McMurdo Seasonal Instrument Technician

Leidos Inc; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos Inc. seeks a McMurdo Seasonal Instrument Technician to support USAP scientists at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, maintaining diverse laboratory instruments and providing field assistance.

The role involves 54-hour weeks, travel to Antarctica for 4–5 months, and collaboration across multiple laboratories. Applicants must obtain NSF-required physical/dental exams, US citizenship or permanent residency, and pass a Public Trust clearance, with deployment conditions emphasized throughout the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree with required years of experience as listed.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Good verbal communication and computer literacy required.
• Experience in a research environment providing direct support to science events/projects.

Responsibilities

• Assist in review of research requirements, planning and scheduling laboratory support.
• Assist in researching, evaluating and procuring laboratory instruments and equipment.
• Maintain inventories of spare parts and calibration certificates.
• Install, calibrate, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments and equipment.
• Provide emergency repairs and perform preventative maintenance as needed.
• Brief grantees and scientists on safe laboratory practices.

Skills

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Verbal communication

Computer literacy

Problem solving

Self-motivation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Description

The Leidos Corporation is seeking a McMurdo Seasonal Instrument Technician. This position is responsible for assisting in the safe operation and maintenance of laboratories in support of USAP scientists at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. These laboratories support scientists from multiple disciplines conducting basic and applied research in Antarctica. Laboratories include analytical chemistry, computer, microbiology, microscopy, molecular biology, radioisotope, seawater aquaria, and general use laboratories. A full range of spare parts and accessories plus some vendor technician support are provided to maintain the operation of a diverse inventory of equipment and analytical instruments supplied by the laboratories or the scientists, in both the laboratory and field.

*** This position requires deployment to Antarctica and has a contract length of 4-5 months from approximately October to February (Austral Summer). While deployed, the standard work schedule for this position is 54 hours per week. The candidate in the position must complete the physical and dental examinations required by the NSF for deploying to Antarctica. Failure to meet these requirements may result in withdrawal of employment offer or other employment action. ***

Due to contract requirements, US Citizenship is required.

Must obtain a Public Trust security clearance prior to start date. This process could take up to 4 months.

Primary Responsibilities

• Assists in review of research requirements, planning, and scheduling of laboratory support for science projects.
• Assists in researching, evaluating, justifying, and procuring laboratory and field instruments and equipment.
• Assists in maintaining appropriate and accurate inventories of spare parts.
• Installs new and stored lab instruments.
• Checks functioning and calibration of all instruments before and after grantee use.
• Troubleshoots all instruments and equipment as needed.
• Provides emergency repairs for all laboratory instruments as needed.
• Performs calibrations; writes, updates, and performs preventative maintenance.
• Maintains instrument maintenance/repair history files and calibration certificates.
• Packages and tracks capital equipment and instruments for recalibration, repair, replacement, winter storage, and/or transfer to research vessels as needed.
• Assures all instrument-related entries in the inventory, equipment, and preventative maintenance databases are kept current.
• Briefs grantees/scientists on safe laboratory practices, and care/maintenance of USAP-owned instrumentation.
• Provides input to the S&TPS McMurdo Implementation Manager on suggested improvements to the laboratories and the associated systems that would enhance their use as research facilities.
• Assists in scheduling and coordinating the fabrication of equipment and other support requests made by science projects.
• Assists the S&TPS Hazardous Chemicals Manager, as needed, in providing cryogens, monitoring the safe use of cryogens, and monitoring the cryogenic supplies inventory.
• Assists the S&TPS Laboratory Supervisor, as needed, with Laboratory Assistant tasking (facility management and logistical/technical tasking) in support of deployed science teams.
• Monitoring the Duty Pager and being on-call 24/7 for alarms or issues approximately one week of every month.
• Conducts briefings on research and tours of the laboratory facilities for distinguished visitors.
• Handles confidential matters (personnel actions, management reports, etc.) in accordance with management policy.
• Interacts with the National Science Foundation, military, and other agency officials, both over the telephone and in person, in a professional and tactful manner.
• Responsible for maintaining a safe workplace program and ensuring safety is the highest priority in the work place.
• Performs other duties as required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least 4 years' relevant experience or a Master's degree and at least 2 years' relevant experience.
• A successful candidate must demonstrate organizational and interpersonal skills and be self-motivated to identify and carry out projects and requests on their own.
• Good verbal communication skills, computer literacy, and problem-solving skills are required.
• Experience in a research environment providing direct support to science events/projects required.
• Must successfully complete the physical and dental examinations as required by the NSF for deployment to Antarctica.
• Willingness and ability to deploy to Antarctica for approximately 4-5 months is required.
• US citizenship or US Permanent Residency is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four years of laboratory or observatory technical work experience. Laboratory or observatory technical work should include operational experience utilizing analytical equipment.
• Previous experience working in Antarctica or another remote research station is desired.
• Comfortable with public speaking.

Pay Range

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.