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Australian Antarctic Division
Antarctica - Valued, Protected, Understood

Aircraft Ground Support Officer

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C-212 aircraft on the sea ice at Mawson
Working as an AGSO in Antarctica

Annual base salary (while in Australia)

$54,383 pa ($2,084 per fortnight before tax)

In addition whilst working in Antarctica an allowance of $49,014 pa is payable.

As an Aircraft Ground Support Officer (AGSO) you're responsible for the provision of ground support to fixed and rotary wing operations in Antarctica. This involves manual work, fuel handling and transporting passengers and cargo to and from aircraft.

Aircraft schedules are heavily influenced by weather conditions and periodically involve working long hours to capitalise on periods of good weather. During the summer season, AGSO's will be based at Casey and Davis Stations.

Tasks will vary depending on whether the position is based at Casey or Davis station. Casey is not a helicopter base (although visited by ship based helicopters for short periods) and is more orientated to fixed wing support particularly skiway construction and maintenance. Davis is a helicopter base with 2-3 helicopters routinely based there over the summer season, as well as fixed wing aircraft.

You'll be involved in construction, maintenance and reporting of station skiways to agreed standards. Machinery varies widely with the type of surface and location. At Davis and Casey the primary machine used is a tracked Kassbohrer Pistenbully 260D snow groomer. Other machines include Challenger tractors, dozers, skidders or Hagglunds tracked vehicles.

You're also required to coordinate and conduct safety briefings for all expeditioners, provide basic emergency first aid and aviation fire fighting services as required, maintain inventory registers of station based Air Operations equipment, and document procedures and make recommendations for the ongoing development of such for future seasons.

The typical employment period for AGSOs is approximately 7 months. During this period you will be required to undertake training in Hobart for up to 8 weeks before departure and remain in Hobart for a debrief of up to 5 days immediately following return from Antarctica.

Recreation Leave - You will accrue recreation leave at the equivalent of 20 days for each full year worked. Please note that recreation leave is not available in Antarctica.

Superannuation - A generous employer superannuation contribution of 15.4% will apply where eligibility to join the Public Sector Superannuation Accumulation Plan is established.

You should read the AGSO Job Description, General Information and Personal Qualities details available from the Job Vacancies page as it contains important information you need to know about employment and related issues.

If you would like to talk to someone about applying, please contact, for technical matters, Matt Filipowski (03) 6232 3465 or Jeff Hadley (03) 6232 3518, or for general information 1800 030 755.

To apply complete an online Application Form.