How to hire a survey operations director

How to hire a survey operations director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step survey operations director 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 operations director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new survey operations director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a survey operations director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 survey operations director 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 survey operations directors.

   Type of Survey Operations Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Survey Operations Director	Survey researchers design and conduct surveys and analyze data. Surveys are used to collect factual data, such as employment and salary information, or to ask questions in order to understand people’s opinions, preferences, beliefs, or desires.	$31-64
   Field Researcher	A field researcher is tasked to directly observe people while living in specific areas. They document and record their observations in order to assist with research... Show more	$4-31
   Operations Director	Operations directors oversee all company operations. They have the power to set the direction, change the course of the organization, and reform strategies to ensure efficiency in how the company operates... Show more	$31-78

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Collection
   • Survey Operations
   • Survey Data

   Responsibilities:

   • Finance and billing accountability across Medicaid, manage care commercial insurance, insurance verification, contract management, and benefits administration.
   • Purchase and deploy GPS technology (Trimble-Terramodel) for field survey crews and heavy equipment machine control.
   • Prepare and process tentative maps, final maps, record of survey, lot-line adjustment, legal descriptions and ALTA surveys.
   • Survey mapping for boundary, topographic and ALTA surveys.
   • Set up control and perform site calibrations for GPS surveying/grading.
   • Complete research and analysis are used for updating NAVFAC real estate records in GIS by in house staff.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, survey operations directors' average salary in wyoming is 59% less than in maryland.
   • Seniority. Entry-level survey operations directors earn 52% less than senior-level survey operations directors.
   • Certifications. A survey operations director 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 survey operations director's salary.

   Average survey operations director salary

   $94,087yearly

   $45.23 hourly rate

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   Entry-level survey operations director salary

   $65,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

4. Writing a survey operations director job description

   A survey operations director 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 survey operations director job description:

   Survey operations director job description example

   • High School Diploma or GED equivalent required.
   • 2- year Associates Degree or equivalent experience preferred but not required.
   • Completion of SDI required HSE and skill level training or equivalent.

   Work Environment, Physical Job Requirements and PPE:

   • Ability to walk, stand, sit ,kneel, push ,stoop, crawl, twist, reach above the shoulder, grasp, pull, bend repeatedly, climb stairs and ladders ,identify colors, hear with aid, see, write, count, read, speak, analyze, alphabetize, lift and carry 50 lbs and over, perceive depth and operate a motor vehicle.
   • Conditions include working inside and outside in all types of weather. Working around moving objects, moving vehicles and machines with moving parts. Working around radiant and electrical energy. Working closely with others, working alone, working extended or irregular hours and travelling by all possible modes of transportation. Working environment may include but not limited to excessive, intermittent or constant noise, fumes, smoke, gases, grease, dust, oils and solvents.
   • Equipment (machines, tools, devices) used in performing the essential job function include but not limited to computer and related equipment, calculator, special instrumentation, forklift, pallet jack, hand tools, power tools, air tools, telephone, and automobile. Ability to wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including but not limited to, safety glasses, hardhat, reinforced toed shoes, coveralls, gloves & hearing protection.

   Limitations and Disclaimer:

   This job description describes the general duties and responsibilities and physical requirements associated with the position; it is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or skills required for the position.

   The general duties and responsibilities and physical requirements associated with the position are subject to modification in order to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Some physical requirements may exclude individuals who pose a threat or risk to the health or safety to themselves or others.

   This job description neither states nor implies that the listed general duties and responsibilities and physical requirements associated with the position are the only tasks expected of an employee. An employee is also required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform any other job-related tasks requested by their supervisor and not in violation of any applicable laws, regulations, or rules.

   Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities. To perform this job successfully, an employee must possess the abilities and aptitudes to perform each duty, responsibility, and physical requirement proficiently.

   
   

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find survey operations directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit survey operations directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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.

   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 operations director

   Once you've selected the best survey operations director candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new survey operations director 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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