Senior Archaeology PI & Cultural Resources Lead, Southwest

Burns & McDonnell; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 100,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

401(k) retirement program

Job summary

Burns & McDonnell’s Southwest Region is seeking an archaeological Principal Investigator (PI) to lead a growing Cultural Resources team in the Southwest. The role combines technical oversight, project management, staff development, and client interaction on projects across Arizona and the Southwest.

The successful candidate will serve as the PI, mentor staff, and expand cultural resources services while ensuring quality, safety, and compliance with permits and regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in archaeology, anthropology, or a closely related field from an accredited program required.
• Graduate degree in archaeology, anthropology, or a closely related field required for archaeological PI responsibilities under the Secretary of the Interior’s professional qualification standards.
• Meet the Secretary of the Interior’s professional qualification standards for archaeology and demonstrate current eligibility for, or ability to obtain, Arizona State Museum approval as an archaeological PI on Arizona Antiquities Act permits.
• Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) status preferred, not required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as PI and technical lead for assigned cultural resources projects; act as project manager on cultural resources-led work when assigned, with accountability for client communication, scope, schedule, budget, and delivery.
• Identify and develop cultural resources opportunities with existing and new clients, prepare competitive scopes and fee estimates, and support pursuit decisions with practice leadership.
• Coordinate proposals and maintain a pipeline of anticipated work; track actual hours, expenses, and project financial performance, forecast workload, and flag field capacity, permit coverage, equipment, and hiring needs early.
• Direct archaeological research designs, surveys, monitoring, testing, data recovery, and technical reporting; conduct technical edits and quality reviews of field methods, data, interpretations, and recommendations before submission.
• Mentor field directors and early career staff toward expanded technical and supervisory responsibilities, including a documented path toward project director and PI qualifications where appropriate.
• Apply project-specific permit conditions, agency and Arizona State Museum reporting requirements, Section 106 requirements, and Burns & McDonnell quality and safety procedures; develop shared technical checklists and standard operating procedures with the other PI, using review comments as opportunities to train staff.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Project management

Staff mentorship

Client communication

Technical review

Fieldwork supervision

MS Office proficiency

GPS/GIS workflows

Education

Bachelor’s degree in archaeology or related field

Graduate degree in archaeology or anthropology

Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) preferred

Tools

GPS/GIS workflows

Microsoft Office

Job description

Burns & McDonnell’s Southwest Region is seeking an archaeological Principal Investigator (PI) to lead a growing Cultural Resources team in the Southwest. The role combines technical oversight, project management, staff development, and client interaction on projects across Arizona and the Southwest.

The successful candidate will serve as the PI, mentor staff, and expand cultural resources services while ensuring quality, safety, and compliance with permits and regulations.