Senior Archaeologist - Principal Investigator

SWCA Environmental Consultants is looking for a  Senior Archaeologist - Principal Investigator to join our growing New Mexico/Four Corners business (with offices in Albuquerque and Durango). The selected individual will lead and grow a developing team and support various projects in the New Mexico/Four Corners area. We work to support our client’s needs across multiple service areas including renewable generation, oil and gas, transportation, site development, transmission, and ecological restoration. 

The successful applicant will serve as a Principal Investigator to ensure technical rigor and Section 106 Compliance. This position will be instrumental in leading and growing a robust cultural resources program that includes supporting existing clients and projects, capturing new work and clients, supervising and mentoring junior staff, encouraging teamwork and cooperation, working with other offices, and driving overall scientific and business excellence. 

This is a regular (with benefits), full-time, salaried position based in Albuquerque, NM. Hybrid work environments are full supported.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

Our Vision (the North Star), Core Values, and Purpos e: Help drive SWCA to be the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership.

We are #OneSWCA and collaborate across all our offices, programs, and disciplines. We are #AlwaysLearning , we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack . We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. It is imperative for the successful candidate to fit SWCA's unique culture. Do you appreciate sustainability and environmental awareness? Is giving back to your community a priority? SWCA is a team of scientists, planners, technical experts, and corporate services professionals that are committed to our culture. 

Our  Company Purpose is to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today. You are invited to be a part of our success story.

Technical and Project Leadership

• Oversee all aspects of field research, data collection, inventory, analysis, and final report production to ensure compliance with SWCA's high quality standards for technical work, survey plan development, agency requirements and guidelines, and general standards of scientific quality.
• Serve as the primary author and subject matter expert on large technical reports, research designs, treatment plans, and other technical documents.
• Take initiative, resolve problems, and create improved procedures to ensure tasks are completed in the most efficient manner.
• Manage the technical execution and financial performance of individual cultural resources projects and effectively coordinate with and manage clients and agencies.
• Ensure project financial metrics are attained or exceeded.
• Help build SWCA professional reputation and client base in the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and associated services.
• Maintain good working relationships with state and federal agency contacts.

Staff Leadership

• Supervise, instruct, mentor, and facilitate professional growth and development of all cultural resources personnel, in accordance with SWCA’s Career Landscape.
• Assist in hiring new staff as required in partnership with senior leaders and the Talent Acquisition organization.
• Assign staff to appropriate projects to ensure high quality completion of projects and staff development/engagement.
• Comply with SWCA and client safety programs and assist in the development of such programs.

Client Leadership

• Manage client relationships and conduct business development with new and existing clients.
• Network within agencies and industry organizations to establish and expand our state and regional client base and revenue in the areas of archaeology, historic architecture, permitting, and broad-based cultural resources services.
• Identify opportunities (prospects and proposals), manage opportunities, write technical sections of proposals and help price work competitively and profitably, and make recommendations to the Program Director.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in Archaeology or Anthropology
• Eight (8) years of relevant cultural resources experience, including at least three (3) years of progressively responsible experience with cultural resources projects, including fieldwork, consulting, technical QC, primary report authorship, and developing/implementing scopes of work through all stages from pre-field tasks to final report preparation.
• Meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for archaeology and/or architectural history.
• Strong knowledge of Southwest U.S. archaeology, with experience conducting and leading archaeological projects in this geography. 
• Experience preparing NEPA documents to support Section 106 consultation for a variety of federal agencies.
• Possess advanced skills and knowledge in one or more specialty scientific areas (e.g., lithic, ceramic, or faunal analysis; osteology; historical archaeology).
• Demonstrated experience in supervising, mentoring, and providing leadership for other cultural resources professionals.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten (10) years of relevant cultural resources experience, including at least five (5) years of progressively responsible experience with cultural resources projects, including fieldwork, consulting, technical QC, primary report authorship, and developing/implementing scopes of work through all stages from pre-field tasks to final report preparation.
• Strong preference given to applicants with experience in New Mexico and holding New Mexico permits.
• Ability to be listed on New Mexico State and New Mexico BLM cultural resources permits as both field supervisor and Principal Investigator.
• Excellent technical writing skills with a record of completing technical reports in a timely fashion. Must include experience with primary report authorship in a CRM context for a variety of project types and sizes, regions, and agencies
• Involvement with regional and national professional historic or archaeological societies.
• Strong interest in developing business development skills as a “seller/doer” to develop productive business relationships with agency, client, and industry contacts.

Why Work at SWCA :

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is  to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA;  we are #AlwaysLearning , we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned , and we build our success together. 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 . We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

At SWCA, we support our team members in developing their careers to make them leaders in their industry. Our Career Landscape initiative is a process and guide designed to help develop chart rewarding career paths for employees at SWCA. We encourage professional conference attendance, internal and external professional development and training programs, education reimbursement, a Science and Leadership Program, and bonuses for publications meeting certain criteria. All regular status employees are eligible to participate in SWCA medical, dental, vision, employee assistance, wellness, life and disability plans, and are eligible to participate in the SWCA 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust.

If you need assistance accessing SWCA’s website, completing the online application, or require accommodations at any point during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact us at  View email address on careers.swca.com or call View phone number on careers.swca.com. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and supportive experience for all candidates. This contact information is specifically for accommodation requests; other inquiries will not receive a response. 

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.  At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

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  New Mexico-Four Corner’s-based position can expect an  annual salary of $87,838.40/year to $114,618.40/year. 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, w hich includes a competitive benefits package (), forward-thinking workplace flexibility, outstanding corporate culture, award-winning career development, and more.  

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA’s continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.

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