[ES_JOBS_NET] NOAA South Pole Technician Opportunities: Winter 2023/2024

Fri Mar 24 06:51:13 MDT 2023

https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/spo/spo_tech_job.html

NOAA South Pole Technician Job Information

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global
Monitoring Laboratory <https://gml.noaa.gov/> (GML) is seeking two primary
technicians for Winter 2024 at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and
one alternate technician who would deploy if primary candidates cannot
deploy or must leave Antarctica before winter.

Two NOAA technicians work at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF)
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to operate, calibrate, and maintain NOAA
and partner climate instrumentation and projects for a one-year period.
The team collects high quality data to monitor the composition of the
atmosphere and the Earth’s energy budget, enabling researchers to
understand how the climate changes over time.  They also serve as members
of the station’s Emergency Response Team and assist with community tasks
such as cleaning the station, station opening/closing tasks, and other
duties as assigned.

Two primary technicians will be hired as federal employees on term-limited
appointments and must initially pass the mandatory physical qualification
(PQ) for deployment.  If a technician does not meet the NSF’s rigorous PQ
standards for wintering at South Pole, the term appointment will be ended
early and employment will be terminated.  Concurrent to completing the PQ,
the technicians will complete training with NOAA and partner project leads
at the NOAA/GML office in Boulder, and virtually.  Training may include a
travel to, and hands-on experience at the NOAA Barrow Atmospheric Baseline
Observatory in Utqiagvik, AK.  Team building and emergency response
training is anticipated to be held in the Denver area in early October 2023.

Deployment to Antarctica for primary technicians is anticipated to occur in
mid-October 2024.  However, with uncertainty surrounding the 2023 season
COVID-19 protocols, dates are subject to change.  There may be a quarantine
or isolation period included in this year’s deployment.  After the year in
Antarctica concludes, technicians may take up to 30 days of leave prior to
returning to the United States.

The Alternate Technician will be hired as a federal employee on
term-limited appointment and must initially pass the mandatory physical
qualification (PQ) for deployment.  After completing the PQ, the alternate
trains alongside the primary technicians in Boulder.  However, they remain
in an “on call” status until the South Pole Station closes for the winter.
In the event the primary technician cannot deploy, or leaves South Pole
during the summer season (November - February), the alternate would
immediately deploy to take their place.

If the training period is successful and the Alternate does not deploy,
they will be given the first right of refusal to deploy as the primary NOAA
technician for the following year (2025).

PRIMARY TECHNICIAN Estimated Job Timeline (exact dates TBD)

   -

   Application open: 15 March - 10 April 2023
   -

   Interviews: 24 - 28 April 2023
   -

   Onboarding: June - July 2023
   -

   Physical examinations: July 2023, examination fees and time reimbursed.
   -

   Training in Boulder: July - October 2023.  May include a training trip
   to Utqiagvik, AK.
   -

   Primary Technician Deployment to Antarctica: 15 October 2023 - 30
   November 2024
   -

   Primary Technician Return to Boulder: 30 November - 31 December 2024

ALTERNATE TECHNICIAN Estimated Job Timeline (exact dates TBD)

   -

   Application open: 15 March - 10 April 2023
   -

   Interviews: 24 - 28 April 2023
   -

   Onboarding: June - July 2023
   -

   Physical examinations: July 2023, examination fees and time reimbursed.
   -

   Training in Boulder: July - October 2023.  May include a training trip
   to Utqiagvik, AK.
   -

   Alternate Technician On-call for deployment: 1 October 2022 - 5 February
   2023
   -

   Alternate Technician conditional invitation to return as 2025 primary
   technician: March 2024
   -

      Shift to Primary Technician training and deployment schedule for
      winter 2024/2025.

Basic Qualifications

   -

   United States citizenship
   -

   Meets OPM Physical scientist education/experience (
   https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/general-physical-science-series-1301/
   )
   -

   Must have all undergraduate or graduate work completed by June 2023.
   -

   Past technical experience, past fieldwork/experience strongly preferred
   -

   Must be able to pass a rigorous physical qualification - may require
   wisdom teeth removal, stress test, current COVID-19 vaccination
   -

   Must be able to obtain a New Zealand visa
   -

   Must be able to pass a federal service background check

A strong candidate will have:

   -

   Electronics troubleshooting experience
   -

   An understanding of, and experience with, computer network hardware,
   software, and firewalls
   -

   Field work experience, preferably in the Arctic or Antarctic regions
   -

   Soldering and/or cable making experience
   -

   Basic programming skills and experience with multiple operating systems,
   including Windows and Linux
   -

   Teamwork experience - large and small teams
   -

   Situational awareness/emotional intelligence
   -

   Strong written and verbal communication skills

A webinar about hiring for a previous year’s technician is linked.

https://youtu.be/-_fzfUICTIA

DISCLAIMER: Not all hiring information pertains to the 2023 Technician
position.  For specific questions, please contact Christine Smith at
christine.smith at noaa.gov.  This video is meant as a reference for South
Pole life and the overall Observatory program in Antarctica.  Dates, safety
protocols, hiring, and travel information is subject to change.

*JOB APPLICATION:*

*To apply please upload your resume/cv for this position at the linked
Google Form:* https://forms.gle/xaJgxHTfL6k7kGUq6

For more information about South Pole and the United States Antarctic
Program, please visit: https://www.usap.gov/

**I have resumed a hybrid work schedule.  Please call my government cell
phone at (303) 909-0375**

*Christine Smith (she/her)*
*Field Operations Manager*

*Observatory Operations, Global Monitoring Laboratory*

*National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration325 Broadway,
R/GML1Boulder, CO 80305*
*Government Cellular: (303) 909-0375*

*Personal Cellular: (862) 266-2555*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mailman.ucar.edu/pipermail/es_jobs_net/attachments/20230324/cc240cc8/attachment.htm>