Staff Archaeologist- Field Lead

About the opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a Staff Archaeologist – Field Lead to support our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Cultural Resources Team. You will manage all aspects of fieldwork, supervising one or more crews of archaeological surveyors, monitors, and/or excavators. You may also assist with office-based tasks, including the preparation of site forms and technical reports in support of a variety of renewable energy, oil and gas, energy transmission, transportation, and land development projects. Some projects include overtime hours or prevailing wage rates, and often require travel and overnight stays. Project-related travel and lodging costs are covered, and per diem is provided for project work requiring overnight stays.

This position is a regular, full-time, hourly position and will primarily be field-based. Under the supervision of Cultural Resources Team Leads and Project Managers, a Staff Archaeologist–Field Lead performs field and office tasks while working with and supervising crew members.

Anticipated fieldwork will occur throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states. The candidate may be asked to submit to background screening to work in some of these locations.

What you will accomplish

• Direct Cultural Resource field crews, overseeing crew chiefs and field technicians.
• Conduct fieldwork, including Phase I, II, and III surveys, testing, archaeological monitoring, and data recovery.
• Assist Project Managers and Principal Investigators with cultural resources tasks, including historic architecture survey and reporting.
• Coordinate client/consultant interaction, manage land access, oversee field crew progress, and handle daily data transfer and management.
• Prepare technical reports, including Phase I, II, and III Archaeological Reports, and associated documentation and data forms.
• Thrive in a team-oriented approach to project completion.
• Take responsibility for site form preparation/review, research, literature review, and SHPO reviews.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively across multiple disciplines, both internally and externally.
• Perform data QA/QC, organize, and track field data, and collect GPS data using Survey123, ArcGIS Online/Collector/Survey123, and other digital data collection tools.
• Implement, enforce, and document SWCA Safety standards for self and crews; conduct morning tailgate meetings as applicable.
• Manage and maintain field equipment.
• Ensure Crew Chiefs and field crews are prepared for field activities.
• Supervise a small crew while conducting environmental fieldwork. This includes:
  • independently assigning and directing the activities of others on behalf of SWCA, often in remote areas without immediate guidance from senior managers, to ensure quality and on-time delivery;
  • ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities and delegated tasks and being held accountable if crew members under your supervision are not performing their activities correctly, productively, and safely;
  • serving as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers;
  • receiving and resolving complaints from employees in the field; and
  • Monitoring team productivity and offering timely performance guidance, including determining when corrective action is needed and delivering appropriate feedback.

Experience and qualifications for success

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology or a closely related field.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience as a field archaeologist.
• Leadership experience, having led crews in the Northeast and Midwest regions (PA, OH, WV, VA, DE, NY, IN, IL, KY).
• Extensive organizational skills ensuring completeness in surveys, documentation, and paperwork.
• Excellent leadership and supervision abilities, including problem-solving, conflict resolution, and decision-making.
• Strong communication skills (verbal and technical writing).
• Demonstrated skills in QA/QC review of field documents and site forms.
• Ability to travel and conduct fieldwork for long hours, including adverse weather conditions and rugged terrain.
• Capability to carry equipment weighing up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to provide guidance and feedback on crew performance as per company guidelines.
• Experience in adapting to unexpected challenges (weather changes, client demands, crew makeup changes).
• Valid Driver’s License with an acceptable driving record and ability to operate a 4WD vehicle on rugged backcountry roads.
• Past work cleaning, recording, and analyzing artifacts.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Archaeology or a related field.
• Four (4) or more years of experience.
• Experience conducting Historic Architecture Survey
• Experience coordinating multiple crews lead by crew chiefs/field supervisors.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full spectrum of environmental services. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees.  In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

An employee in this Pittsburgh, PA – based position can expect an hourly pay rate of $26.00-33.00/hour. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law. Regular-status employees are also eligible for performance bonuses. Candidates are also encouraged to consider SWCA’s Total Rewards package, which includes a competitive Benefits package, forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.

EOE – women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email accommodations@swca.com or call 1-480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.