Field Logistics Coordinator

Overview

The Field Logistics Coordinator is a contract role anticipated through February 2027 with Arête Glacier Initiative, supporting a multi-institutional glaciology research expedition to Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica. This role involves serving as the science team's primary logistics planner and ALE liaison, ensuring all logistical requirements are anticipated, communicated, and resolved.

Experience Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

- Demonstrated polar field experience, preferably including at least one Antarctic season, with strong working knowledge of remote ice-sheet fieldwork. - Experience working within or alongside a commercial or national Antarctic logistics provider; familiarity with field plans, cargo systems, and flight scheduling.

Preferred Qualifications

- Direct prior experience with ALE operations and Union Glacier staging. - Personal Antarctic field experience, providing firsthand understanding of the environment and constraints. - Background in glaciology, geophysics, or a related cryosphere science; familiarity with seismic, GNSS, or radar field operations. - Experience coordinating multi-institutional science teams. - Prior role as field PI, science coordination office member, or expedition manager on a polar project.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

- Strong organizational skills; ability to manage complex, multi-party logistics with long lead times and limited margin for error. - Excellent communication skills; able to represent the science team’s needs to a logistics provider and translate operational constraints back to scientists. - Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a remote environment across a geographically distributed team. - Deep understanding of remote Antarctic field campaign planning and execution. - Proactive and detail-oriented problem-solving. - Clear communication bridging both scientists and logistics providers. - Organized, reliable, and able to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines simultaneously.

Additional Notes

This contract position is fully remote with occasional in-person meetings as needed to fulfill responsibilities.

Role and Responsibilities

Pre-Deployment Planning

- Serve as the primary point of contact for ALE for all expedition logistics: flight scheduling, cargo, camp configuration, field movement planning, and communications setup. - Work with the science team to develop a detailed Field Plan covering site access, instrument deployment sequences, traverse routes, daily schedules, and contingency plans. - Coordinate equipment procurement, packing, documentation, and cargo shipping to Punta Arenas staging. - Coordinate team medical/fitness clearances and any ALE-required training or documentation. - Liaise with science team members across multiple institutions to consolidate logistics requirements.

Post-Season

- Oversee equipment repatriation, cargo tracking, and shipping from Punta Arenas. - Compile a post-season logistics report documenting lessons learned, ALE costs, and recommendations for future seasons.

Compensation

Compensation for this position is $50-$75 hourly, commensurate with experience.