What does a survey party chief do?
Survey party chiefs are individuals distinguished from an engineering technician class. The chiefs supervise land surveys, plan, and assess the proposed field survey projects. They gather field data using the necessary equipment. Their job involves managing equipment logistics, travel-related budgets, and recruiting local staff. They perform work on several highway projects like fills and cuts, bridgework, and centerline layouts. Also, they execute data analysis and offer recommendations for the expansion of military bases and to achieve runway capabilities.
Survey party chief responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real survey party chief resumes:
- Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of the GIS.
- Shoot grade, and set centerline for carpenter's.
- Provide daily support activities for desktop support, data network, and server management.
- Record measurements and descriptive data in various forms and formats including SMI and TDS software.
- Draft topographic, ALTA, preliminary/final plats for the survey department utilizing Carlson (CADD embed) software.
- Perform work on multiple highway projects, that include cuts and fills, centerline layouts and bridge work.
- Experience with data-collectors, prism poles, elevation rods, sledgehammers, and machetes, plumb bobs, etc.
- Used AutoCAD to design septic systems, site layout, subdivision and storm water in line with town standards.
- Update and improve manually draft existing survey drawings using AutoCAD.
- Correspond with engineering on military bases utilizing GPS and robotic inst.
- Create technical drawings base on given specifications and calculations with AutoCad or Carlson drawing software.
- Perform quality control and quality assurance reviews on exhibit documents submit to RMP for the right-of-way acquisition process.
- Review of topo survey to check for DTM errors.
- Used basic survey tools such as instrument tripods, lasers, levels, measuring rods, theodolites.
Survey party chief skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Survey Party Chiefs are proficient in GPS, Survey Party, and Survey Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Time-management skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Survey Party Chiefs that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- GPS, 18%
Corresponded with engineering on military bases utilizing GPS and robotic inst.
- Survey Party, 10%
Supervised survey party in field operations.
- Survey Equipment, 8%
Inspect survey equipment and software for performance abilities and operation readiness.
- Survey Data, 6%
Collected and disseminated survey data.
- Data Collection, 6%
Specialized in precise measurements, calculations and data collection for construction layout projects.
- Topographic Surveys, 5%
Established aerial control for numerous topographic surveys.
Common skills that a survey party chief uses to do their job include "gps," "survey party," and "survey equipment." You can find details on the most important survey party chief responsibilities below.
Time-management skills. The most essential soft skill for a survey party chief to carry out their responsibilities is time-management skills. This skill is important for the role because "surveyors must be able to effectively plan their time and their team members’ time on the job." Additionally, a survey party chief resume shows how their duties depend on time-management skills: "conducted performance reviews, coaching, call monitoring and disciplinary actions to reduce resolution time and improve customer satisfaction rates. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling survey party chief duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "surveyors must provide clear instructions to team members, clients, and government officials." According to a survey party chief resume, here's how survey party chiefs can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "established effective communications between project and usaid senior management, technical staff and implementing partners. "
Detail oriented. survey party chiefs are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to survey party chief responsibilities, because "surveyors must work with precision and accuracy because they produce legally binding documents." A survey party chief resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "detailed construction staking, topographical data collection and building/house stakes. "
Physical stamina. A big part of what survey party chiefs do relies on "physical stamina." You can see how essential it is to survey party chief responsibilities because "surveyors traditionally work outdoors, often in rugged terrain." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical survey party chief tasks: "conduct physical surveys by providing information for legal descriptions of properties to include all physical attributes. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in survey party chief job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what survey party chiefs do. Survey party chief responsibilities rely on this skill because "surveyors must figure out discrepancies between documents showing property lines and current conditions on the land." You can also see how survey party chief duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "survey data entry, construction calculations, boundary resolution, field surveys. "
The three companies that hire the most survey party chiefs are:
- GPAC69 survey party chiefs jobs
- Bowman Consulting Group32 survey party chiefs jobs
- Sam26 survey party chiefs jobs
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Compare different survey party chiefs
Survey party chief vs. 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. 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, survey party chief responsibilities require skills like "gps," "survey party," "survey data," and "civil 3d." Meanwhile a typical instrument person has skills in areas such as "robotic," "survey instruments," "dot," and "cad." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that instrument people earn slightly differ from survey party chiefs. In particular, instrument people are 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a survey party chief. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Survey party chief vs. 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. Land surveyors also oversee the provision of relevant data on the shape and contour of the surface of the Earth for projects ranging from engineering to mapmaking to construction.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that survey party chief responsibilities requires skills like "survey party," "survey equipment," "survey data," and "math." But a professional land surveyor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "pls," "project management," "survey crews," and "project budget."
Professional land surveyors earn similar levels of education than survey party chiefs in general. They're 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Survey party chief vs. Registered land surveyor
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a survey party chief is likely to be skilled in "survey party," "survey equipment," "topographic surveys," and "trimble gps," while a typical registered land surveyor is skilled in "survey crews," "robotic," "survey parties," and "auto-cad."
Most registered land surveyors achieve a similar degree level compared to survey party chiefs. For example, they're 2.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Survey party chief vs. Licensed land surveyor
Types of survey party chief
Updated January 8, 2025
