Principal Technical Consultant, Archaeologist - Idaho

Lead cultural resource strategy and delivery across the Great Basin while helping shape the future growth of ERM’s Archaeology practice.

ERM is seeking a highly motivated Principal Technical Consultant, Archaeologist to join our growing Cultural Resources Services team. This is a full-time, salaried remote position based in Idaho. In this senior leadership role, you will provide technical excellence, project leadership, business development support, and team mentorship while partnering with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality cultural resource solutions for clients throughout the United States, with a primary focus on the Great Basin region.

Why This Role Matters?

As a Principal Technical Consultant, Archaeologist, you will play a critical role in leading cultural resource investigations, guiding regulatory compliance strategies, supporting major capital projects, and expanding ERM’s presence in the Great Basin cultural resources market. This role combines technical leadership, client engagement, team development, and business growth to help deliver sustainable project outcomes for our clients.

What Your Impact Is:

• Serve as a permitted BLM Principal Investigator in Idaho and surrounding Great Basin regions.

• Obtain BLM Cultural Resources Use Permits and other required federal and state permits necessary to support project execution and new business opportunities.

• Provide senior-level quality assurance and quality control of cultural resource deliverables prepared by other qualified archaeologists.

• Oversee teams conducting desktop studies and field investigations, including reconnaissance surveys, pedestrian surveys, testing, excavations, and construction monitoring activities.

• Lead, mentor, supervise, and develop archaeologists at varying career levels, including participation in recruitment, onboarding, engagement, and professional development activities.

• Coordinate closely with Cultural Resources Business Unit Leads, the Consulting Director for Archaeology, Area Managers, and Managing Partners.

• Serve as Principal Investigator and/or Task Manager for cultural resource studies associated with large capital projects, ensuring quality, scope, budget, and schedule objectives are met.

• Manage projects ranging from multi-state linear infrastructure programs to smaller site-specific investigations.

• Expand ERM’s profile and market share within the cultural resources consulting market through exceptional technical delivery and business development activities.

• Strengthen existing client relationships and establish new partnerships that contribute to significant revenue growth.

• Identify opportunities to cross-sell cultural resources services to existing ERM clients.

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including environmental planners, biologists, wetland specialists, GIS professionals, engineers, and other technical experts.

• Represent ERM in communications and meetings with clients, agency representatives, stakeholders, teaming partners, and subcontractors.

• Manage subcontractors and ensure quality, schedule, and performance expectations are achieved.

What You'll Bring:

Required

• Graduate degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or a closely related field of study, or equivalent experience.

• 6-8 years of related paid experience.

• Secretary of the Interior-qualified archaeologist listed as a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA), with qualifications meeting or exceeding SHPO requirements within the Great Basin.

• Demonstrated field experience and principal-level oversight of projects throughout the Great Basin, including inventory, survey, testing, and data recovery efforts.

• Experience serving as a primary author and/or third-party reviewer of agency-reviewed technical reports, including:

  • Class I and Class III technical reports

  • NEPA documentation

  • Cultural Resources Treatment Plans

  • Other federal, state, and local regulatory compliance documentation

• Experience interacting directly with regulatory agencies while representing client interests.

• Ability to effectively collaborate within teams of archaeologists and interdisciplinary technical specialists.

• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to project locations throughout the Great Basin region.

• Experience using mapping and field technologies, including GPS equipment, total stations, ArcGIS Field Maps, Survey123, and related applications.

• Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area.

Preferred

• Existing BLM permitting credentials and demonstrated experience securing permits across multiple Great Basin jurisdictions.

• Established relationships with federal, state, tribal, and local regulatory agencies.

• Experience supporting business development initiatives and managing key client relationships.

• Demonstrated success leading large, complex cultural resource programs for energy, infrastructure, or natural resource clients.

• Experience managing multidisciplinary project teams across geographically diverse locations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic cultural resource leadership across Great Basin projects.

• Maintain and expand regulatory permitting capabilities.

• Lead project execution and technical review efforts.

• Mentor, supervise, and develop cultural resources staff.

• Support business development and client growth initiatives.

• Drive collaboration across ERM’s multidisciplinary service offerings.

• Manage project quality, budgets, schedules, and client expectations.

• Represent ERM as a trusted technical expert and principal investigator.

For the Principal Technical Consultant, Archaeologist position, the anticipated annual base pay is $108,200–$144,800 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible). 

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off (vacation, sick, and floating holidays), parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k), and other applicable benefits to eligible employees. 

Who We Are:
As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

Please submit your resume and brief cover letter.

ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Thank you for your interest in ERM!

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