Scott Base manager

Emma Reid spent three months as Scott Base manager in Antarctica and was a role model for the behaviour of the 36 staff and 50 scientists on the base.

Name: Emma Reid
Age: 38
Role: Scott Base manager (summer season)
Working hours: Scott Base staff work Mon-Sat. This job is seven days.
Average pay: New Zealand salary plus 33.3 per cent Antarctic allowance
Qualifications: BA Hons (Otago)

Describe how you got this job?

As communications manager for Antarctica New Zealand I am already a member of the management team in Christchurch. Each season we appoint a Scott Base manager and those people whose skills match the job description are identified. I indicated a strong interest and there was a match between my skills and those required. I was on seconded to the role for three months.

Describe what you do?

I am New Zealand's representative on the ice so you have a lead role in managing everything that occurs at Scott Base. I am responsible for delivering the New Zealand Antarctic programme safely and efficiently and leading the relationship with the US and Italian Antarctic programmes.

I deal with any day-to-day challenges. For instance, this season there was an issue with an icebreaker, which broke a propeller while assisting the re-supply vessel. The sea ice conditions were particularly tough and it took much longer to cut a channel into McMurdo Sound, which delayed projects and personnel deployment.

What have you had to do to succeed at this job?

Gain respect by making consistent decisions. Be a role model for the behaviour you expect of the 36 staff and 50 scientists on the base. I also have to be able to communicate effectively. The job requires someone who is open and transparent, showing you are happy to engage one-on-one if people have an issue, as they are away from their families and things can occur that they are trying to work through long distance.

What sort of training or experience do you need?

You need to understand the environment people are living and working in with obvious physical and logistical constraints. It's minus 20 degrees Celcius to 2 degrees Celcius. We are in a remote location with limited facilities and back-up. You have to appreciate what a delicate balance it is to live and work together 24 hours a day. Scott Base staff undergo a fortnight of special training. For my role, I had to be sworn in as a Justice of the Peace and a coroner and I attended a NZ Institute of Management course.

What skills and qualities do you need?

Very good people and project management skills, conflict resolution, political acumen, strong communication skills, and the ability to problem solve quickly. A good measure of common sense, being flexible, well organised and being able to support people whose job may involve a number of challenges.

Best part of the job?

Being given the opportunity to do it despite not having been in the organisation for that long.

Most challenging part?

Being away from the things that keep you grounded when you go through emotional ups and downs. In a leadership role you can feel under scrutiny the whole time so it is hard to completely relax.

How do you define success in this job?

All events on the ice are measured by peer review and high scores in those give you the sense people are happy with your leadership style. Also, positive feedback and endorsement from my contemporaries.

What are your career hopes for future?

I would be very happy to go back in that same role. I enjoyed the nuts and bolts of the logistics side of the business and that's an area I would be keen to explore further.

If I wanted a job like yours how would I go about it and what qualifications would I need?

The Scott Base job descriptions are on our website.

The summer season is from October to mid-February and recruitment is in May. Permanent staff may be seconded from their NZ job, while opportunities for contract staff to work in Antarctica exist in anything from domestic work to mechanics to field safety personnel. For the base manager, they are looking for people who have managed projects and people to a high level.

What advice would you have for someone contemplating a career like yours?

To get to Antarctica, identify it as a goal early on and tell people who can support that ambition. You have to be prepared to back yourself.