Summary:
The Survey Manager leads Ascent Geomatics Solutions’ field and office survey team for the DJ Basin oil and gas program and is accountable for the survey phase of assigned projects. Reporting to the Director of Survey, the Manager develops survey work plans, assigns resources across concurrent projects, and adjusts priorities as layouts, schedules, and field conditions change. The team provides land surveying and aerial mapping for well sites, access roads, pipelines, and facilities, including boundary, topographic, and route surveys; construction staking and as-built surveys; and associated data processing, CAD drawings, and exhibits. This work supports planning and permitting through construction. Assigned resources may also support renewable and other energy projects.
Working closely with Project Managers (PMs), the Manager aligns survey scope, effort, and delivery commitments with overall project needs and takes ownership of survey execution problems through resolution. The role leads and develops field crews and office survey technicians, coordinates inputs with Ascent’s other technical teams, and ensures work is checked and ready for its intended use. The Manager coordinates survey execution with client construction and field personnel, while PMs manage the client relationship and overall project. Professional surveying work is performed under the responsible charge of a designated PLS/RPLS; the Manager may serve in that capacity when appropriately licensed and assigned.
Expected Results in the Role:
- Assigned survey work meets agreed scope, schedule, quality, and effort commitments and supports the next project milestone.
- PMs have a dependable survey counterpart who provides realistic commitments, accurate progress updates, and early notice of risks with practical options for resolving them.
- Field crews and office technicians work to aligned priorities, with capacity planned for collection, data processing, CAD drafting, and review.
- Changes in project plans lead to timely adjustments in assignments, effort estimates, and delivery dates, with affected teams working from current direction.
- Survey data, drawings, and exhibits are complete and ready for their intended use, with required review completed before release and avoidable rework reduced.
- Employees receive clear expectations, effective coaching, and development support that strengthen field and office capability and dependable team coverage.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Survey Planning and PM Partnership
- Serve as the survey counterpart to PMs, defining survey scope, deliverables, effort estimates, assumptions, and milestones that support overall project commitments.
- Build survey work plans with clear tasks, owners, and dependencies. Confirm the information needed by field and office staff and the timing of survey inputs for other technical teams.
- Assess changes to layouts, field access, drilling or construction schedules, and scope with PMs. Develop practical options, update survey plans, and communicate revised commitments.
Field and Office Resource Management
- Balance field crews, office survey technicians, equipment, and review capacity across concurrent assignments. Match work to staff capabilities and set clear priorities and due dates.
- Guide assigned coordinators and supervisors in daily scheduling and task management, providing direct coordination where needed. Resolve constraints between field collection and office completion of the work.
- Adjust sequencing, workloads, and overtime within delegated authority, considering urgency, cost, quality, safety, and sustained team capacity. Coordinate shared resource needs with the Director of Survey and other managers.
Survey Delivery and Quality
- Manage work from research and field preparation through collection, processing, and CAD drafting. Office deliverables include well location certificates, right-of-way exhibits, ALTA/NSPS surveys, and other survey exhibits.
- Align collection requirements, methods, accuracy, and level of detail with intended use and designated PLS/RPLS direction. Coordinate aerial mapping and LiDAR inputs when included in the survey scope.
- Build QA/QC and PLS/RPLS review into schedules, confirm review comments are resolved, and deliver current, checked survey information to PMs and receiving teams.
- When appropriately licensed and assigned, sign and seal survey deliverables prepared under the Manager’s responsible charge.
- Confirm field readiness, access, equipment, and safe execution with field leadership and Safety and Fleet support. Address conditions or missing information that affect planned work.
Performance and Problem Solving
- Review survey hours, utilization, completed work, and remaining effort against the plan. Investigate variances and give PMs reliable completion forecasts and notice of scope changes requiring action.
- Take ownership of delivery problems and recovery plans. Bring the people involved together to resolve missing data, conflicting direction, bottlenecks, or missed commitments, and follow actions through completion.
- Investigate recurring delays and rework, identify their causes, and implement practical improvements. Check whether changes improve quality, efficiency, and dependable delivery.
Team Leadership and Development
- Coach field and office staff and assigned supervisors on work planning, technical capability, and accountability. Use project feedback and performance discussions to identify training and development needs.
- Address staffing, coverage, and performance needs with HR and the Director of Survey. Recommend equipment or workflow investments with clear reasons, then implement approved improvements.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Understand, represent, and reinforce Ascent’s core values.
- Provide department leadership, direction, and accountability for staff and team performance.
- Conduct regular 1:1 meetings and performance evaluations for direct reports.
- Guide employee development through coaching, training, and career planning.
- Manage performance or behavioral concerns in coordination with HR.
- Lead department staffing, hiring, and onboarding in coordination with HR and leadership.
- Oversee department capacity and coverage and approve personnel actions within delegated authority.
- Ensure department compliance with company policies and applicable safety, quality, and professional requirements.
Required Skills & Abilities:
- Survey planning and ownership: Translate scope into achievable field and office work plans, recognize dependencies, make realistic commitments, and take responsibility for delivery and follow-through.
- Resource management: Balance competing assignments, staff capabilities, equipment, and review needs. Judge when to change sequencing, redistribute work, or seek additional capacity.
- People leadership: Set expectations, delegate effectively, coach employees and supervisors, and address performance concerns while maintaining trust and accountability.
- Survey fundamentals: Apply practical knowledge of survey control, coordinate systems, datums, units, calculations, and boundary and topographic surveying to recognize problems and involve the appropriate expertise.
- Field and office workflows: Understand GNSS/RTK, total stations, data processing, and CAD drafting well enough to plan work, assess completeness and consistency, and recognize limitations requiring PLS/RPLS direction.
- Problem solving and adaptability: Respond constructively to short schedules, frequent revisions, rural field conditions, and changing oil and gas project needs. Develop workable options and communicate their effects.
- Effort and performance judgment: Use project, timekeeping, and resource information to evaluate progress, remaining work, utilization, and rework, and explain needed adjustments.
- Team coordination and communication: Ask informed questions, resolve competing needs with PMs and technical teams, and communicate decisions clearly while demonstrating Ascent’s core values.
Preferred Skills & Abilities:
- Survey software: Advanced capability with Trimble Business Center, AutoCAD Civil 3D, GIS platforms, or survey databases.
- Remote sensing: Familiarity with photogrammetry, aerial or terrestrial LiDAR, and their integration into survey workflows.
- DJ Basin workflows: Familiarity with Colorado upstream development and survey information supporting ECMC and local permitting.
Required Education, Certifications, and Experience:
- Substantial progressive land surveying experience with demonstrated understanding of both field and office operations.
- At least five years of experience in project, client, and staff management, including direct responsibility for leading people and coordinating survey delivery.
- Experience providing land surveying services for oil and gas projects, such as well sites, pipelines, or facilities, with direct involvement in field execution, office delivery, or survey coordination.
- Experience managing concurrent survey assignments with PMs, including field and office workloads, effort planning, progress tracking, and resolution of delivery problems.
- Demonstrated ability to develop staff, improve survey workflows, and coordinate technical decisions and deliverable reviews with designated PLS/RPLS staff.
Preferred Education, Certifications, and Experience:
- Active Colorado Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) licensure preferred, but not required.
- Degree in Land Surveying, Geomatics, Civil Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience leading recurring oil and gas survey workloads across multiple concurrent projects, with deeper experience in DJ Basin well site, pipeline, or facility development.
Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:
- Reliable internet access and a designated, quiet workspace are required.
- Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods, including regular use of a keyboard, mouse, and one or more monitors.
- Ability to review detailed drawings, maps, technical documentation, spreadsheets, or other role-specific materials for extended periods.
Other Need-to-Know Items:
- Remote work is acceptable, provided the employee is based in and performs their work within the United States.
- Standard work hours are Monday-Friday, generally aligned to Mountain Time, to support collaboration with clients and internal teams. Flexibility is supported within continental U.S. time zones, provided core team availability and communication are maintained.
- Evening, weekend, or additional hours may occasionally be required to meet project deadlines or business needs.
- Travel may be required on occasion for team collaboration, training, or project support.
- Employment is limited to candidates authorized to work in the United States and able to perform work within continental U.S. time zones.
- This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required.
— Sarah J.
·
Marketing Manager
★★★★★
Verified
