(SEASONAL) Archeologist

Full Job Description

This position is located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Resources Management and Science Division.

The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Great Smoky Mountains National Park is May - November, but the season may be extended or reduced due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding.

Anticipated Entry on Duty: May 3, 2026 All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-03/19/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time).

If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: Basic Requirement: EDUCATION - 1) Degree that included 3 semester hours each in the following course areas: History of archeology; Archeology of a major geographical area such as North America or Africa; Regional archeology, archeological cultures, or sites in a specific part or portion of a major geographical area to acquire or develop a foundation for regional specialization for professional development; Theory and methods of archeology.

Methods include, but are not limited to, typology, classification, sampling, cultural evolution, diffusion, dating, and analytical techniques; Archeological field school, to provide a basic understanding of theoretical and practical approaches to research design implementation, field preservation techniques, and report preparation by participation in actual field work - AND - Six semester hours of related course work in: geography, geology, or cultural geography; history, historiography, or historical archeology; environmental studies; scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/or surveying - AND -Archeological field school.

2) Related Curriculum: degree in anthropology (with emphasis on ethnology, physical anthropology, or scientific linguistics), history, American studies, or a related discipline may be accepted as satisfying in full the educational requirements, provided the curriculum supplied academic course work sufficiently similar to the requirements in A.1 (including archeological field school).

MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS.

-OR- Combination of Education and Experience - College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described in A above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education.

MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS. -OR- EXPERIENCE - Four years of archeological work experience that demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional archeology.

The work experience must have included archeology field experience, which may include that gained in an archeological field school.

Field experience should have included a combination of professional experience in archeological survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials.

Applicants with such field experience should, after additional experience under the direction of a higher-grade archeologist, be able to demonstrate the ability to be a crew chief, directing the work of others at a single location as a part of a larger archeological project.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).

This experience includes activities such as: (1) conducting archeological inventories/surveys/testing/monitoring; (2) completing field documentation and maintaining provenience/location control records; (3) performing records/literature/archival and/or collections research; (4) documenting/analyzing/reporting archeological, historical, or curatorial data; (5) preparing archeological compliance documentation and applying Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)/ American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)/ National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requirements; (6) using GPS/GIS and databases/spreadsheets to manage and present archeological information.

You must include hours per week worked.

-OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

MUST INCLUDE TRANSCRIPTS. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above.

To calculate your percentage of qualifying graduate education, divide your number of semester hours in excess of 36 semester hours by 18 or the number your school uses to represent one year of full time graduate academic study.

To calculate your percentage of experience, divide your months of qualifying specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages. They must equal 100% to qualify using this option.

MUST INCLUDE TRANSCRIPTS.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

ICTAP/CTAP: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection.

Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies.

Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP.

This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible.

If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work.

Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). Major Duties:

Additional Information: Open to the first 100 applicants or until 03/19/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Major Duties: Conduct archeological research and contribute to park planning and cultural resources documentation (e.g., assessments, overviews, and compliance support).

Identify, evaluate, and monitor archeological and cemetery/burial resources; document conditions/threats and provide recommendations to support management decisions.

Implement archeological projects involving documentary/archival/collections research; field investigations (survey/testing/monitoring/excavation as assigned); laboratory analysis; and professional report writing.

Prepare or contribute data and narrative for NHPA (Sections 106/110), ARPA, and NAGPRA compliance and background materials for park undertakings, including projects affecting cemeteries/burials as applicable.

Apply professional archeological methods and knowledge of Southeastern archeology, prehistory, and history to identify, record, and describe cultural remains in field, laboratory, and records-based work.