Back to jobs
New

Project Archaeologist – Cultural Resources

Tualatin, OR

At AKS, we are growing and building for the future. We bring together multidisciplined experts across the land development, energy, and infrastructure markets to take on bigger challenges and deliver solutions that make a real difference. Our teams combine creativity, technical excellence, and a collaborative, hands-on approach to solve complex problems and deliver results our clients and communities can count on. We take pride in our work and our ability to provide opportunities for our teams, support each other’s growth, and look ahead to what’s next. When you join AKS, you will find opportunities to take ownership of meaningful projects, learn, lead, and make an impact from day one.

AKS is seeking a Project Archaeologist to join our growing Cultural Resources practice and help deliver thoughtful, technically excellent, and highly responsive cultural resources consulting throughout the western United States. We are looking for more than a capable field archaeologist. The right person understands that successful cultural resources consulting requires a combination of sound archaeological practices, regulatory expertise, project management, communication, and exceptional client service. This individual will work across the full project lifecycle, from desktop review and regulatory strategy through field investigations, analysis, reporting, agency coordination, and project closeout. The Project Archaeologist will lead field crews, prepare high-quality technical products, support project managers and clients, and collaborate closely with environmental planners, engineers, biologists, GIS professionals, construction teams, agencies, Tribal representatives, and other stakeholders.

Location: This role is intended to be based out of one of our Pacific Northwest offices in Oregon or Washington, and we are seeking candidates who can work from one of these locations.

What You’ll Do

  • Plan, lead, and document archaeological investigations, including records reviews, pedestrian survey, subsurface testing, monitoring, site evaluation, and data recovery. 
  • Direct archaeological field crews and ensure fieldwork is safe, efficient, technically exceptional, and consistent with applicable agency standards and project requirements. 
  • Identify and analyze prehistoric and historic archaeological materials, features, sites, and landscapes and synthesize field, laboratory, archival, GIS, and environmental information. 
  • Prepare clear, defensible technical reports, site records, research designs, treatment plans, eligibility evaluations, effects analyses, and other cultural resources documentation. 
  • Apply federal, state, local, and agency-specific cultural resources laws, regulations, standards, and guidance to real-world projects, particularly Section 106 of the NHPA and its relationship to NEPA and project permitting. 
  • Understand archaeological sensitivity in the context of North American archaeology, landform history, geomorphology, depositional environments, and buried-site potential. 
  • Coordinate effectively and respectfully with clients, agencies, Tribal representatives and monitors, landowners, contractors, construction personnel, and multidisciplinary project teams. 
  • Manage assigned scopes, schedules, budgets, staffing, and deliverables; anticipate problems and communicate emerging issues before they become project problems. 
  • Support proposals, scopes of work, cost estimates, project planning, and broader growth of the Cultural Resources practice. 
  • Travel and conduct fieldwork throughout the West, including work in remote locations, difficult terrain, and variable or inclement weather.

Who You Are

  • Graduate degree in archaeology, anthropology, or a closely related field. 
  • Meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Archaeology and/or History or related field. 
  • Demonstrated CRM experience directing archaeological investigations and producing agency-ready technical documentation. 
  • Strong knowledge of NHPA Section 106, NEPA, SEPA, CEQA, and applicable federal and state cultural resources requirements and the ability to translate those requirements into practical project strategies. 
  • Strong archaeological field, artifact identification/analysis, research, and technical writing skills. 
  • Experience supervising field crews and independently making sound field decisions. 
  • Meeting and exceeding productivity goals and KPIs
  • Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining responsiveness, quality, schedule, and budget. 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
  • Willingness and ability to travel regularly and perform fieldwork throughout the western U.S. 
  • Valid driver's license and ability to safely operate field vehicles as required.

Nice to Have

  • RPA or ability to obtain it promptly. 
  • Existing or readily attainable archaeological permit/PI/Field Director qualifications in multiple western states and federal jurisdictions. 
  • Professional experience in the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, Intermountain West, and/or Southwest. 
  • Residence in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. 
  • Experience with energy, transmission, transportation, land development, water, infrastructure, or other multidisciplinary environmental projects. 
  • Experience with proposals, budgeting, forecasting, client management, and business development. 
  • Working proficiency with GIS, GPS/mobile data collection, archaeological databases, and contemporary digital field methods.

Why AKS?

At AKS, we believe your work should support your life, not the other way around. Here's what you can count on when you join our team: 

  • Meaningful Growth: Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance, we offer hands-on training, mentorship, and clear paths for professional development so you can grow with purpose. 
  • Real Collaboration: Join a team that brings diverse perspectives together to solve complex challenges with creativity, curiosity, and a shared commitment to quality. 
  • Respect for Your Time: We value work-life balance and offer generous PTO and a supportive environment that helps you manage both personal and professional responsibilities. 
  • Benefits That Care: You’ll have access to health coverage that supports your total well-being, plus a 401(k) match, paid holidays, and more resources to help you thrive. 
  • Weekly Team Lunches: Take a break and recharge with your teammates, we believe food brings people together. 
  • Culture That Connects: We invest in experiences that build strong teams and strong communities. 
  • A Place People Love to Work: We’ve been named one of the Top Workplaces year after year. 

Join us and be part of a team that values your contributions, celebrates initiative, and is committed to doing things the right way for our employees, clients, and communities. 

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Do you have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record? Many roles at AKS involve operating company vehicles in the field. We need to ensure that all employees are insurable under our company plan.

Desired Salary? 

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in AKS Engineering & Forestry, LLC’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 07/31/2029

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.