Staff Archaeological Monitor

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Temporary Archaeological Monitor to join our Cultural Resources team in Western North Carolina. In this role, you will support archaeological monitoring activities for construction projects, including observing ground-disturbing activities associated with single-family residential development and documenting compliance with approved cultural resource monitoring plans, permits, and regulatory requirements. This is a temporary, 40 hour/week opportunity supporting projects in Western North Carolina, expected to continue through the fall with the potential to extend through December based on project needs. Priority will be given to applicants located within approximately two hours of Asheville, NC.

You will work closely with Project Archaeologists, environmental inspectors, construction personnel, and project teams to support cultural resource protection measures and successful project delivery. Depending upon project assignments, this role may serve as the lead for field survey crews, independently directing daily work activities, promoting safe and productive work practices, communicating project and personnel issues to management, and providing performance-related feedback.

Responsibilities

• Implements resource-specific monitoring activities in accordance with approved monitoring plans, permits, and regulatory requirements to verify compliance during project activities.
• Assists with implementation and verification of mitigation measures and best management practices intended to prevent or minimize environmental impacts associated with assigned resources.
• Conducts resource monitoring and inspection to verify adherence to environmental commitments and standards.
• Supports compliance inspections or audits (e.g., stormwater pollution prevention plan or spill prevention, control, and countermeasure plan) by collecting field observations and documentation relevant to assigned monitoring responsibilities.
• Coordinates with environmental inspectors or project leads to conduct resource monitoring activities and document compliance with applicable environmental requirements and mitigation measures.
• Documents monitoring results, observations, and incidents and communicates findings to environmental inspectors, project leads, or clients as required.
• Maintains regular communication with environmental inspectors, project teams, and technical specialists to support implementation of monitoring requirements and mitigation measures.
• Provides field observations and documentation to support project teams in evaluating potential compliance issues or requests related to permit conditions or mitigation measures.
• Performs resource monitoring in accordance with project requirements and approved plans to support overall environmental compliance during project activities.
• Follows applicable federal, Tribal, state, local, industry, contractual, and company regulations, standards, and specifications.
• Implements archaeological monitoring requirements during ground-disturbing activities to identify and protect cultural resources.
• Evaluates archaeological resources encountered during construction and assists with avoidance, protection, or treatment recommendations.
• Implements unanticipated discovery procedures for archaeological materials, cultural features, and human remains.

Requirements

• Must meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards (SOI-qualified) for Archaeology.
• Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, or a closely related field, or equivalent education and experience that meets SOI qualification requirements.
• Experience conducting archaeological fieldwork, monitoring, survey, excavation, or other cultural resource management (CRM) activities.
• Experience identifying, documenting, and evaluating archaeological resources in the field.
• Willing to participate in drug and alcohol screening as part of the pre-employment process, when required by project or client requirements.
• Possess a valid driver's license and meet SWCA's driver requirements.
• Ability to obtain and maintain all valid travel documents and identification required for work-related travel.
• Adhere to the safety program and look out for the safety of others, promptly communicating and mitigating safety hazards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience performing archaeological monitoring during construction activities, particularly residential, infrastructure, or other ground-disturbing projects.
• Experience implementing inadvertent discovery procedures and documenting archaeological discoveries.
• Experience working with construction personnel, environmental inspectors, and project teams in the field.
• Familiarity with cultural resource monitoring plans, field documentation standards, and CRM reporting procedures.

Work Environment

• Work is regularly performed outdoors and involves hiking over uneven terrain, lifting and carrying equipment up to 25-50 pounds, and working in varying/extreme weather conditions.
• Employees may be exposed to vegetation, wildlife, insects, dust, chemicals, sharp or heavy tools, and other environmental conditions while following required safety procedures.

Pay

The expected pay range for this North Carolina-based position is $27.04 to $34.32 per hour. Actual pay may vary based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other factors permitted by law.

Benefits

• Flexibility and paid wellness time.
• Opportunities to build technical skills and gain experience across a variety of environmental projects.
• On-Demand Employee Benefits and Career Development Guide.
• Meaningful opportunities for career growth and promotion from within.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm providing full spectrum environmental services across the United States. Our North Star is to be the best place to work and a leader in sustainability, delivering sound science and creative solutions to complex environmental challenges. We are guided by our core values every day: collaboration as #OneSWCA, #AlwaysLearning, #NeverSettle, and #GiveBack to our communities.