Environmental Scientist - Cultural Resources

Summary

The early career professional candidate will provide technical, research, and field support to meet cultural resources compliance needs for SRP's power and water infrastructure, including operation, maintenance, siting, and construction. The candidate will assist SRP's Senior Cultural Resources Management Specialist, Biological and Cultural Resources Services' management, and Senior Environmental Compliance Scientists to ensure compliance with federal and state cultural resource laws, regulations, and policies. The duties will require conducting background research, performing environmental screening analyses and coordinating cultural resource field studies with internal departments, contractors, and federal and state agencies, analyzing and summarizing results, drafting written reports, and entry of field data.

The candidate also will assist field biologists with avian or other wildlife surveys, project coordination, and preparation of reports, as needed. The position requires an individual with demonstrated ability to work independently and as a team member and to take direction to meet objectives for multiple projects.  The successful candidate will have problem-solving skills, be an effective communicator, in addition to demonstrated knowledge of multiple environmental laws and regulations, such as National Historic Preservation Act, Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, Archeological Resources Protection Act, Arizona State Historic Preservation Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. Work will be conducted under the supervision of the Sr. Manager of Biological and Cultural Resource Services.

What You'll Do

• Supports compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and State Historic Preservation Act, including working in a sensitive and respectful manner with the cultural resource staff of Tribal cultural resource departments and with the State Historic Preservation Office.
• Works with SRP’s Senior Cultural Resources Management Specialist, senior environmental compliance scientists, and management to provide project managers, engineers and consultants with advice on project designs to minimize impacts to cultural resources and to ensure project compliance with federal, tribal, and state cultural resource laws and regulations; assists with reviews of construction drawings and plans, evaluation of alternatives and options, and helps develop mitigation and best management practices related to preservation and maintenance of historic properties and may oversee implementation.
• Supports the Section 106 and other regulatory compliance through background research, which may include compiling and analyzing existing data from institutional files and databases, professional literature, archival and other historical documents, original interviews, and other indirect sources; helps plan and execute field surveys of varying intensities; may assist with reviews of field archaeologists (consultants) work; prepares or reviews a variety of reports, data summaries, analyses, and syntheses.
• Participates as a team member in project teams, providing routine updates on project work, preparing cultural resource text for NEPA documents, identifying special cultural resource considerations, and potential impacts to cultural resources.
• Provides training to SRP staff, including construction crews, on historic and cultural resource laws and regulations, and mitigation or avoidance measures. Conducts on-site monitoring for cultural resources during construction activities.
• Engage with state and federal agencies, universities, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations to continually build and improve upon your knowledge of cultural resource science and knowledge, natural resource regulations, and technical skills related to SRP’s ongoing and future water and power operations.
• Assist wildlife biologists with avian (endangered species and burrowing owls) and other wildlife and plant surveys, and support the analysis, summary and preparation of reports to ensure compliance.
• Coordinate with department team members to track project compliance and enter and maintain project compliance databases.  
• Work with interdisciplinary teams to review, analyze and develop comments concerning proposed federal and state natural resource laws, regulations or policies that could impact SRP’s water or power operations.

What It Takes To Succeed

Position requires periodic travel up to a week at a time, and ability to safely conduct field work in remote locations, difficult environmental conditions, and extreme heat. Experience with archaeological survey, excavation, and construction monitoring, historic building/structure evaluations, and demonstrated ability to operate UTVs and 4x4 vehicles. Experience with cultural resource background research, technical report drafting, and participating in multiple projects at one time. Willingness to develop and maintain positive working relationships with federal and state cultural resources and land management agency staff and SRP consultants.  Prior experience with wildlife surveys or willingness to learn field survey techniques and obtain federal or state certifications. Strong interpersonal skills and experience with communicating and presenting to management, regulatory agencies, peers, and the public.

Education preference: Bachelor’s degree in archaeology, anthropology, architectural history, Native American studies, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, such as natural resource policy or natural resource management.

Experience

Promotion to Level 2 requires a minimum of two years experience at Level 1; demonstrated capability to perform advanced and more difficult work as determined by the supervisor.  Promotion to Senior Level requires a minimum of three years experience at Level 2; is fully competent in all aspects of functional area of assignment and as such would be recognized as a specialist in area of assignment and may have periodic or occasional lead responsibilities.

Education