Survey Chief

Key Responsibilities

• Define the overall survey strategy for new fiber routes, upgrades, and maintenance projects.
• Align survey objectives with engineering design specs, network capacity targets, and construction schedules.
• Prioritize survey types (aerial, underground, trench, GIS, LiDAR) based on terrain, urban density, and regulatory constraints.
• Oversee aerial and ground-based surveys to map existing utilities, easements, and property boundaries.
• Ensure accurate capture of clearance envelopes, conduit depths, and pole-mounting locations.
• Cook up permits and access agreements with local municipalities, utility owners, and land-owner representatives.
• Manage acquisition and processing of GIS layers, satellite imagery, LiDAR point clouds, and GNSS data.
• Maintain a centralized spatial database that integrates survey results with network design tools (e.g., ESRI ArcGIS).
• Direct field crews in stake-out, as-built verification, trench depth checks, and pole-placement surveys.
• Implement safety protocols (OSHA, local regulations) for field operations, including traffic control and confined-space entry.
• Establish SOPs for survey methodology (sampling intervals, equipment calibration, data validation).
• Conduct regular QA/QC audits of field data, ensuring positional accuracy (GNSS = ±10 cm, LiDAR = ±5 cm) and completeness of utility inventories.
• Supervise a multidisciplinary team of survey engineers, GIS analysts, field technicians, and contract vendors.
• Provide coaching on advanced surveying technologies (UAV photogrammetry, terrestrial laser scanning, RTK GNSS).
• Evaluate and manage external survey service providers, drone operators, and equipment vendors.
• Recommend and integrate new tools (e.g., automated pole-mount detection, AI-enhanced utility clash detection).
• Translate raw survey data into engineering-ready deliverables: route alignment files, utility clash reports, construction staking packages, and as-built drawings.
• Produce executive-level status reports highlighting risk factors, schedule impacts, and cost implications.
• Serve as the primary liaison between engineering, construction, permitting, and finance teams.
• Facilitate workshops to review survey findings, resolve utility conflicts, and adjust design assumptions.
• Ensure all surveys meet FCC, state, and local utility-mapping regulations (e.g., NPDES, environmental impact assessments).
• Maintain documentation for audit trails, permit applications, and environmental compliance filings.
• Develop and track the survey operations budget, controlling costs for equipment, labor, and third-party services.
• Optimize crew scheduling and equipment utilization to minimize downtime.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Geomatics, Surveying, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• A Master’s degree or professional certification (e.g., PLS – Professional Land Surveyor) is preferred.
• = 7 years of experience conducting surveys for telecommunications or utility infrastructure.
• = 3 years in a supervisory or lead role managing survey teams and external vendors.
• Proficiency with GNSS/RTK, total stations, UAV/drone photogrammetry, and terrestrial LiDAR.
• Advanced GIS expertise (ArcGIS, QGIS) and familiarity with network-design integration tools (AutoCAD Civil 3D, Bentley MicroStation).
• Ability to work with engineering software for route optimization and clash detection.
• Methodology Expertise: Strong grasp of utility mapping standards, right-of-way clearance calculations, and underground utility detection methods (GPR, EM induction).
• Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding of FCC fiber-optic deployment rules, state ROW statutes, and local permitting processes.
• Leadership & Communication: Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, negotiate with municipal authorities, and present technical findings to senior executives.
• Safety & Compliance Experience: Implementing OSHA-compliant field safety programs and managing environmental impact assessments.
• Soft Skills: Detail-oriented, problem-solver, adaptable to field conditions, and capable of making data-driven decisions under tight timelines.
• Preferred Attributes: Experience with OSP Fiber and small cell wireless deployments, Familiarity with Trimble equipment (MX50, MX60, MX90, R2, Geode, etc), Familiarity with AI-assisted utility detection or machine-learning-based route optimization, Certified GIS Professional (GISP) or Certified Survey Technician (CST), Background in project management (PMP or equivalent).