About This Position
You will serve as an Archeologist in the Historic Preservation, Cultural Resource Compliance - Fish & Wildlife/FCRPS (EHF) or Historic Preservation, Cultural Resource Compliance - Transmission (EHT) in, Historic Preservation, Cultural Resource Compliance (EH) within the Environment, Fish and Wildlife (E) organization, Bonneville Power Administration. A successful candidate in the Archeologist position will serve as a cultural resource specialist, working with BPA project environmental leads.
Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENT: A. Education
- 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.
- 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). -OR- B. 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. -OR- C.
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. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS A qualified candidate's resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) Conducting cultural resource activities in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies; AND 2) Preparing cultural resource impact analysis work (e.g., research, technical reports, compliance correspondence, etc.) in compliance with relevant federal statutes such as Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), or state or local laws and regulations. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience.
Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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, CTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Major Duties
About the Position - Portland This position is located in Portland, OR which boasts huge spans of amazing trees, foliage, landscape, and everywhere you look you can appreciate beautiful greenery! It is known as the most bike-friendly city in America, has a train system that greets you at the airport spanning across the city, and is home to the Portland International Rose Garden, the oldest in the country! Portland is the one place where you will find lively festivals, energetic music, mouthwatering food, and for you basketball fans, the Portland Trail Blazers are a 7 minute walk from the HQs building!
There is always something new to experience in this eco-friendly town! As an Archeologist, you will: Perform archaeological fieldwork (including but not limited to pedestrian survey and subsurface excavation) to identify and assess cultural resources within an area that may be impacted by proposed projects. Provide expertise on compliance with cultural resources laws, their associated regulations, BPA and federal policies and guidelines.
Assist with the development and dissemination of BPA Cultural Resource information for internal BPA policies and guidance to ensure appropriate compliance. Serve as a member of interdisciplinary teams conducting NEPA analysis for various projects. Provide guidance on the appropriate scope and methods of cultural resources compliance work for projects.
Represent the BPA CR Program at various venues and forums in various roles. Act as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to monitor performance and compliance to ensure BPA receives goods or services conforming to technical requirements of relevant contracts.
Conditions of Employment
In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated.
Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically.
You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully. Key Requirements: You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
You will be required to report in person to the official duty location. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period. Conditions of Employment: Selectee will be required to complete the Office of Government Ethics Standard of Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OFGE450e) within 30 days of employment and annually.
This position requires a valid driver's license as a condition of employment. May be required to serve as Contracting Officers Representative for BPA grants and agreements; this duty includes additional training and certification. The position may require extensive travel up to 14 days per month.
The position may require extended work days with occasional weekend travel requirements. Field work is often in isolated places, although work way be required in suburban and urban areas. Work may occur near Transmission facilities including under transmission lines in various voltages and near or within substations.
Field work may require walking up to 5 miles per day, sometimes to remote sites over rough terrain and/or near transmission line facilities, excavation. Work in extreme and sometimes inclement weather conditions while carrying equipment weighing up to 40 pounds. Work involves field visitation which may involve driving or flying to locations in five states and possible travel by boat or helicopter.
Education
This vacancy has a positive education requirement. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.
Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.
DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts.
Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".
How You Will Be Evaluated
The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified. Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your two-page resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.
If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as scoring 85.0 or higher.
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (03/25/2026) of this announcement. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12911521 USAHire: To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.
In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Additional Information
EEO Policy: USAJOBS Help Center | Equal employment opportunity policy Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Staffing Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement. USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy Reasonable Accommodation for USAHire: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application.
Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments.
You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. Veterans Information: USAJOBS Help Center - Veterans Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Telework: https://www.opm.gov/telework/ Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/ - Who must register: https://www.sss.gov/faq/#who-needs-to-register Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations. BPA strives to ensure a safe and positive work environment. We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members.
BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation.
You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.
After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments.
Click here for Computer System Requirements Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.
You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://login.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen.
The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours.
If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes: Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date). Information on how to create a federal resume https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account/documents/resume Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume. Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement.
Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements. Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable, DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.
For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information. Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition. Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.