Heavy Equipment Operator Lead

Amentum is a global leader in advanced engineering and innovative technology solutions, trusted by the United States and its allies to address their most significant and complex challenges in science, security and sustainability. Our people apply undaunted curiosity, relentless ambition and boundless imagination to challenge convention and drive progress. Our commitments are underpinned by the belief that safety, collaboration and well-being are integral to success.

Summary:

Provide direct support to the Fleet Operations Foremen, Supervisor or Traverse Operations Manager ensuring efficient and productive operations within the department. Leads small teams under the guidance of a Foreman or the Supervisor to accomplish specific projects and tasks along with helping to coordinate daily tasking for the Operators and direct projects such as loading cargo, fuel bladder filling, and leading by example as they teach Operators Standard Operating Procedures. Occasionally interact and coordinate with other ASC departments in support of the above. This is both a working and operating lead position with physical labor, and support tasking responsibilities in addition to leadership and operating responsibilities.

Position Responsibilities

All Heavy Equipment Operators:

• Implements and maintains a safe workplace program and ensures that safety is the highest priority in the workplace.
• Safely and proficiently operate and/or over-see the operation of light vehicles such as pickups, heavy equipment such as bulldozers, articulating loaders, excavators, graders, backhoes, fork-lifts, tele-handlers, snow blasters, tracked agricultural tractors, piston bullys, dump-trucks, snow moving and grooming equipment, etc,
• Operate autonomously to complete specific tasks and projects in support of Fleet Operations.
• Effectively lead small groups of people to achieve departmental goals on a daily, weekly, and sometimes longer-term basis under the guidance of a Foreman or the Supervisor. These small teams may include equipment operators, heavy equipment operators, and others.
• Coordinate with other HEO Leads and Foremen within Fleet Operations to ensure department-wide goals and daily operations are met and department wide resources are used efficiently.
• Perform daily equipment checks and ensure that all safety and maintenance issues are reported to the Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF) daily via proper reporting methods and channels. (Ex: Submit Work Order to VMF for repair)
• Tracks equipment hours daily and notifies Fleet Operations Foreman/Traverse Shop Foreman any time equipment is within 25 hours of its PM due hours.
• Ensure all team members are properly trained and evaluated in the safe use of any piece of equipment prior to allowing that team member to use the equipment unsupervised.
• Provide written reports as needed summarizing work completed, issues encountered, lessons learned, equipment status, etc to ensure effective passing of information from shift to shift.
• Complete daily work requests and assignments in a timely manner.
• Attend meetings as needed to gain knowledge from and ensure coordination with all other departments in support of ASC operations.
• Provide input to the Foremen and the Supervisor aiding in the completion of preseason, mid-season, and end-of-season team member performance evaluations in accordance with established HR procedures.
• Ensure all spills are properly reported and cleaned up per existing SOP’s.
• Read and understand the manufacturers operating manual for each piece of equipment prior to operation.
• Complies with and ensures all team members understand and comply with ASC Environmental Health & Safety and Quality Assurance goals and requirements.

• Reports and documents incidents in a timely manner.

• Performs physical activities including heavy lifting, climbing in and out of tall vehicles and heavy equipment, crawling as needed, working outdoors in extreme cold, and walking long distances daily.
• Snow shoveling, ice-chipping, and other forms of manual labor required due to location of position.
• Maintains self-control and represents ASC-Amentum to the highest standards during on and off hours
• Performs duties in support of Operations Division metrics (as provided by supervisor).
• Supports the achievement of ASC metrics, whether metrics are directly or indirectly affected by this position’s work activities.
• Complies with all ASC Environmental Health & Safety and Quality Assurance requirements and goals.
• Performs other duties as required.

SPoT Only:

• Operates heavy equipment as required, including the following activities: Grading, 9,000lb knuckle boom crane operation, snow removal, traverse and equipment recovery operations, fueling bladders, loading/unloading cargo, perform basic maintenance on sleds and housing modules, runway construction and maintenance, recovery of science equipment including NASA payloads.
• Counting, packing, and tracking supplies, food, fuel bladder filling, and gear for assigned traverses.
• Operates on assigned traverse for no less than a 50-day duration to the South Pole and back at least once, (twice if assigned to SPOT 1 and 3).
• Become proficient in reading Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) for crevasse detection to act as backup to the Supervisor and Mountaineer.
• Lubricates, checks fluids, and performs safety inspection and minor maintenance as required prior to operation of any equipment.
• Arranges equipment maintenance according to manufacturer recommendations or as directed by the Vehicle Maintenance Facility and Supervisor, Fleet Operations.

Required Education, Experience, Certificates and Licenses:

• High School diploma or GED
• Four years of experience as a heavy equipment operator (such as those outlined above) is required.
• SPoT positions require a minimum of 1 previous season with MCM Fleet Operations or South Pole Traverse

Expected Skills and Competencies:

• Team player and group dynamics are of the utmost importance.

Preferred:

• Prior supervisory/leadership experience.
• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office.
• General knowledge and understanding of project schedules.
• Prior project management experience.
• Prior cold-climate equipment operations experience.
• Class A CDL.
• Snow grooming, moving experience.
• A clear understanding of grade and drainage.
• Rigging certifications.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office.
• General knowledge and understanding of project schedules and planning.

• Prior experience working in austere environments.
• Ability to thrive in an equipment and resource limited environment.

• Ability to work in an environment with regular Re-Directs and Change Orders in a calm, collected and respectful manner. With McMurdo Station under a complete rebuild new tasking, weather and priorities are the norm rather than the exception.

Physical and/or Other Requirements:

• Willingness and ability to deploy to Antarctica for extended periods
• Successful completion of Medical and Dental examinations required by the NSF for deployment to Antarctica
• Successful completion of drug screening and background check required by employer
• Successful completion of Federal Background Check required by the NSF
• Must be willing and able to lift and move items, parts, assemblies, and equipment up to the safety regulation maximum as required by the position.
• Must be willing and able to perform physical activities including heavy lifting, climbing in and out of equipment, crawling, and working outdoors in extreme cold as required by the position.
• Must participate in community programs, such as “house-mouse” (chores), “daisy-picking” (cleaning-up around the station), recycling efforts & safety objectives.
• Valid Driver’s License issued in the United States
• No clearance requirement but the contract and/or the site requires US Citizenship to be approved for access. (includes NACI / T1, MRPT, CAC): Must be able to obtain and maintain facility credentials/authorization. Note: US Citizenship is required for facility credentials/authorization at this work location.

Safety - Amentum enforces a safety culture whereby all employees have the responsibility for continuously developing and maintaining a safe work environment. As appropriate, each employee is responsible for completing all training requirements and fulfilling all self-aid/buddy aid responsibilities, participating in emergency response tasks, and serving on safety committees and teams.

Quality - Quality is the foundation for the management of our business and the keystone to our goal of customer satisfaction. It is our policy to consistently provide services that meet customer expectations. Accordingly, each employee must conform to the Amentum Quality Policy and carry out job activities in compliance with applicable Amentum Quality System documents and customer contracts. Each employee must read and understand his/her Quality Management and Customer Satisfaction responsibilities.

Procedure Compliance - Each employee must read, understand, and implement the general and specific operational, safety, quality and environmental requirements of all plans, procedures and policies pertaining to job.

Boots Required: Yes