Amtrak | Senior Historic Preservation Specialist – Philadelphia

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As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.

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Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:

The Sr Historic Preservation Specialist position serves as a subject matter expert regarding historic preservation regulatory compliance for Amtrak’s projects with federal involvement. This position provides technical expertise to support fulfillment of requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, and its implementing regulations under 36 CFR 800 (Section 106), and related historic preservation regulations, as required for Amtrak’s nationwide capital program and other company initiatives. This includes facilitating and tracking historic preservation approvals; providing historic preservation technical support and guidance to Amtrak’s staff and design/technical consultants regarding regulatory procedures and application of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties; coordinating directly and functioning as the project point of contact on historic preservation regulatory matters; and collaborates with the Amtrak National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff to coordinate historic preservation compliance with NEPA processes. The position may also evaluate Amtrak assets for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and effects under Section 106 and contribute to expanding and maintaining an inventory of Amtrak’s historic assets.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Conducts project screening related to cultural resources, evaluates regulatory pathways, and guides Section 106 compliance for projects from screening through construction
• Guides Section 106 consultation for relatively routine projects and some more complex projects, and may assist senior staff with Section 106 tasks related to particularly large or complex projects
• Coordinates directly with Amtrak staff and design consultants to provide procedural direction, expectations for deliverables, and technical review of/quality control for Section 106 analyses and communications
• Works with architects, engineers, and others to develop design strategies in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties
• Collaborates and maintains relationships as point of contact between Amtrak and the FRA with respect to Section 106 and related compliance for assigned projects
• Serves as Amtrak’s project point of contact for State Historic Preservation Offices and other consulting parties related to Section 106 consultation for assigned projects
• Works with Amtrak NEPA staff to coordinate reviews and maintain a database of the Section 106 and NEPA status of Amtrak projects, and uses existing and emerging tools to facilitate related reporting to internal stakeholders and FRA
• Maintains and expands a database of Amtrak’s historic assets in enterprise software, and shares information with internal stakeholders and consultants
• Stays current on changes to Section 106 and related historic preservation regulations as they relate to Amtrak projects.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in historic preservation, architectural history, or closely related discipline, or bachelor’s degree and required experience to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for Architectural History or History (36 CFR Part 61).
• Minimum 5 years of relevant Section 106 and other historic preservation regulatory compliance experience.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication, and relationship building skills, with demonstrated experience closely coordinating with environmental and archaeological colleagues, project managers, and varied technical disciplines
• Strong organizational and time management skills, and demonstrated experience working simultaneously on multiple projects with competing schedules and priorities; able to set and follow through on priorities
• Ability to maintain various directions of internal/external project communication for multiple projects
• Demonstrated experience providing technical support to internal colleagues and leadership
• Demonstrated experience interacting with regulators and consulting parties
• Demonstrated experience preparing Section 106 studies and related documentation, and successfully leading the Section 106 consultation process
• Demonstrated experience evaluating properties for National Register eligibility and assessing effects on historic properties resulting in agency concurrence
• Demonstrated experience applying the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
• Comfortable using databases or other tracking systems to manage project status and workflow
• Ability to consider conflicting project constraints and contribute to creative problem-solving in accordance with the regulations to achieve project goals
• Self-sufficient and able to work independently and as part of teams; knows when to seek guidance from others
• Ability to clearly explain the Section 106 process to those not knowledgeable in historic preservation and related regulatory issues or procedures; enjoys educating others.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and strong quality control skills

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• More than 6 years of relevant experience
• Prior experience supporting historic preservation aspects of all phases of project development and delivery including planning, scoping, design, and construction in a fast-paced environment with projects ranging in size and complexity, including managing/guiding consultants and serving as subject matter expert/technical representative.
• Familiarity with historic railroad stations, bridges, and other rail infrastructure
• Familiarity with the ACHP’s Program Comment to Exempt Consideration of Effects to Rail Properties Within Rail Rights-of-Way, as amended
• Familiarity with USDOT agency NEPA procedures and experience with document preparation and technical review under NEPA
• Familiarity with non-USDOT federal agency Section 106 and NEPA procedures that may be relevant to railroad projects, such as the Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Communications Commission nationwide programmatic agreements and Positive Train Control Program Comment.
• Familiarity with Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act
• Working knowledge of GIS software and use for cultural resources data

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Amtrak is functionally a weak-matrix organization requiring broad outreach to and coordination with various disciplines and departments.
• Work is office-based with periodic travel to project sites at stations, facilities, or along the railroad right-of-way. The preferred candidate would have at least a hybrid in-office/remote schedule.

COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

• Must have excellent oral and written communication skills.

The salary/hourly range is $80,750 – $104,650. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, internal equity, etc. Depending on an employee’s assigned worksite or location, Amtrak may consider a geo-pay differential to be applied to the employee’s base salary. Amtrak may offer additional incentive and pay programs to recognize and reward our employees, including a short-term incentive bonus based upon factors such as individual and company performance that is commensurate with the level of the position and/or long-term incentive plan compensation. In addition to your salary, Amtrak offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes health, dental, and vision plans; health savings accounts; wellness programs; flexible spending accounts; 401K retirement plan with employer match; life insurance; short and long term disability insurance; paid time off; back-up care; adoption assistance; surrogacy assistance; reimbursement of education expenses; Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility; Railroad Retirement sickness and retirement benefits; and rail pass privileges. Learn more about our benefits offerings here.

Requisition ID:158396
Posting Location(s):Pennsylvania
Job Family/Function:Safety & Security
Relocation Offered:No
Travel Requirements:Up to 25%

Amtrak employees power our progress through their performance.

We want your work at Amtrak to be more than a job – we want it to be a fulfilling experience where you find challenging and rewarding opportunities, respect among colleagues, competitive pay, benefits that protect you and your family and a high performance culture that recognizes and values your contributions and helps you reach your career goals.

All positions require pre-employment background check verification, a pre-employment drug screen and proof of full vaccination against COVID -19. Amtrak is committed to a safe workplace free of drugs and alcohol and performs pre-employment substance abuse testing. Marijuana, notwithstanding any statute, ordinance, regulation, or other law that legalizes or decriminalizes the use or possession of marijuana, whether for medical, recreational, or other use.  Candidates who engage in the usage of marijuana will not be qualified for hire.   Successful applicants for employment with Amtrak must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date of hire as a condition of employment, subject to requests for accommodation.  Fully vaccinated means 14 days have elapsed since receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or 14 days since receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In accordance with DOT regulations (49 CFR § 40.25), Amtrak is required to obtain prior drug and alcohol testing records for applicants/employees intending to perform safety-sensitive duties for covered Department of Transportation positions. If an applicant/employee refuses to provide written consent for Amtrak to obtain these records, the individual will not be permitted to perform safety-sensitive functions.

In accordance with federal law governing security checks of covered individuals for public transportation ( Title 6 U.S.C. § 1143), Amtrak is required to screen applicants for any permanent or interim disqualifying criminal offenses.

Note that any education requirement listed above may be deemed satisfied if you have an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Amtrak is an EOE/Affirmative Action Minority/Female employer, and we welcome all to apply. We consider candidates regardless of race/color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions), national origin/ethnicity, age, disability (intellectual, mental and physical), veteran status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, genetic information, citizenship or any other personal characteristics protected by law.