South Pole Winter Site Manager (Alternate)

Leidos Inc; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 92,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking an alternate South Pole Winter Site Manager to oversee all winter activities at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. Deployment is required for 10 months, serving as the senior on-site leader during the austral winter.

The position is a seasonal contract from September 2026 to November 2027, with US citizenship required and a Public Trust clearance. Responsibilities include leading day-to-day site operations and coordinating with NSF and other agencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related discipline or equivalent experience with 8+ years of professional experience; or 6+ years with a related Master's degree.
• Leadership experience with the ability to independently manage a diverse, skilled workforce.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully manage conflict resolution and solve operational & logistics issues.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and track the final selection process for winter personnel and organize pre-deployment team-building and emergency response trainings.
• Plan and lead station emergency response program, on-site training, and emergency response teams during summer and winter seasons.
• Ensure winter readiness trainings and activities are completed prior to station closing for winter.
• Lead day-to-day site operations during the austral winter, including conflict resolution and resource de-confliction to meet schedules.
• Provide station leadership and act as the senior on-site contact for all activities at South Pole Station during winter.
• Serve as the main liaison between on-site staff and CONUS headquarters to resolve issues and plan for the next season.
• Ensure winter personnel provide appropriate support to all program participants at the station.
• Plan and ensure all on-site summer readiness activities are completed prior to station opening.
• Interact with NSF representatives, science grantees, military, aircraft contractors, and other support agencies as required.
• Assist with Environmental Safety and Health, Finance or other responsibilities as assigned.

Skills

Leadership

Operations logistics

Conflict resolution

Education

Bachelor's degree in related discipline

Job description

Description

Leidos has an opening for an alternate South Pole Winter Site Manager to oversee all winter activities at the South Pole in Antarctica.This position will deploy toSouth Pole Station, Antarctica for 10 months and serve as the senior site lead during the austral winter.This is a Seasonal Contract position from September 2026 to November 2027. Deployment to Antarctica is required for this position. Please note, this is an Alternate position. Should the primary candidate become unavailable prior to station closing in February 2027, the Alternate would deploy in this position.

This positionrequires successful completion ofphysical and dental examinations and required by the NSF for deploying to Antarctica.

Due to contract requirements, US citizenship is required.

Must obtain a Public Trust security clearance prior to start date.

The South Pole Winter Site Manager willassist South Pole Area Management in the day-to-day management of Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station during austral summer before becoming the senior leader on site for the full austral winter season. The standard work schedule for this position is 40 hours per week in the US and 54 hours per week when deployed to Antarctica. (Monday through Saturday, 9 hours per day.)

Primary responsibilities:

• Responsible for coordinating and tracking the final selection process for winter personnel and organizing & coordinating pre-deployment team building & emergency response trainings for winterover staff.
• Plans & leads station emergency response program, on-site training, and emergency response teams during the summer and winter seasons.
• Plans and ensures all winter readiness trainings & activities are completed prior to station closing for the winter season.
• Leading day-to-day site operations during the austral winter. This includes conflict resolution; de-conflicting resources; ensuring operational schedules are met and tasking is completed.
• Provides station leadership & management, and serves as the senior on-site point of contact for all activities at South Pole Station during the austral winter season.
• Serves as the main liaison between the on-site staff and CONUS headquarters staff during the winter to ensure that issues are resolved and planning for the next season takes into account any changes or challenges on station during the winter.
• Ensures that winter personnel provide responsive and appropriate levels of support to all program participants at South Pole Station during the austral winter.
• Plans and ensures all on-site summer readiness activities are completed prior to station opening for the summer season.
• Interacts, as appropriate, with National Science Foundation representatives, science grantees, military, aircraft contractors and other support agencies as required.
• Other duties may include assisting with Environmental Safety and Health, Finance or other responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college in a related discipline, or equivalent experience/combined education, with 8+ years of professional experience; or 6+ years of professional experience with a related Master's degree.
• Leadership experience must include the demonstrated ability to work with and independently manage a diverse, skilled work force.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully manage conflict resolution and problem solve operational & logistics issues is required.

Additional Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10+ years leadership experience preferred.
• Leadership experience at remote locations is highly desirable.
• Leadership experience within matrixed organizations is highly desirable.
• Polar experience is highly desirable.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting: August 21, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $92,300.00 - $166,850.00

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.