Survey Chief

Survey Chief -  Engineering & Construction

Location: Terre Haute, IN and/or Batesville, IN (Hybrid)
Department: Engineering
Reports To: Engineering Operations Manager

Position Overview

The Survey Chief leads all survey activities that support the planning, design, permitting, and deployment of fiber‑optic infrastructure. This role ensures that route‑selection surveys, right‑of‑way (ROW) assessments, underground utility investigations, and construction‑site measurements are performed with technical precision, regulatory compliance, and safety as top priorities. By integrating geospatial data, engineering requirements, and construction logistics, the Survey Chief delivers high‑quality, actionable survey outputs that enable efficient, cost‑effective fiber‑optic buildouts.

Key Responsibilities

Functional Area

Core Duties

Strategic Survey Planning

• 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.

Route & Right‑of‑Way (ROW) Surveys

• 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.
• Coordinate with local municipalities, utility owners, and land‑owner representatives to obtain permits and access agreements.

Geospatial Data Management

• 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).

Construction‑Site Survey Execution

• 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.

Quality Assurance & Methodology

• Establish SOPs for survey methodology (sampling intervals, equipment calibration, data validation).
• Conduct regular QA/QC audits of field data, ensuring positional accuracy (≤ ± 10 cm for GNSS, ≤ ± 5 cm for LiDAR) and completeness of utility inventories.

Team Leadership & Development

• 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).

Vendor & Technology Management

• 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).

Data Analysis & Reporting

• 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.

Stakeholder Coordination

• 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.

Regulatory Compliance & Permitting

• 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.

Budget & Resource Oversight

• 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

Requirement

Details

Education

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.

Experience

• ≥ 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.

Technical Skills

• 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).

Performance Metrics

Metric

Target

Survey Completion Rate

≥ 95 % of planned surveys finished on schedule.

Positional Accuracy

GNSS ≤ ± 10 cm; LiDAR ≤ ± 5 cm for critical assets.

Permit Turn‑around

90 % of permits secured within the projected timeframe.

Risk Mitigation

Reduction of utility‑conflict incidents by ≥ 30 % year‑over‑year.

Budget Adherence

Survey spend within ± 5 % of approved budget.

Team Development

Annual training hours per employee ≥ 40 hrs; employee engagement score ≥ 4/5.

Application Process

Submit a résumé and cover letter highlighting relevant fiber‑optic survey experience, and a brief portfolio (or case study) of completed routing/utility‑mapping projects to careers@aquila.us with the subject line “Survey Chief – Fiber‑Optic Engineering”.

The Survey Chief for Fiber‑Optic Engineering & Construction is the linchpin that transforms raw field data into reliable, build‑ready designs, ensuring our fiber networks are deployed safely, efficiently, and in full regulatory compliance.