Network Administrator - McMurdo, Antarctica (Austral Summer 2026)

Job Purpose

Responsible for the administration, maintenance, and installation of the network infrastructure and applications comprising the LAN/WAN environment supporting McMurdo Station. Works with the Network Engineer to ensure network connectivity on station and off-continent. Focuses on daily and immediate-term tasking to support sustaining operations. Maintains technical expertise in all areas of network and computer hardware and software interconnection and interfacing, such as routers, switches, firewalls, etc.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure daily operations, configuration, and maintenance of Layer 2 and Layer 3 infrastructure.
• Process, interpret, and execute daily service tickets.
• Develop detailed procedures and documentation for performing routine network maintenance.
• Conduct regularly scheduled network maintenance for the multi-server/multi-platform network.
• Responsible for troubleshooting and recovery of LAN outages/interruptions.
• Implement and support local and wide-area network communications and security.
• Maintain network operating systems and hardware to current standards.

• Assist with life-cycle management evaluations and recommendations.

• Ensure all configurations and modifications are documented.

• 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.

• B.S. degree in Computer Science or 4 years career experience in network administration. Minimum three years of experience in the administration, operation, installation, and support of network operations in an enterprise environment is required.
• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or higher Cisco certification preferred. Equivalent technical networking certifications acceptable in lieu of or in addition to.
• Configuration management expertise with Cisco IOS and hardware. Prior experience installing, configuring and maintaining Cisco equipment is required.
• Familiarity with common Internet application and service protocols such as DNS, DHCP, HTTP.

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

• Support background in an academic or research computing environment, satellite, terrestrial and data communications experience desired.
• Experience with Ansible, SDN, high-latency/low-bandwidth satellite and radio communications.
• Experience with traffic shaping devices, WAN protocol accelerators and bandwidth management.

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 procedure.
• 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