize their sustainability goals and meet their environmental, health and safety objectives while advancing ERM’s purpose through delivering tangible progress in what the United Nations coined The Decade of Action. Organizing our people across globally integrated communities of technical and strategic talent positions ERM to be a “boots to boardroom” leader in bringing that value creation to our clients, partners, and the world. We recruit exceptional professionals with a personal and professional passion for sustainability and nurture them to even greater success as specialists. We prepare our consultants to bring integrated, innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients and provide opportunities for ongoing development across a variety of subject areas related to technical, business, and personal growth. At ERM, effort pays off and becomes career defining work that leaves a positive imprint on our planet.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.