Staff Archaeologist

SWCA Environmental Consultants; Sheridan (WY); On-site; USD 26,000 - 43,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive wages and benefits

Employee stock ownership plan

Career development programs

Job summary

SWCA Environmental Consultants seeks multiple Staff Archaeologists in Sheridan, WY, for temporary field-based assignments across the region. You will handle laboratory tasks, site forms, and technical reports, while supervising crews during survey, recording, monitoring, or excavation.

The role requires field travel, safety adherence, and effective communication with project teams. Positions vary by level, with opportunities for advancement as you gain relevant field experience.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in anthropology, archaeology, or a closely related field.
• Two years of field assessment experience with a cultural resources focus.
• Valid driver's license and ability to operate a 4WD vehicle on rugged roads.
• Ability to travel, walk long hours, and carry up to 40 pounds.
• Willingness to work at least 75% of time in the field.

Responsibilities

• Assist with office tasks including lab work, literature reviews, site forms, and reports.
• Work independently, meet schedules, and report to project archaeologists and clients.
• Prepare for fieldwork with necessary equipment, staff, and resources.
• Identify artifacts and train crew members in identification.
• Adhere to safety programs and mitigate hazards.
• Independently supervise field crews in some projects, directing activities and ensuring on-time delivery, communication with managers, and performance feedback.

Skills

Laboratory work

Field supervision

Technical reporting

Written communication

Education

Master's degree in anthropology/archaeology

Tools

4WD vehicle operation

Job description

About the opportunity

SWCA's Environmental Consultants is seeking multiple Staff Archaeologists to join our Wyoming/Montana office based in Sheridan, WY. Hiring will be for temporary positions to assist with upcoming cultural resources management work across Wyoming, Montana, and the surrounding region.

Under the supervision of a Cultural Resources Lead, this position will perform office and field tasks while working with and supervising crew members. In this role, you will assist a variety of office and field-based tasks. Office tasks include laboratory work, the preparation of site forms, and technical reports. Field tasks include managing all aspects of fieldwork, supervising one or more crews of archaeological technicians during survey, site recording, monitoring, or excavation projects.

This is a temporary, hourly, non-exempt (eligible for overtime) field-based assignment, with variable hours. This assignment is anticipated to last six months, with the possibility of extension based on project needs.

This requisition can hire at three levels -

• Cultural Resources Technician - Typically an entry level role with a bachelor's degree preferred
• Assistant Staff Archaeologist -- Typically with at least one year of relevant industry experience and expertise preferred; relevant bachelor's degree required
• Staff Archaeologist - Typically with at least one to two years of relevant industry experience and expertise required; two or more years preferred; relevant master's degree required.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

What you will accomplish

• Assist with office-based tasks, including laboratory work, performing literature reviews, research, site form preparation, and technical report preparation, as needed;
• Work independently in a responsible manner, within defined schedules, and meet deadlines;
• Communicate effectively when reporting to Project Archaeologists, Principal Investigators, clients, and client representatives in the field, such as land agents, to facilitate successful project planning and logistics;
• Ensure that appropriate preliminary research is conducted and organized before fieldwork, and that necessary equipment, staff, and other resources are ready for fieldwork;
• Accurately identify historic-era and precontact artifacts and features, and train less experienced field crew members in their identification.
• Adheres to the safety program and looks out for the safety of others, promptly communicating and mitigating safety hazards.
• As a staff archaeologist, depending upon the project, an element of your job may be to independently supervise an archaeological survey crew in the field. This includes:
  • independently assigning and directing the activities of others on behalf of SWCA, often in remote areas without immediate guidance from senior managers, to ensure quality and on-time delivery;
  • ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities and delegated tasks and being held accountable if crew members under your supervision are not performing their activities correctly, productively, and safely;
  • serving as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers;
  • receiving and resolving complaints from employees in the field; and
  • monitoring team productivity and providing timely performance feedback, including deciding when disciplinary action is necessary and delivering discipline.

Experience and qualifications for success

Minimum Qualifications:

• A master's degree in anthropology, archaeology, or a closely related field
• Two (2) years of experience conducting field assessments with a cultural resources focus
• Current valid driver's license and the ability to safely operate a 4wd vehicle on rugged, backcountry roads
• Ability to travel to a location, walk and conduct fieldwork for long hours, sometimes in inclement weather, rugged terrain, and ability to carry equipment and supplies weighing up to 40 pounds
• Ability and willingness to work at least 75% of the time in the field.

Preferred qualifications:

• An accredited Field School Certification.
• Two (2) years of experience conducting a wide range of field methodologies, including archaeological survey, testing, excavation, methodology and/or monitoring.
• Meets the qualifications of a Secretary of the Interior Qualified Archaeologist
• CPR and First Aid certified.
• Can pass drug testing and alcohol screening as some projects require such screenings

Why Work at SWCA:

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record's Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you need assistance accessing SWCA's website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail] or call 1-480-581-5378. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Wyoming/Montana position can expect an hourly rate pay rate of:

• Cultural Resources Technician: $19.31-$25.49
• Assistant Staff Archaeologist: $21.63-$27.81
• Staff Archaeologist: $23.95-$30.64

Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA's continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.