Geospatial and Digital Innovation Development Leader

True Environmental

About The Position

True Environmental is seeking a hands-on technical leader to drive geospatial, digital, and AI innovation across the firm. Working with engineers, scientists, GIS staff, and project managers across six practice groups, the role identifies opportunities to improve workflows and builds tools, platforms, and processes that make project work faster, more accurate, and more valuable to clients in transportation and infrastructure, water, energy, power and utilities, mining, industrial, environmental, and natural resources markets. The position serves as the firm’s U.S.-based technical authority for enterprise GIS, geomatics, and digital solutions. The leader designs geodatabases, develops scripts and applications, integrates data feeds, and applies AI to improve data compilation, change detection, and project delivery. The role also trains project teams, represents the firm with clients and at industry events, and coordinates with digital technology leaders in Canada to identify and develop tools across True Environmental. It reports to the Chief Operating Officer and works in a matrixed relationship with practice leads.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Geography, Geospatial Science, Environmental Science/Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
Authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.
20+ years of progressive geospatial and application-development experience, including substantial time as a technical lead on multidisciplinary projects in an environmental, engineering, AEC, or public-sector setting.
GISP certification, or ability to obtain it within 12 months.
Deep expertise in the Esri platform, including ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise/Server, ArcGIS Online, Experience Builder, Survey123, Field Maps, and 3D/Spatial Analyst.
Development skills in Python, SQL (PostgreSQL/PostGIS and SQL Server), JavaScript (Esri JS API, Leaflet, and Node.js), and relational database design.
Demonstrated experience building web applications, dashboards, and enterprise GIS infrastructure that measurably improved delivery efficiency or client decision-making.
Experience integrating field data collection platforms with enterprise geodatabases and downstream modeling or reporting tools.
Ability to elicit requirements from non-GIS staff, clearly explain technical trade-offs, and deliver tools that users adopt.
Comfort presenting to clients, agencies, and industry audiences.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing digital-twin or asset-management platforms that integrate point clouds, BIM, and inspection data, particularly for ports, utilities, transportation, or facilities.
Hands-on reality-capture experience, including LiDAR, bathymetric/sonar survey, UAS operations (FAA Part 107), photogrammetry, or 3D modeling.
Open-source geospatial and cloud experience, including QGIS, MapServer, GeoServer, PostGIS, Azure, or AWS.
Experience applying AI/ML or LLM-assisted tools to geospatial data compilation, defect detection, or metadata generation.
Integration experience with EAM/BIM platforms such as Maximo or Autodesk Forma, and CAD/MicroStation conversion using FME.
Experience with 3D visualization, immersive/XR, or interactive training content for stakeholder engagement.
Experience working across distributed, multi-office, or cross-border teams.

Responsibilities

Lead geospatial and digital solutions across the six practice groups: Natural Resources and Regulatory Services, Mining, Environmental, Engineering, Water Resources, and Federal.
Map practice workflows, identify opportunities for spatial data and automation to reduce manual effort or improve decisions, and prioritize a development backlog.
Establish firm-wide standards for geodatabase design, metadata, data governance, QA/QC, and deliverable formats.
Coordinate with digital technology leaders in Canada to identify and develop shared tools, align platforms, and avoid duplicated development.
Review geospatial deliverables and provide technical input on proposals requiring a defined digital scope.
Design and build enterprise geodatabases, web-mapping applications, dashboards, and digital-twin platforms integrating mapping, asset, document, point-cloud, BIM/Revit, inspection, and monitoring information.
Develop reusable analytical tools and workflows for recurring project needs, including cut/fill and dredging analysis, modeling, routing, constraint analysis, contaminant visualization, flood exposure, and automated regulatory reporting.
Build and maintain field data collection applications and pipelines that transfer field data into enterprise databases and client deliverables.
Integrate real-time and external data sources, including IoT sensors, AIS, weather and environmental feeds, bathymetric surveys, and LiDAR scans.
Automate processes with Python, SQL, JavaScript, ModelBuilder, and FME, and convert legacy CAD/MicroStation, Access, Excel, and PDF data into spatially enabled databases.
Evaluate and pilot emerging capabilities such as GeoAI, LLM-assisted compilation and metadata generation, automated defect and change detection, open-source geospatial stacks, cloud deployment, and immersive/XR visualization; establish governed adoption paths.
Direct reality-capture programs with field teams, including terrestrial and bathymetric LiDAR, sonar, UAS photogrammetry, and inspection.
Identify project-built tools that can be developed into reusable firm assets or client-facing products.
Represent the firm to clients and present at industry conferences, user groups, and professional associations.
Develop SOPs, written and video tutorials, and training programs so staff can use and maintain developed tools.
Mentor GIS analysts and developers across practices in development practices, database design, and scripting, providing guidance without line management.