Senior Consultant, Archaeologist

ERM•Portland, OR

About The Position

Make Your Mark on the Future of Cultural Resource Stewardship in the Pacific Northwest If you’re an experienced archaeologist who thrives in dynamic environments—where every project brings a new landscape, new questions, and new stories waiting to be uncovered—this is your opportunity to shape meaningful outcomes across some of the region’s most influential environmental and infrastructure projects. At ERM , you won’t just support cultural resources work—you’ll help drive it, partnering with industry-leading experts across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Why This Role Matters The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the nation’s most culturally rich and environmentally sensitive landscapes. As a Senior Consultant, Archaeologist on ERM’s archaeology team you will play a critical role in ensuring responsible, ethical, and compliant development. Your expertise will directly inform environmental decision-making, contribute to federal and state permitting, and strengthen relationships with agencies and stakeholders who play a defining role in resource management across Washington, Oregon, and the greater region . What Your Impact Is In this role, you will: Lead and execute archaeological field investigations—including surveys, testing, excavations, and construction monitoring—to support culturally responsible project planning. Guide the development of high-quality technical reports, contributing to environmental documents and regulatory submissions relied upon by agencies such as SHPO, DAHP, and Oregon Heritage. Represent ERM in communications with clients, teaming partners, and state and federal agency counterparts. Provide technical consulting that strengthens ERM’s archaeology and cultural heritage practice across the Pacific Northwest and broader U.S. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of planners, biologists, GIS specialists, wetland scientists, and engineers to deliver integrated, high-standard environmental solutions.

Requirements

Graduate degree in Anthropology, Archaeology, or closely related field, plus 4+ years of paid professional experience.
Ability to be listed as Field Director on BLM, ARPA, and state cultural resources permits.
Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA); meets or exceeds Washington DAHP-, Oregon SHPO-, and Secretary of the Interior-qualified archaeologist standards.
Demonstrated experience directing fieldwork in the PNW—inventory, survey, testing, and/or data recovery—with knowledge of the Northwest Coast and Columbian Plateau culture areas.
Experience as primary or co-author of agency-reviewed technical reports (e.g., Class I/III reports, treatment plans).
Ability to work independently or as part of a larger archaeological team.
Willingness and ability to travel across WA and OR, with occasional travel throughout the Mountains and Pacific region.
Ability to conduct physically demanding fieldwork (walking up to 10 miles/day, carrying up to 50 lbs., working in diverse weather and terrain, conducting shovel testing).
Proficiency with mapping and field applications (e.g., total station, GPS, ArcGIS FieldMaps, Survey123).
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.
Flexibility to work in a variable-paced environment where priorities shift with project needs; fieldwork may be required up to 75% during peak season.
This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Field experience in additional western states (e.g., CA, AZ, NV, ID, UT).

Responsibilities

Prepare or lead the development of technical reports for desktop and field-based cultural resources investigations and contribute to cultural resources sections of federal and state environmental documents.
Lead and participate in field investigations, including reconnaissance and pedestrian surveys, testing/excavation programs, and construction monitoring activities.
Interact with SHPOs and associated regional agencies, including Washington DAHP and the Oregon Heritage SHPO.
Conduct research and prepare high-quality deliverables under the guidance of principal investigators, project managers, and partners.
Communicate effectively with senior staff and teaming partners to support interdisciplinary environmental analyses.
Provide cultural resources expertise that enhances ERM’s capability and supports business growth across archaeology and cultural heritage services.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across ERM’s U.S. operations, particularly in support of energy-sector clients.
Represent ERM in meetings, communications, and site activities involving clients, subcontractors, partners, regulatory stakeholders, and agency personnel.