On Call Early Career Archaeology Field Technician

Job Description

On Call Early Career Archaeology Field Technician | WSP

The Tone:
This is an On Call, project-based early career opportunity with WSP, involving fieldwork primarily across Arizona and New Mexico, with potential for future work in adjacent states. WSP is a global engineering and professional services firm that designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water, and environment markets for local communities, helping them prosper. In this role, you will become an integral part of a growing organization dedicated to solving complex cultural resource challenges for our clients by performing essential archaeological field tasks and supporting data collection, ensuring strict compliance with heritage resource regulations.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: On Call, Project-based, Hourly
• Location: Arizona and New Mexico (field based)
• Pay: $26.00 – $30.00 hourly
• Team: Earth & Environment Cultural Resource Team, working with supervisory field staff and senior archaeologists
• Mission: Support successful project execution and compliance by conducting archaeological fieldwork and data collection.
• Tech Stack: SharePoint, Microsoft Office Suite, digital data collection software and hardware, state IMACS forms

What You’ll Actually Do
• Assess: Conduct various archaeological surveys, including Class I-Class III assessments, to identify, record, and evaluate cultural resources.
• Investigate: Execute comprehensive site testing, data recovery efforts, and ongoing project monitoring as directed by senior staff.
• Document: Support the collection, organization, and preparation of digital field data for reports and contribute to completing state IMACS forms.
• Ensure: Contribute to heritage/cultural resource investigations, strictly complying with federal, state, and local laws such as NEPA, NHPA, and NAGPRA.
• Deploy: Travel regularly to remote project locations within Arizona and New Mexico, committing to 10-day rotations, which may include camping in challenging environments.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, History, or a closely related field, suitable for an early career position.
• Experience: 0-1 years of professional-level experience encompassing the research, analysis, development, and management of archaeological and historic preservation plans and resources.
• Skills: Demonstrate excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication abilities; possess a working knowledge of cultural resources, environmental regulations, and North American archaeology; proficient in SharePoint and Microsoft Office Suite; experienced with NHPA, ARPA, NAGPRA, and pertinent state laws; capable of identifying and analyzing a wide variety of prehistoric and historic archaeological materials in the field; physically able to perform extensive pedestrian surveys, carry up to 25 lbs over varied terrain, and effectively survey in hot, dry, high-desert conditions; willing to travel to remote project locations for 10-day rotations, potentially requiring camping.
• Bonus: A Master’s degree in Archaeology or a related field is preferred; previous fieldwork experience in the western United States, particularly with large-scale terrestrial survey projects or in Great Basin/Southwestern regions, is a significant advantage.