How to hire a geospatial technician

How to hire a geospatial technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step geospatial technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a geospatial technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new geospatial technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The geospatial technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect geospatial technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of geospatial technicians.

   Type of Geospatial Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Geospatial Technician		$14-28
   GIS Coordinator	A GIS Coordinator captures, stores, manipulates, analyzes, and manages spatial and geographic data. They supervise a team of staff including programmers, cartographers, data managers, and support specialists.	$17-33
   Gis Internship	A GIS (Geographic Information Systems) intern is responsible for assisting the data analyst team on project management operations, data processing procedures, and advocacy program planning. GIS interns shadow all the processes of the organization, performing administrative and clerical duties under the supervision of a direct manager... Show more	$19-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Python
   • Visualization
   • Production Tasks
   • Remote Sensing
   • Esri
   • Extraction
   • LiDAR
   • Image Processing
   • Spatial Analysis
   • CAD
   • Erdas
   • Digital Data
   • Spatial Data
   • GPS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage mapping-grade GPS operations for field crews and map all data.
   • Lead projects and report to management the status of co-workers feature extraction.
   • Generate GIS database updates manually and manage automated unix-base system to apply records to client database.
   • Perform imagery 3D analysis and extraction from satellite imagery using BAE SocetSet version 5.6.0 and ESRI ArcMap 10.1.
   • Perform data collection from LiDAR and manipulate GIS files for a wide variety of clients
   • Used ESRI ArcGIS software to create and maintain data, and produce custom maps in an efficient manner.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your geospatial technician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A geospatial technician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, geospatial technicians' average salary in south carolina is 34% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level geospatial technicians earn 49% less than senior-level geospatial technicians.
   • Certifications. A geospatial technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a geospatial technician's salary.

   Average geospatial technician salary

   $42,643yearly

   $20.50 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level geospatial technician salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

4. Writing a geospatial technician job description

   A geospatial technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a geospatial technician job description:

   Geospatial technician job description example

   This position is responsible for providing project deliverables and performs duties which contribute to the development, deployment, and support of Geospatial Technologies (GST) solutions for internal and external clients at England-Thims & Miller, Inc. (ETM).
   Requirements
   
   Education and Certification Requirements
   
   •Associate degree in geography, geographic information systems (GIS), engineering, computer science or related field and a minimum of one (1) years' experience in GIS applications
   
   •Bachelor's degree in geography, geographic information systems (GIS), engineering, computer science or related field and a minimum of two (2) years' experience in GIS applications is preferred
   
   •FAA Certified Drone Pilot (107 Cert.) is required
   
   Specific Duties
   
   •Supports GST's team to deliver quality products and services
   
   •Supports new and existing projects, ensuring deliverables and milestones are met within reasonable time
   
   •Supports GST's team to collect, document, and enter data for GST's GIS and asset management solutions
   
   •Create flight plans and schedules to capture aerial imagery and videos for internal and external clients
   
   •Capture, process, and build orthomosaic imagery for GST solutions
   
   •Collect and enter field observations / assessments for clients as needed
   
   •Post process flight information and organize data for client delivery
   
   •Create map GIS exhibits and reports
   
   Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
   
   •Knowledge of spatial analytical and cartographic techniques
   
   •Ability to load, reference, project and prepare data from outside providers
   
   •Excellent oral and written communication skills
   
   •Ability to solve complex problems and visualize and present information geospatially
   
   •Works independently with minimal guidance
   
   •Ability to solve complex problems and take a new perspective on existing solutions to improve performance
   
   •Ability to interpret internal and external needs for geospatial solutions
   
   Other Preferences
   
   Software
   
   •ArcGIS 10.x ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro
   
   •ArcGIS Online and Portal for ArcGIS
   
   •Pix4D, DJI, or related drone flight processing software experience
   
   •AutoCAD 20xx Civil 3D experience is a plus
   
   •Cartegraph OMS experience is a plus
   
   EOE/DFWP
   
   This job description is representative of typical responsibilities and is not intended to be a complete list of all duties or skills required for the job. It is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with company needs.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right geospatial technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find geospatial technician candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with geospatial technician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview geospatial technician candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new geospatial technician

   Once you've found the geospatial technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new geospatial technician first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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