Contributed by: Jennifer Leynes
Company/Organization: NJ Historic Preservation Office
Salary Range: $51,479.83
Date Posted: May 22, 2026
Location: Trenton, New Jersey
Website: Visit External Site

The NJ Historic Preservation Office (HPO) is excited to expand our team with three new Program Specialist Trainees, with positions for an archaeologist, architectural historian, and analyst!

From the Crossroads of the American Revolution to the Doo-Wop Motels of the Wildwoods, the urban and industrial centers of Newark and Paterson to the Pinelands of South Jersey, the Garden State boasts a diversity of historic resources – including New Jersey’s favorite elephant-shaped building, Lucy the Elephant! The HPO offers a dynamic, fast-paced work environment within a collegial and supportive atmosphere. We are located within the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, with offices in Trenton near the Trenton Transit Center.

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 $56,253.35. Fulltime permanent NJ State employees receive annual pay increases in accordance with the current State contract negotiated through collective bargaining by our labor union.

The State of NJ offers excellent benefits, including but not limited to health and dental insurance, a prescription drug plan, a state-administered retirement system, and a deferred compensation program. Information regarding state employment benefits can be found on the Department’s website: https://www.nj.gov/dep/jobs/.

Additional benefits to employment at the Historic Preservation Office:

• 35-hour workweek.
• Paid holidays and sick, vacation, and administrative leave.
• Telework up to 2 days a week with supervisor and Department approval upon completion of a working test period.
• Full-time employees in the Department may be eligible to apply for the Alternate Work Program (AWP) after promotion from the trainee title. The program provides employees with a day off every week or one day off every two weeks, by compressing their schedules into longer hours on the remaining workdays of the same pay period.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF program allows employees of non-profits or public employers to forgive their federal student loan debt after 120 payments (10 years) while working for a qualified employer and under a qualified repayment plan.
• Tuition Reimbursement. Following completion of one year of continuous service with the Department, employees may apply for tuition reimbursement for courses taken as part of a degree program that support the function and goals of the organization. The program is based upon the availability of funds allocated each fiscal year and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

Please see the Notice of Vacancy for the Program Specialist Trainee position job descriptions, pay scale, and qualifications:

Archaeology - https://njdepartmentofenvironmentalprotection.applytojob.com/apply/axqSz70q4h/CIER20265-Program-Specialist-Trainee