The NJ Historic Preservation Office (HPO) is excited to expand our team with a new Program Specialist Trainee. The Program Specialist Trainee is responsible for assisting members of the public, federal, state, and local government agencies, and non-governmental entities in the identification, evaluation, preservation, protection, and treatment of archaeological resources in NJ. This assistance is provided by conducting professional archaeological reviews of projects under various state and federal regulatory requirements, including identification of historic properties and assessing National Register eligibility, applying site location models to assess the need for archaeological survey, negotiating measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts to historic properties, reviewing and understanding project plans and specifications, evaluating technical and substantive sufficiency and recommending approval of archaeological proposals, work plans, and survey reports for Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III levels of archaeological survey; reviewing and evaluating the technical and substantive sufficiency of archaeological management plans or the archaeological aspects of historic preservation plans and historic structures reports; establishing cooperative working relationships with representatives from local, state, federal government agencies, historical and/or environmental groups and members of the general public, providing technical assistance regarding New Jersey archaeology and the Historic Preservation Office’s programs to the public, including presentations of appropriate archaeological field and laboratory methodology; and uses office technology, including personal computer and Geographic Information Systems software.

Trainees who successfully complete the 12-month training period will be promoted to Program Specialist 1. The promotion includes a pay raise; the current starting salary for the Program Specialist 1 position is $53,050.20. Fulltime permanent NJ State employees receive annual pay increases in accordance with the current State contract negotiated through collective bargaining by our labor union.