How to hire a survey crew chief

How to hire a survey crew chief, step by step

Here's a step-by-step survey crew chief hiring guide:

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

What does a survey crew chief do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the survey crew chief you need to hire. Certain survey crew chief roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A survey crew chief's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, survey crew chiefs from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of survey crew chiefs and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Survey Crew Chief	Description	Hourly rate
   Survey Crew Chief	Surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries. They provide data relevant to the shape and contour of the Earth’s surface for engineering, mapmaking, and construction projects.	$14-30
   Instrument Person	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... Show more	$14-30
   Professional Land Surveyor	Professional land surveyors have skills in reading comprehension, mathematics, listening, speaking, and time management, as well as a keen attention to detail. These traits are needed for the tasks of this chosen career, which include updating boundary lines for construction in order to prevent legal disputes... Show more	$14-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GPS
   • Data Collection
   • Survey Equipment
   • Survey Data
   • Boundary Surveys
   • Trimble Gps
   • Civil Engineering
   • Topographic Surveys
   • Civil 3D
   • CAD
   • Construction Layout
   • GIS
   • Construction Surveys
   • Work Ethic

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
   • Preform mowing duties on entire park including baseball and softball fields.
   • Work with TDS software, Topcon and Leica instruments, construction and building layout.
   • Perform all duties relate to field maintenance such as raking, mowing, watering, etc.
   • Experience with Leica total-station and Carlson data-collector
   • Used Topcon total station with TDS

   More survey crew chief duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your survey crew chief job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A survey crew chief salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a survey crew chief in Maine may be lower than in California, and an entry-level survey crew chief usually earns less than a senior-level survey crew chief. Additionally, a survey crew chief with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average survey crew chief salary

   $43,849yearly

   $21.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level survey crew chief salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average survey crew chief salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$59,973	$29
   2	Oregon	$49,613	$24
   3	New Mexico	$49,572	$24
   4	Ohio	$47,336	$23
   5	Washington	$47,014	$23
   6	New Hampshire	$45,365	$22
   7	Illinois	$44,227	$21
   8	Kansas	$43,865	$21
   9	Florida	$43,402	$21
   10	North Carolina	$43,069	$21
   11	Utah	$41,751	$20
   12	Colorado	$41,659	$20
   13	Texas	$41,110	$20
   14	Georgia	$40,777	$20
   15	Wisconsin	$40,633	$20
   16	Minnesota	$40,553	$20
   17	Arizona	$40,487	$19
   18	Missouri	$38,897	$19
   19	Maryland	$38,061	$18
   20	Virginia	$37,875	$18

   Average survey crew chief salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Tesoro	$84,693	$40.72	15
   2	Timmons Group	$81,294	$39.08	30
   3	Houston Engineering, Inc.	$81,115	$39.00	2
   4	AHBL	$79,125	$38.04
   5	Professional Engineering Consultants	$76,605	$36.83	6
   6	Control Point Associates	$76,295	$36.68	11
   7	SAM Companies	$76,198	$36.63	14
   8	DOWL	$75,996	$36.54	8
   9	Uintah Engineering & Land Surveying : UELS	$75,659	$36.37	9
   10	Halff Associates	$75,331	$36.22	3
   11	Farnsworth Group	$75,253	$36.18	37
   12	CESO	$75,110	$36.11	2
   13	Wade Trim	$75,007	$36.06	15
   14	Obec	$74,779	$35.95	6
   15	Triad Engineering	$74,482	$35.81	8
   16	Atwell	$74,456	$35.80	69
   17	Thompson Engineering	$74,300	$35.72	42
   18	AMT Engineering	$73,999	$35.58	6
   19	USI Consultants	$73,855	$35.51
   20	Sunrise Engineering	$73,837	$35.50	1

4. Writing a survey crew chief job description

   A good survey crew chief job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a survey crew chief job description:

   Survey crew chief job description example

   Order: 225274Order Type : Direct Hire

   Eastridge Workforce Solutions is currently seeking a full-time Survey Crew Chief in Indianapolis, IN to join a full-service consulting engineering firm that provides services economic development, landscape architecture and planning, site engineering, stormwater, survey, transportation, wastewater and water services.

   
   

   Salary : $70,000-$90,000 depending on experience

   
   

   Survey Crew Chief Responsibilties:

   - Performing field work for ALTA/NSPS land title, boundary and topographic surveying

   - Completing construction layouts

   - Processing field work and providing the surveyor with clear and neat field notes

   - Completing deed research

   - Completing survey computations

   - Performing equipment and vehicle upkeep and maintenance

   - Interpreting construction plans

   
   

   Survey Crew Chief Qualifications:

   - Experience with Robotic Total Station and data collection

   - Experience with RTK GPS

   - Ability to work alone and with other employees

   - Valid drivers license

   - 2+ years of land surveying experience as a crew chief/party chief or 5+ years of experience as an instrument operator

   
   

   Eastridge Workforce Solutions is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Please note that Eastridge is unable to provide visa sponsorship to applicants.

   
   

   We value diverse experiences, including prior contact with the criminal legal system, and applicants with criminal histories are encouraged to apply. Certain clients require Eastridge to perform background checks and Eastridge will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with any applicable federal, state, or local law regarding criminal backgrounds, including but not limited to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Philadelphia Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance (a copy of the notice of rights under the Philadelphia Ordinance is available by clicking on this link).

   
   

   #LI-DD

   Pay Rate : 0.00Apply with Us Favorite Favorite

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right survey crew chief 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your survey crew chief job on Zippia to find and recruit survey crew chief candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit survey crew chiefs, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 survey crew chief

   Once you've found the survey crew chief 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new survey crew chief. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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