Heavy Equipment Operator Lead

About the role

Amentum's ASC (Antarctic Support Center) is hiring a Heavy Equipment Operator Lead. The role provides direct support to the Fleet Operations Foreman, Supervisor or Traverse Operations Manager, leads small teams of operators and helps coordinate daily tasking for the Operators. It is both a working and operating lead position with physical labor, and includes leading projects such as loading cargo, fuel bladder filling and teaching Operators Standard Operating Procedures.

Key responsibilities

• Safely operate and oversee light vehicles and heavy equipment such as bulldozers, excavators, graders, backhoes, forklifts, snow blasters, dump trucks and snow grooming equipment.
• Lead small groups of operators toward departmental goals under the guidance of a Foreman or Supervisor.
• Perform daily equipment checks, track equipment hours and report safety and maintenance issues to the Vehicle Maintenance Facility.
• Train and evaluate team members before allowing them to use equipment unsupervised, and provide written reports on work completed and equipment status.
• Coordinate with other HEO Leads and Foremen, attend meetings and help with preseason, mid-season and end-of-season performance evaluations.
• Report spills, document incidents and comply with environmental health, safety and quality assurance requirements.
• Read manufacturer operating manuals and perform physical work including heavy lifting, climbing in and out of equipment and working outdoors in extreme cold.
• SPoT only: operate heavy equipment for grading, crane operation, snow removal, traverse and equipment recovery, fueling bladders, cargo loading/unloading, sled and housing module maintenance, runway construction, and supply counting and tracking; operate on assigned traverse to the South Pole for at least 50 days; learn ground-penetrating radar for crevasse detection.

Required profile

• High school diploma or GED; four years of experience as a heavy equipment operator.
• SPoT positions require at least one previous season with MCM Fleet Operations or South Pole Traverse.
• Valid US driver's license; US citizenship required for facility credentials and authorization.
• Medical, dental, drug screening and federal background check clearances; willingness to deploy to Antarctica for extended periods.
• Ability to lift and move heavy items, climb in and out of equipment, crawl and work outdoors in extreme cold.

Required skills

• Class A CDL preferred.
• Snow grooming and moving experience; rigging certification preferred.
• Understanding of grade and drainage; familiarity with project schedules and planning preferred.
• Experience in austere, equipment-limited environments and with regular re-directs and change orders preferred.
• Preferred: supervisory experience, project management experience, cold-climate equipment operations experience and Microsoft Office.