Associate PALEONTOLOGIST

Hire Type: Full time, Hourly, pay dependent on experience

Salary Range: $30-$40 per hour 

Location: Remote, reporting to one of three operating regions:

Rocky Mountain Region; Pacific Northwest; West Coast

Job Description  

Lithos is seeking a full-time Associate Paleontologist to support projects in the Western United States reporting into one of three main locations; Rocky Mountain Region, Pacific Northwest, and the West Coast. The associate paleontologist will assist the management and growth of Lithos as a company by serving as a field director, junior project manager, and/or report writer. The Associate paleontologist will lead field surveys, perform construction monitoring, fossil salvages, and other field tasks as needed, and mentor staff level paleontologist. The associate paleontologist will also collect and record stratigraphic, lithologic, and paleontological data, and may also be required to perform laboratory fossil preparation and identification, data entry and cataloging, along with data analysis, write report section or entire reports, and record searches. The associate paleontologist may also be required to assist with proposal and budget preparation and client and agency communication.   

Required Qualifications:  

  • Bachelor’s degree in paleontology, geology, earth sciences, or a closely related field (e.g., environmental science, physical geography, biology, or geoarchaeology)  

  • Advanced paleontologic field skills including identifying fossils to a high taxonomic level and fossil excavation and collection 

  • Ability to be listed on federal paleontological resource use permits as a “Monitor” 

  • Valid driver’s license, with the willingness to drive in “off-road” conditions  

  • Ability and willingness to travel with extended overnight hotel stays, usually 2-weeks at a time 

  • Ability and willingness to endure adverse environmental conditions in remote locations, including hot and cold temperatures, precipitation, and challenging terrain for sustained durations  

  • Demonstrated experience in writing and communication skills 

Preferred Qualification 

  • Masters Degree in paleontology or Geology, or a closely related field 

  • Advanced knowledge of field geology skills including geologic mapping, sedimentology descriptions, depositional environment interpretations, and measuring stratigraphic columns 

  • Ability to be listed on federal paleontological resource use permits as an “Agent” 

  • Past Participation in geology or paleontology field school or equivalent type field work 

  • At least 2 yeara experience in paleontology mitigation 

  • Familiarity with a variety of methodologies in fossil collection and preparation  

  • Data management and GIS Experience