Director, Remote Sensing

WGI•Huntsville, AL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

WGI is seeking a Director, Remote Sensing to lead the operations and technical delivery of our Remote Sensing Department within the Geospatial Division. This position is responsible for the people, technology, equipment, processes, and quality systems necessary to successfully execute WGI's airborne remote sensing programs while engaging with leadership of our other Departments. The Director, Remote Sensing will provide strategic, operational, and technical leadership for the Remote Sensing Department. This individual is accountable for departmental performance, staff development, resource planning, technology and equipment strategy, quality, production capacity, and successful project delivery. The Director will maintain sufficient technical expertise to provide oversight, evaluate risk, support complex project decisions, and ensure appropriate technical leadership is available throughout the project lifecycle. This individual will lead a multidisciplinary team of sensor operators, LiDAR analysts, imagery and photogrammetric professionals, and other geospatial technical staff while coordinating closely with project managers, surveyors, GIS professionals, and other WGI disciplines. The Director will be responsible for developing scalable production processes, maintaining high standards for quality and consistency, optimizing staff and equipment utilization, and ensuring that WGI remains at the forefront of remote sensing technology. This is an in-office leadership position with travel required to support operations, projects, staff, clients, business development, and field activities. At WGI, you will find talented, passionate associates providing exceptional service in collaborative, team-driven environments, all while having fun and enjoying the work they do. We work to stay ahead of the curve by investing in the latest tools and technology. As one of the nation’s top consulting firms, we consistently strive to promote efficiency, cultivate a culture our associates can proudly embrace, and empower our associates to advance their career growth at WGI and beyond. WGI is always looking for remarkable individuals to join our team and help us grow in our vision. If you think you are an innovative, self-motivated team player, and want to shape your community, join our WGI team today!

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Geomatics, Surveying, GIS, Geography, Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline preferred; advanced degree a plus.
10+ years of progressive experience in LiDAR, photogrammetry, remote sensing, surveying, mapping, or related geospatial disciplines, with significant experience leading technical teams and complex projects.
Demonstrated experience managing remote sensing production operations involving multiple concurrent projects, staff, equipment, and significant volumes of geospatial data.
Strong working knowledge of airborne LiDAR and imagery acquisition and production sufficient to provide technical oversight, evaluate project risk, and guide technical decision-making. Broad understanding of GNSS/IMU trajectory processing, sensor calibration, boresight adjustment, strip/swath alignment, relative and absolute accuracy, point cloud processing, imagery workflows, and geospatial QA/QC.
Experience with mobile and terrestrial LiDAR and UAS LiDAR/imagery strongly preferred.
Advanced knowledge of remote sensing data management, coordinate systems, projections, horizontal and vertical datums, transformations, survey control, and accuracy assessment.
Experience developing and implementing documented production and QA/QC procedures.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex technical, operational, and production issues.
Experience managing technical staff, developing employees, allocating resources, and improving operational performance.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, schedules, priorities, and deadlines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to collaborate across WGI's Geospatial, Transportation, Civil, and Buildings disciplines and work effectively with project managers, technical leaders, clients, subcontractors, and partners.
Sensors/Platforms: RIEGL, Leica and Trimble LiDAR systems; airborne LiDAR and digital imagery systems; mobile mapping systems; terrestrial/static scanning; and UAS LiDAR and imagery platforms.
Primary Software: RiPROCESS, Applanix POSPac and TopoDOT.
Additional Software: TerraSolid, Inertial Explorer, MicroStation, ArcGIS Pro, LP360, Leica/Cyclone environments, GeoCue and other industry-standard LiDAR, photogrammetric, CAD and GIS applications.
Processing: GNSS/IMU trajectory development; point cloud generation; calibration; boresight and strip adjustment; registration; classification; tiling; imagery processing; orthorectification; feature extraction; surface generation; accuracy assessment; and final deliverable development.
Automation: Batch processing, scripting, macros, automated QA/QC and other approaches that increase production efficiency and repeatability.
Data: Management of large point-cloud and imagery datasets, high-performance processing environments, network/cloud storage, metadata, archival and data-transfer workflows.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. We are unable to sponsor or take over the sponsorship of employment visas.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree a plus.
Experience with mobile and terrestrial LiDAR and UAS LiDAR/imagery strongly preferred.
Professional credentials should be considered favorably and may be factored into position level and compensation, including: ASPRS Certified Photogrammetrist (CP), ASPRS Certified Mapping Scientist – LiDAR (CMS-LiDAR), ASPRS Certified Mapping Technician – LiDAR (CMT-LiDAR), Professional Surveyor/Professional Land Surveyor licensure, Surveyor Intern/LSIT certification, FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, Other relevant geospatial, photogrammetric, aviation, project-management, or technical certifications.

Responsibilities

Lead the operations of WGI's Remote Sensing Department, including staffing, production capacity, equipment, resource allocation, workload balancing, project performance, and operational priorities. Establish scalable processes, accountability, and performance measures that support consistent, predictable, and profitable project delivery.
Maintain visibility into backlog, production capacity, staffing availability, equipment utilization, and upcoming project demand to proactively identify resource constraints and develop appropriate staffing, subcontracting, scheduling, or technology solutions.
Provide operational oversight of airborne LiDAR and imagery acquisition programs. Ensure qualified technical personnel, appropriate equipment, documented procedures, quality controls, and adequate resources are in place to support safe, efficient, and successful acquisition.
Provide leadership and technical oversight for WGI's airborne, mobile, terrestrial, and UAS LiDAR and imagery production capabilities. Ensure production teams have effective workflows, appropriate technical leadership, adequate resources, and clearly defined quality standards from initial processing through final delivery.
Develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive QA/QC procedures throughout the acquisition and production lifecycle. Establish measurable checkpoints for collection completeness, trajectory quality, relative and absolute accuracy, point density, imagery quality, calibration, classification, data integrity, metadata, and final deliverables. Perform quarterly audits to ensure Project Manager’s compliance to WGI’s established Quality Assurance Program.
Maintain strong working knowledge of Remote Sensing technologies, methodologies, specifications, and industry standards. Provide technical oversight for complex projects, support technical decision-making, and ensure appropriate subject-matter experts are engaged to resolve specialized technical issues. Develop and empower technical leaders within the department rather than creating dependency on a single technical resource.
Maintain visibility across active Remote Sensing projects and proactively address schedule, staffing, technical, equipment, or quality issues that could affect successful delivery. Coordinate with project managers to establish realistic schedules, production plans, budgets, and resource requirements.
Lead, mentor, develop, and evaluate Remote Sensing staff and technical leaders. Establish clear expectations, accountability, career paths, succession plans, and development opportunities. Identify staffing and training needs, build technical depth and redundancy, and develop future leaders capable of independently managing critical technical and operational functions.
Oversee the effective deployment, maintenance, calibration, and lifecycle planning of remote sensing sensors, GNSS/IMU systems, computing infrastructure, storage, and supporting equipment. Participate in evaluation and justification of significant technology and capital investments.
Promote automation, batch processing, scripting, and standardized production workflows to improve quality, repeatability, throughput, and cost efficiency. Identify production bottlenecks and implement measurable improvements.
Ensure complex technical, equipment, software, processing, and data-quality issues are appropriately escalated, investigated, and resolved. Facilitate root-cause analysis and ensure lessons learned are incorporated into standards, training, and operating procedures.
Establish and maintain departmental standards, standard operating procedures, production workflows, technical documentation, and QA/QC requirements to promote consistent execution across staff, offices, technologies, and projects.
Assist with the development of department budgets, staffing plans, capital expenditures, equipment utilization, project performance, and resource forecasting. Monitor and manage to key operational and financial performance indicators and recommend corrective actions where appropriate.
Support WGI's business development activities through technical presentations, proposal development, scopes of work, level-of-effort estimates, project approaches, and client meetings. Assist project managers and business development professionals in developing technically sound and competitive remote sensing solutions.
Evaluate emerging LiDAR, imagery, UAS, positioning, cloud-computing, AI/ML, and geospatial technologies. Recommend technologies and investments that improve WGI's capabilities, productivity, quality, or competitive position.
Promote a strong safety culture across airborne, vehicle-based, UAS, and field operations. Ensure departmental activities comply with WGI policies, applicable regulations, aviation requirements, client requirements, professional standards, and established operating procedures.