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Party chief vs instrument person

The differences between party chiefs and instrument people can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a party chief has an average salary of $44,955, which is higher than the $43,699 average annual salary of an instrument person.

The top three skills for a party chief include topographic surveys, boundary surveys and data collection. The most important skills for an instrument person are topographic surveys, data collection, and survey equipment.

Party chief vs instrument person overview

Party ChiefInstrument Person
Yearly salary$44,955$43,699
Hourly rate$21.61$21.01
Growth rate1%4%
Number of jobs15,57935,373
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%High School Diploma, 38%
Average age4444
Years of experience6-

What does a party chief do?

A party chief is a management position responsible for leading and guiding a program and providing leadership for its success. To fill this role, you will manage the program and provide overall technical expertise. Party chiefs should able to assess and identify risks and offer remedies and must be highly proficient in the program area. You will collaborate with partners to ensure program success, recruit experts for the program, and supervise its implementation.

What does an instrument person do?

An instrument person is also called a survey party chief. They are responsible for preparing and conducting surveys before a particular land is constructed and developed. They usually oversee a group of professionals such as surveyors, contractors, project managers, engineers, and architects to ensure that all duties are done correctly and safely. They assign the staff to particular jobs based on their expertise and conduct a pre-survey before the project starts.

Party chief vs instrument person salary

Party chiefs and instrument people have different pay scales, as shown below.

Party ChiefInstrument Person
Average salary$44,955$43,699
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $66,000Between $30,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between party chief and instrument person education

There are a few differences between a party chief and an instrument person in terms of educational background:

Party ChiefInstrument Person
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%High School Diploma, 38%
Most common majorSurveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic TechnologiesSurveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common collegePennsylvania State University-

Party chief vs instrument person demographics

Here are the differences between party chiefs' and instrument people' demographics:

Party ChiefInstrument Person
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 94.2% Female, 5.8%Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage7%5%

Differences between party chief and instrument person duties and responsibilities

Party chief example responsibilities.

  • Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
  • Party chief, survey technician using Carlson SurvCADD.
  • Learned several data collectors (SMI, Carlson, etc ...).
  • Learned and become an expert with the SurveyPro software on the TDS Recon.
  • Research plats, property records, section data, benchmarks, GIS control, utility maps, etc.
  • Perform quality control and quality assurance reviews on exhibit documents submit to RMP for the right-of-way acquisition process.
  • Show more

Instrument person example responsibilities.

  • Operate TopCon total stations with TDS-48 software.
  • Operate RTK equipment and Pro-XR global positioning systems.
  • Operate data collectors, total stations, theodolites and auto-levels.
  • Downloaded/Upload data from the HP48 (TDS) using TFR.
  • Work on various types of projects utilizing conventional and Topcon GPS system.
  • Experience with all total stations, TDS software, Recon, and HP48.
  • Show more

Party chief vs instrument person skills

Common party chief skills
  • Topographic Surveys, 12%
  • Boundary Surveys, 11%
  • Data Collection, 9%
  • Construction Layout, 7%
  • CAD, 7%
  • Survey Data, 4%
Common instrument person skills
  • Topographic Surveys, 10%
  • Data Collection, 9%
  • Survey Equipment, 9%
  • Trimble Gps, 7%
  • Robotic, 6%
  • Construction Layout, 6%

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