Summary

If you are passionate about preserving our region’s rich cultural heritage, this is a great opportunity to join the dynamic staff of King County’s Historic Preservation Program (HPP). You will have the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects submitted for review of potential impacts to archaeological resources. Projects range from small plantings and building demolitions, to large wastewater capital construction projects, to complex, multi-year habitat restoration projects along the Cedar, Green, Snoqualmie, and White Rivers. You’ll work with a variety of local, state, and federal agencies and tribal governments to ensure that the County protects archaeological resources.

HPP is a small, collaborative group housed in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP), which promotes sustainable communities and a healthy natural environment through the work of its four divisions – Wastewater Treatment, Solid Waste, Parks and Recreation, and Water and Land Resources. HPP works side by side with DNRP divisional staff as they manage and steward more than 26,000 acres of parks and natural lands, restore natural habitat, protect farmland, construct water quality facilities, and more. Guided by our mission to identify, document, and preserve the county’s significant historic and archaeological resources, HPP manages the work of the King County Landmarks Commission, conducts educational programs, and provides preservation and cultural resources review and protection services to King County agencies, 23 local cities, private developers, property owners, and residents. As a small group of specialists, we work closely as a team, but also work independently much of the time.

Job Duties

• Review projects for potential impacts to archaeological resources submitted to HPP by county agencies, interlocal cities, and private developers using King County’s cultural resources GIS data, WISAARD, and other sources.
• Create written reports that identify and describe known archaeological sites and other known cultural resources within or adjacent to the project area, environmental conditions and probability of archaeological sites, recommendations for survey, monitoring, and/or obtaining an excavation permit as necessary, and recommendations for tribal consultation.
• Assist local, state and federal agencies with cultural resources regulatory compliance in accordance with RCW 27.53, EO 21-02, SEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
• Conduct trainings for agency staff, lead public outreach and educational programs, and coordinate consultation with tribal governments regarding potential impacts to archaeological resources.
• Conduct occasional archaeological field investigations and write survey reports for county agencies.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

• Master’s degree in Archaeology or Anthropology.
• Five years of experience, which includes archaeological field work, analysis, and report writing, compliance with federal, state, and local environmental and cultural resource laws, regulations, policies, and procedures, OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Archaeology field school, or equivalent intensive archaeology field training experience that included cultural resources management training.
• Working knowledge of Geographic Information System (GIS) development and implementation, including Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIs Online software.
• Experience working with tribal governments.
• Ability to conduct archaeological fieldwork, including, but not limited to walking on uneven terrain, digging holes with a shovel, lifting/carrying equipment up to 50 pounds, and working alone where it is safe to do so.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Necessary Special Requirement:

• Meets the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards for Archaeologists.
• A valid Washington State Driver’s License.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of Puget Sound archaeological resource types, regional ethnography, King County area history, and natural history of the Pacific Northwest.
• Coursework or training in the identification of faunal material, historical archaeological materials, pre-contact period lithic artifacts and human skeletal remains.
• Experience monitoring construction.

The Successful Candidate will have the following Competencies:

• Organizational Savvy - Is sensitive to how people and organizations functions. Anticipates land mines and plans approach accordingly. Deals comfortably with organizational politics. Knows who has power, respect, and influence. Steers through the organizational maze to get things done.
• Optimizes Work Processes - Identifies and creates the processes necessary to get work done. Separates and combines activities into efficient workflow. Designs processes and procedures that allow managing from a distance. Seeks ways to improve processes, from small tweaks to complete reengineering.
• Manages Complexity - Asks the right questions to accurately analyze situations. Acquires data from multiple and diverse sources when solving problems. Uncovers root causes to difficult problems. Evaluates pros and cons, risks and benefits of different solution options.
• Ensures Accountability - Follows through on commitments and makes sure others do the same. Acts with a clear sense of ownership. Takes personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures. Establishes clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results. Designs feedback loops into work.
• Collaborates – Works cooperatively with others across the organization to achieve shared objectives. Represents own interests while being fair to others and their areas. Partners with others to get work done. Credits others for their contributions and accomplishments. Gains trust and support of others.
• Decision Quality - Makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information. Relies on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment when making decisions. Considers all relevant factors and uses appropriate decision-making criteria and principles. Recognizes when a quick 80% solution will suffice.
• Instills Trust - Follows through on commitments. Is seen as direct and truthful. Keeps confidences. Practices what they preach. Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Values Differences - Seeks to understand different perspectives and cultures. Contributes to a work climate where differences are valued and supported. Applies others' diverse experiences, styles, backgrounds, and perspectives to get results. Is sensitive to cultural norms, expectations, and ways of communicating.

Working Conditions:
Telecommuting and King Street Center
The work associated with this position will be performed predominantly by telecommuting, with occasional onsite work and meetings, as influenced by business needs. Employee will have occasional access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Work Location: Primarily teleworking with occasional site visits, field work, and on-site meetings at locations around King County.

Work Schedule: This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible. This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. Monday through Friday.

Union Representation: This position is represented by Local 17, Professional and Technical employees Union.

Application Instructions:
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Application and Selection Process: Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness including online application, cover letter and resume, and responsiveness to the list of qualifications, skills, and abilities. The most viable candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position.

• King County application
• Resume
• Cover Letter detailing your background and what you can bring to this position.
• Responses to supplemental questions

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, if you have questions related to this recruitment process, please contact at Diana Eberly at diana.eberly@kingcounty.gov

Supplemental Information

To learn more about the Department of Natural Resources and Parks click on the below links:
https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp.aspx
https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp/about/vision-mission-goals.aspx

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles-we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.