Associate Project Archaeologist

About the role

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking an Associate Project Archaeologist or Associate Project Architectural Historian to support our Midwest operations, with our principal office in Chicago, IL. This role is a core member of our Cultural Resources Program, responsible for managing small cultural resources projects, including proposals, fieldwork, research, report writing, quality assurance/quality control reviews, and managing client, agency, and tribal relationships. This position offers an excellent opportunity for a motivated professional to grow their career while developing strong project management expertise.

The successful candidate will take on increasing responsibility for planning, coordinating, and delivering cultural resource projects, working closely with multidisciplinary teams and clients. This role is ideal for someone looking to advance their leadership skills, drive successful project outcomes, and build a long-term career in project management. Qualified individuals can work in a hybrid environment near our Chicago or Cincinnati offices, or be remote (distributed) in the Midwest.

This is a regular, full-time, hourly position with 75% office work and potential for up to 25% field work.

Responsibilities

• Manage budgeting, scheduling, research, fieldwork, report writing, and curation for cultural resources projects. For larger projects, this will be accomplished with oversight from Principal Investigators and Project Managers.
• Assist in developing high-quality proposals, work plans, reports, and literature reviews, with oversight from subject matter experts.
• Nurture and develop client relationships.
• Oversee and conduct fieldwork and deliverables, ensuring compliance with SWCA’s Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program.
• Supervise personnel in the field, office, and/or laboratory.
• Take responsibility for team safety by developing safety plans (when applicable) and anticipating potential hazards.
• Collaborate with SWCA personnel across role levels and disciplines.
• Maintain SWCA’s high standards of scientific ethics and quality assurance.
• Identify and resolve problems creatively.
• Collaborate as part of an interdisciplinary environmental team.
• Work independently and responsibly to resolve project challenges.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Archaeology, Architectural History, Anthropology, or a closely related field.
• At least three (3) years of experience in cultural resource management (CRM), gained through a combination of educational and professional experience, across various project types, sizes, regions, and agencies, with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Familiarity with Section 106 and Historic Preservation regulatory requirements in Illinois or nearby Midwest states.
• Familiarity with other cultural resource regulations and processes in Illinois and/or nearby Midwest states.
• Demonstrated experience as a primary report author in a CRM context for diverse project types, sizes, regions, and agencies.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to meet SWCA’s driver requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Archaeology, Architectural History, Anthropology, or a closely related field.
• At least five (5) years of experience in cultural resource management (CRM).
• At least one (1) year of experience managing cultural resources projects.
• Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) certification or eligibility for RPA status.
• SOI Qualified.
• Collaborative experience working on interdisciplinary teams of scientists and planners.
• Experience conducting QA/QC reviews of field documents, site forms, and reports.
• Proven leadership experience managing archaeology or architectural history crews on diverse projects.
• Ability to coordinate personnel and resources within budgetary constraints.
• Proven experience assisting with the management of CRM tasks, including budgets, scheduling, and scopes of work.

Skills and Knowledge

• CPR and First Aid certification (training provided if not currently certified).
• Adaptability to changing project needs, agency requests, and evolving priorities.
• Strong ability to work both independently and collaboratively with colleagues, clients, and agency representatives.
• Comfortable working in ambiguous environments and proactively resolving challenges as they arise.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Exercises independent judgment while collaborating appropriately with stakeholders on high-impact decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven technical writing skills, including primary report authorship, with a strong track record of completing technical reports and projects on time.

Benefits

SWCA offers a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including:

• 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).
• Performance bonuses for regular-status employees.
• A comprehensive benefits package (details here).
• Forward-thinking workplace flexibility.
• Outstanding corporate culture and award-winning career development programs.

Pay

An employee in this Chicago-office based position can expect a rate of $31.36/hour to $40.02/hour. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law.