Missions

Under the supervision of the DADAN project coordinator, the assistant project director will be in charge of excavating, supervising and publishing one of the major sectors of the archaeological site of Dadan (Saudi Arabia), the main Iron Age city in north-western Arabia. He will also assist the director in the logistical and scientific preparation of excavation campaigns and in the management of data from the excavation.

Activités

Technical and scientific activities:
- Assist the project director in developing and executing the site excavation strategy;
- Contribute to developing the project's recording system, in collaboration with the project director and a database specialist;
- Supervise the excavation of one of the main sectors of the Dadan site (habitat, sanctuary, craft area, etc.), for 8 to 12 weeks of fieldwork per year. To this end, lead a team of two to three sector managers, around twenty workers and possibly several Saudi students;
- Write a detailed report on the results of the excavation for the project's funders;
- Supervise the management of the project's documentation and archives;
- Contribute to the project's scientific publications (writing or co-writing articles, participating in conferences and seminars);
- Supervise all excavation operations in Area G (north of the Dadan tell), including a monumental building and its surroundings.

Training activities:
- Supervise a team of archaeologists (1 full-time and 2 part-time positions) and provide methodological training to French and Saudi students and young researchers.

Logistics:
- Contribute to preparing field campaigns, in collaboration with the director and project manager (defining work requirements, schedule, etc.).

Additional activities:
- Manage external communications for the project: social media management, dissemination of results to the general public, and coordination with the media.

Compétences

- PhD in archaeology or equivalent;
- At least 10 years' experience in archaeology as area supervisor;
- Experience of excavating in the Near East, if possible in the Arabian Peninsula;
- Good knowledge of the historical and archaeological context of pre-Islamic north-western Arabia (from the Bronze Age to late antiquity);
- Very good knowledge of the IT tools usually used in archaeological work: computer-aided design (Adobe Illustrator), geographic information systems (Qgis or ArcGis), photogrammetry (Agisoft Metashape) and databases ( Filemaker Pro in particular);
- Good level of English (minimum B2);
- Ability to lead a team in the field and train technicians and/or students in a foreign linguistic and cultural context;
- Ability to synthesise information and good writing skills;
- Writing skills and ease in scientific and general public communication;
- B driving licence .

Contexte de travail

The DADAN project is an archaeological excavation and exploration project in the ancient city of Dadan, in the al-Ula oasis, which was the capital of the first great North Arabian kingdom in the Iron Age (1200–300 BCE) and a major hub on the 'incense route' linking southern Arabia to the Mediterranean basin and Mesopotamia (https://www.orient-mediterranee.com/program/dadan-arabie-saoudite/). The project is led by CNRS UMR 8167 (coordinator: Jérôme Rohmer) and funded by the French Agency for the Development of AlUla (https://www.afalula.com/). The minimum duration of the project is set at 27 months, from November 2025 to March 2028. The agent will be welcomed into the “Mondes sémitiques” team of UMR 8167, on the CNRS campus in Villejuif.

Contraintes et risques

Full-time 100%, renewable if necessary, possibility of remote working.