Archeological Field Technician/Crew Lead

Sapphos Environmental, Inc. is an environmental planning and resource management company with headquarters in Pasadena and an office in Bakersfield, California. Our cultural resources department specializes in providing federal, state, and local compliance for transportation, infrastructure, and private development projects primarily in the Central Valley and Los Angeles region. We are currently seeking to add an on-call or full-time archaeological field technician or crew lead for our cultural resources team. The archaeological field technician and crew lead roles are core members of the team responsible for successfully executing field and desktop reporting aspects of project implementation.

Under the supervision of the Cultural Resources Manager, this on-call or full-time, permanent position will primarily entail completion of archaeological intensive pedestrian surveys, site testing, construction monitoring, and data recovery projects; conducting independent desktop archival research; preparing report sections; and writing California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523-series forms for precontact and historic archaeological resources identified during field work for compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 (NHPA), National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and other relevant state and local ordinances, including California Health and Safety Codes. The successful candidate will work respectfully alongside Native American monitors to complete high quality deliverables.

Responsibilities:

· Participating in fieldwork (survey, presence/absence testing, data recovery, and monitoring), archival research, technical report writing, data collection and compilation, and GIS spatial data collection.

· Gathering data and other information to be used in the preparation of archaeological technical reports.

· Working both independently and under the supervision of an archaeological Team Lead and Cultural Resources Manager.

· Assist with liaising and developing positive relationships with clients and Native American tribal representatives.

· Knowledge of state and federal environmental regulatory framework, including NEPA, NHPA Section 106, CEQA, and CEQA Assembly Bill 52.

· Recording field data, photography of artifacts and cultural resource overviews, completing post-field data processing, laboratory processing, and quality assurance of data collected.

· Working independently and as part of a team.

· Flexibility and willingness to support multiple projects, including travel to projects within the state of California.

· Handling multiple tasks and communicating priorities and urgent matters in a timely fashion to the Cultural Resources Manager.

REQUIRED TECHNICAL SKILLS:

· Strong writing abilities and demonstrated clear communication skills.

· Excellent organizational skills and fine attention to detail, especially in regard to artifact and photograph accessioning and writing daily field logs.

· Has entry to mid-level knowledge base about landforms, watersheds, geology, weather, fauna, and flora categories relevant to recording the setting for DPRs, daily logs, and technical reports.

· Experience in California cultural resources management (CRM) with a working command of federal and state cultural resource laws and regulations.

· Operational knowledge of the precontact, history, and ethnohistory of California.

· Experience in the inventory and evaluation of precontact and historic archaeological resources.

· Experience preparing field notes and recording archaeological sites and isolates using DPR and digital map software and technology.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

· For field technicians, 2-3 years of relevant experience or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education in historic and/or precontact archaeology and cultural resources management.

· For crew leads, 3-6 years of experience managing 2-6 field crew members, creating daily field logs, QA/QC team daily field logs, writing weekly progress reports, providing daily safety briefings, and scheduling/coordinating field crews.

· BA/BS in Anthropology or Archaeology or MA in progress in Anthropology or Archaeology.

· Willingness/ability to travel and conduct fieldwork throughout California, including overnight stay as required.

· A valid driver’s license.

· Experience preparing DPR forms.

· Comfortable working outdoors in various weather conditions, able to work in rugged terrain, and able to carry/lift 40+ pounds while hiking, ability to bend/kneel and stand for extended periods (8-12 hours per day).

· Have or be willing to obtain registration as a Professional Archaeologists (RA).

CONSIDERED A PLUS:

· Satisfaction of the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Archaeology.

· MA/MS in Anthropology or Archaeology.

· Prior experience preparing cultural resource technical reports or preparing cultural resource evaluations of significance for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historic Places.

· Proficiency using GIS (ArcGIS Field Maps, Survey123, Online Viewer), digital mapping, use of GPS, use or creation of Google Earth Pro KML/KMZs.

· Cross training in paleontology or biology.

· Archaeological expertise in lithics, ground stone, zooarchaeology, or skeletal identification.

· Certified in 40-hr HAZWOPER.