Supervising Land Surveyor

THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA IS HIRING FOR A PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR TO SUPERVISE OUR DYNAMIC TEAM OF TECHNICAL EXPERTS!

The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.  

THE BENEFITS OF CITY EMPLOYMENT:
In addition to offering a challenging, rewarding work environment and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits, including retirement through CalPERS, a competitive leave accrual package, your choice of health plans, a flexible spending program, employer contributions to a Retiree Health Savings plan, and top of the line employer paid (FREE) vision and dental coverage. More information regarding benefits associated with this position can be found on our Miscellaneous Employee Benefits Page. 

Additional benefits include:

• A 4% salary increase effective July 2025
• 12 paid holidays annually, plus 1 to 3 'floating holidays' per year depending on hire date and years of service
• $500 Annual wellness bonus
• Flexible schedule (9/80) available with management approval

ABOUT THE POSITION:
The Supervising Land Surveyor performs complex professional land surveying work requiring a substantial level of professional training and experience. Assignments are general and of a continuing nature requiring the exercise of independent judgment and initiative in scheduling, assigning and coordinating the work with that of other units or divisions. Incumbents are also responsible for the direct supervision of professional and technical level staff assigned to the Survey Section of the Capital Projects Engineering Division.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE:
The successful candidate will have a thorough understanding of, and experience in, conducting professional land surveying work; experience supervising technical staff, managing budgets, managing consultant contracts, and preparing right-of-way documents; outstanding interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills; the ability to work cooperatively across section and department lines and a demonstrated commitment to providing superior customer service; and a general working knowledge of datums, horizontal and vertical control networks, and topographic and construction surveying needed for the City’s projects.

Possession of a certificate as a licensed land surveyor in the State of California is required.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties are considered essential for this job classification:

• Supervise, select, train and evaluate professional and technical staff in the Survey Section;
• plan, assign and evaluate the work of survey crews in making a variety of surveys, including surveys to determine locations of property lines, boundaries, easements, and right-of-ways, topographic surveys to determine locations and elevations of existing improvements, structures, and topographic features for project design, construction surveys to establish line and grade for improvement projects, high order control surveys to establish horizontal and vertical control monuments, and surveys to establish and monument street center lines;
• inspect project sites to assist in solution of difficult problems;
• provide scope, schedule and cost estimates for project-specific work of the Survey Section and manage the work based on the agreed scope, schedule and budget;
• coordinate survey and right-of-way related activities with other City departments, divisions and sections and with outside agencies;
• research, interpret and apply the City code and State and Federal laws and regulations related to land surveying activities and right-of-way documents;
• be in responsible charge of the Survey Section and prepare, sign, and record appropriate record documents pertaining to survey activities, as required by the California Land Surveyors Act;
• direct the taking, interpretation, and reduction of accurate survey field notes;
• compute and adjust angles, distances, bearings, traverses, and elevations;
• perform a variety of complex office surveying duties, including researching existing records, compiling data required for current survey projects, and computing data to be shown on maps;
• develop and manage the annual budget for the assigned Section;
• prepare survey-related and right-of-way-related Requests For Proposals and Project Work Orders, participate in or make the selection, and manage contracts with consulting land surveyors and right-of-way agents;
• oversee survey research and recordkeeping;
• apply computer technology used in survey work;
• prepare and present survey-related agenda items for the City Council, Planning Commission, Board of Public Utilities, other boards and commissions, committees, outside agencies, and property owners on City land surveying matters;
• in the absence of the incumbent, may serve as Deputy Director – Capital Projects Engineering; and
• perform related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Knowledge of: Principles and practices of land surveying; modern methods and techniques used in land surveying; modern developments, current literature and sources of information regarding land surveying; applicable laws and regulatory codes relevant to land surveying and right-of-way documents; principles and practices of engineering as related to surveying; sources of information concerning previous land surveys and appropriate research methodology; principles of supervision, training, and performance management.
 
Ability to: Understand and interpret legal descriptions and record survey maps; understand and interpret complex engineering plans, diagrams and notes; make complex mathematical calculations with speed and accuracy; check and supervise land surveying work for a wide variety of City projects and right-of-way transactions; communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing; use a variety of survey apparatus; supervise, train and evaluate professional and technical staff.
 
Experience and Education: Any combination equivalent to experience and education that could likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be: Experience - Sufficient years of increasingly responsible experience in survey work to obtain the knowledge and ability listed above, including some supervisory experience. Education - Completion of college-level courses in mathematics or surveying. Graduation from college with a bachelor’s degree is desirable.
 
License/Certificates:
This classification requires the use of a City or personal vehicle while performing City business. An incumbent must be physically capable of operating the vehicle safely and must possess an appropriate valid California motor vehicle operator's license or be able to demonstrate the ability to travel on scheduled and unscheduled visits to various locations within and/or outside of the City which may or may not be reachable by public transportation.
 
Possession of a certificate as a licensed land surveyor in the State of California is required.

THE SELECTION PROCESS:
Please complete a thoughtful, thorough Supplemental Questionnaire submission. As part of the selection process, your responses to these questions will be scored using criteria specific to this position. Incomplete responses, generic responses, or responses such as "See Resume" may not be considered. 

Applicants possessing the most desirable qualifications will be invited to continue in the selection process that may consist of an application and supplemental questionnaire review, followed by department selection interviews.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.  

Additional Information

WORKING CONDITIONS - A Supervising Land Surveyor works primarily indoors, sitting for extended periods of time with the ability to change positions. Using a computer, calculator and other standard office equipment requires making continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements. Incumbents in this classification are given graphic instructions, such as improvement plans, schematic drawings, layouts or other visual aids, when receiving assignments; and estimate labor and materials costs from plans to determine staffing needs and/or project costs or feasibility. Field work is performed outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, with exposure to very hot and very cold temperatures. Field work also involves walking on rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; bending and stooping repeatedly or continually over time; standing or walking for extended periods of time without the ability to rest at will; and using explosive strength to jump over creeks, ditches or trenches. When performing field work and office duties, incumbents climb stairs and/or ladders, walk and stand for extended periods of time, and stoop and crouch with the ability to change positions as needed. They file documents in numerical, alphabetical, chronological and/or reverse chronological order. Field and/or office work requires measuring distances using calibrated instruments and observing data collected while using test equipment. Incumbents also observe and monitor that equipment is stored and used properly. Incumbents assemble, disassemble and adjust parts and equipment as part of testing, operating or maintaining it. When repairing or assembling survey equipment, incumbents make skillful, controlled manipulations of small parts and screws. Survey and preliminary survey work often involves lifting and moving survey equipment weighing up to 25 pounds for short and long distances. The work also involves using common hand tools, such as hammers, spades, picks and shovels, to uncover or dig up survey points, move debris and put stakes into the ground. When clearing brush, incumbents are sometimes exposed to poison oak. Running survey instruments involves making precise arm/hand positioning movements, coordinating the movement of more than one limb simultaneously, and using arms above shoulder level. Office work in the Survey section also involves performing hand lettering, using drafting equipment, and operating equipment used in an engineering office.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. 

For more information contact the Human Resources Department at 707-543-3060.

SANTA ROSA - A WONDERFUL CITY TO CALL HOME
The City of Santa Rosa is nestled in the center of famous Sonoma Wine Country, located just 55 miles north of San Francisco and 30 miles east of the Pacific Ocean with a population of approximately 180,000. Santa Rosa serves as the County seat and the center of trade, government, commerce, and medical facilities for the North Bay. The surrounding area is home to over a hundred wineries and vineyards and many beautiful parks and recreational facilities, including golf courses. Santa Rosa is in the center of a nationally recognized cycling area. We boast many attractions associated with large cities, including a symphony, performing arts center, theater productions and internationally recognized restaurants, yet still retain the warmth and small town feel of decades past. Santa Rosa has been named one of the 50 greenest cities in the United States with one of the top five mid-sized downtowns in California. 

The City of Santa Rosa is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. 

The City does not discriminate on the basis of disability in employment. Requests for reasonable accommodations needed to participate in the recruitment process may be made by submitting a Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form within five (5) business days of being noticed that an event requiring accommodation is occurring. You may also contact the Human Resources Department at (707) 543-3060 or jobs@srcity.org. 

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• City of Santa Rosa

• 707-543-3060