Systems Administrator - McMurdo, Antarctica (Austral Summer 2026)

Note: If you would like to be considered for more than one position or position tier, please individually apply for all positions that you are interested in. One application submitted for a specific position does not automatically include you to be considered for all positions that you may be qualified to perform.

Job Purpose

The System Administrator position performs critical IT activities in support of the users. This position is responsible for the administration, maintenance and troubleshooting of all servers, network operating systems, backup systems and production database servers. This position ensures that all systems meet the program standards for the production environments.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage, maintain, and deploy essential data systems infrastructure, including servers, data storage, applications, and appliances.
• Perform data systems administration tasks including managing user accounts, groups, permissions, email systems, group policies, web services, file services, print services, etc.

• Process, interpret, and execute daily service tickets.

• Manage physical and virtual server infrastructure.
• Manage networked data storage arrays.
• Maintain and validate backup management application and backup system inventory.
• Ensure compliance with security standards and USAP policies.
• Document and communicate status, procedures, and plans.
• Required to provide 24x7 support and participate in on-call duty rotation.
• All other duties as assigned.

 

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship or permanent residence is required.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field from an accredited university. Certifications may be accepted in lieu of degree based on level of experience.
• Two years of directly relevant enterprise-level Systems Administration experience.

• Experience in Microsoft Windows Server roles.
• Expertise in Active Directory management.
• Experience in Microsoft Exchange (on-prem preferred).
• Group Policy administration experience.
• Enterprise virtualization experience: Hyper-V preferred, vCenter experience acceptable.
• Enterprise backup and recovery experience.
• Experience with managing DHCP (IPv4 and IPv6).
• Experience with managing DNS.
• Powershell or other scripting experience preferred.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Documentation writing skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks.
• Ability to work both independently with little supervision and in a team environment.

Candidates receive additional consideration with the following in addition to the basic requirements:

• Veeam One and Veeam Backup & Recovery experience.
• HPE Nimble Storage experience.
• IPv6 knowledge and experience.
• Experience with basic network administration.
• Linux administration experience.

Competencies

• Communication Proficiency.
• Organizational Skills.
• Problem Solving/Analysis.
• Teamwork Orientation.
• Technical Capacity.
• Time Management.

 

Physical Requirements

• Deployment will be required in this position. The individual in the position must successfully complete the physical and dental examinations as required by the NSF for deploying to Antarctica. Failure to meet these requirements may result in withdrawal of employment offer or other employment action.
• Complies with applicable safety, environment, health, and waste management policies and procedures.
• Individual must be capable of operating a standard desktop computer; must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Position Expectations

• This is a full-time, seasonal position located in Antarctica.
• Position requires both a GHG initial employment background screening as well as a National Science Foundation coordinated Personnel Adjudication / Employment Background Investigation (EBI) screening.
• All expenses paid while on-ice meals, lodging, medical, gear, travel to and from Antarctica.
• Performance Period: Oct 2026 - Feb 2027

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer as defined by the EEOC