Field Survey Technical Manager

Field Survey Technical Manager

What We’re Looking For

The Field Survey Technical Manager serves as a senior technical leader for field survey operations throughout California. Reporting to the California Field Survey Team Lead, this role is responsible for driving technical excellence, consistency, safety, efficiency, and professional development across field survey operations.

This position provides leadership and oversight to Chiefs of Parties and Field Survey Supervisors and supports the broader field organization, including Party Chiefs, Instrument Operators, Chainmen, Survey Technicians, and other field personnel.

The Field Survey Technical Manager will serve as a key mentor and technical resource for field leadership, promoting professional ownership, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate combines extensive technical surveying expertise with strong leadership and coaching skills to maximize staff utilization, strengthen technical capabilities, and maintain high standards of client service and project delivery.

What You’ll Do

• Provide technical leadership and oversight for field survey operations throughout California.
• Mentor, coach, and develop Chiefs of Parties and field leadership personnel to strengthen leadership effectiveness, technical proficiency, and workforce development.
• Develop Chiefs of Parties into effective leaders who can successfully develop, deploy, and support their field teams.
• Establish, implement, and maintain field surveying standards, procedures, and best practices.
• Ensure consistency in field methodologies, data collection procedures, project execution, and quality standards across California field operations.
• Perform technical reviews of field procedures, workflows, calculations, and deliverables to ensure quality objectives are achieved.
• Assist Chiefs of Parties with maximizing the utilization, development, and effectiveness of field personnel.
• Develop and implement training programs for Party Chiefs, Instrument Operators, Chainmen, Survey Technicians, and other field personnel.
• Identify technical skill gaps and support employee development and career progression.
• Monitor staffing needs, workforce capabilities, and technical competencies across the field organization.
• Partner with Project Managers, Project Surveyors, Mapping Managers, CAD personnel, and other technical leaders to strengthen coordination between field and office operations.
• Assist with field resource planning, staffing coordination, scheduling, and equipment deployment strategies.
• Lead the evaluation and implementation of new technologies, equipment, software, and field workflows.
• Ensure proper care, maintenance, calibration, security, and accountability of field equipment and vehicles.
• Support quality control initiatives, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions related to field operations.
• Assist with project planning, field work plans, risk assessments, safety planning, and execution strategies.
• Participate in proposal development, scope reviews, fee estimates, staffing plans, and project pursuits.
• Support recruitment, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, development, and retention of field personnel.
• Assist management with organizational planning and workforce forecasting.
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, professional ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Participate in industry organizations and internal and external professional development activities.
• Perform technical surveying analyses and provide project support as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

Leadership & Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervise Chiefs of Parties and designated field leadership personnel throughout California.
• Provide functional leadership, mentorship, and technical oversight for field personnel within the California field organization.
• Participate in employee evaluations, performance development, and career path development.
• Work closely with the Field Survey Team Lead to ensure consistent execution of operational objectives, technical standards, and workforce utilization across California.

What You Need to Succeed

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in land surveying and field survey operations.
• California Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license required.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related technical field preferred. An equivalent combination of education, professional credentials, and relevant experience may be considered.
• Advanced knowledge of topographic mapping, control, and construction staking.
• Strong knowledge of survey equipment, GNSS technologies, robotic total stations, digital levels, terrestrial scanning, mobile LiDAR, UAV systems, and emerging survey technologies.
• Experience developing technical standards, procedures, quality controls, and training programs.
• Strong leadership, communication, coaching, problem-solving, and mentoring abilities.
• Experience with project planning, staffing coordination, scheduling, and resource management.
• Working knowledge of Trimble Business Center, Star*Net, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Microsoft Office, and Bluebeam. Experience with other relevant platforms is a plus.
• Strong understanding of data quality management, quality assurance, and field-to-office workflows.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with clients, Project Managers, Project Surveyors, technical staff, and senior leadership.

Compensation

The approximate compensation range for this position is $125,556.00 - 174,656.00 per year. This compensation range is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation is dependent upon factors such as education, qualifications, experience, skillset, and physical work location.

Why Choose Us

• Medical, dental, vision insurance
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Life, AD&D, short-term, and long-term disability
• Professional and personal development
• Generous paid time off
• Commuter and wellness benefit

Michael Baker International, a leading provider of engineering and consulting services, including design, planning, architectural, environmental, construction and program management, has been solving some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges for more than 85 years with a legacy of expertise, experience, innovation and integrity.

Based in Pittsburgh and with over 100 offices nationwide, we partner with clients on everything from roads, bridges, tunnels, mass transit, and airports, to water treatment plants, arctic oil pipelines, environmental restoration and specialized overseas construction. We serve as a trusted adviser to the communities we serve, making them safer, more accessible, more sustainable and more prosperous.

We provide visionary leadership in facilitating transformational change for our clients. Our work delivers differentiating innovations and dedicated experts who challenge the status quo and share a world of diverse experience and an impassioned entrepreneurial spirit. We deliver quality of life.

We Make a Difference.