Surveyor - PLS required

KLJ•Bismarck, ND

About The Position

KLJ is seeking a seasoned Professional Land Surveyor to lead survey operations that define, shape, and safeguard the foundation of our client projects. This role provides technical oversight and direction for capturing, modeling, and interpreting spatial data—translating complex survey information into clear, actionable insights that guide engineering design and decision-making. You’ll oversee field investigations, manage boundary and topographic surveys, and ensure accuracy and compliance across multi-site and multi-phase projects. As a trusted technical expert, you’ll collaborate with project managers, clients, and cross-disciplinary teams to deliver precise, high-quality results that meet or exceed industry standards. Your expertise will drive survey excellence, uphold regulatory integrity, and support KLJ’s mission to create sustainable, innovative infrastructure across our communities. Job Summary: Provides land surveying support, technical guidance, and oversight for capturing, modeling, and analyzing spatial data to illustrate and determine boundaries, topography, and legal property relationships as it pertains to client projects. Provides support and guidance for multi-site/phase projects by providing coordination and oversight for site investigations, and visually mapping/drafting legal boundaries in alignment with the potential placement of structures, utilities, and installations. Ensures that documentation, illustrations, and recommendations accurately portray the results of surveys and analyses, addressing the impact and long-term risks on project areas by applying and articulating data and perspective to project leadership. Ensures that responsibilities are delivered and adhered to with a level of quality that meets or exceeds acceptable industry standards.

Requirements

Associate Degree in Surveying, GIS, or a related field.
5 to 7 years of relevant post-education experience in discipline with prior surveying experience in a corporate environment with easements, rights of way, plats, topographic surveys, boundary surveys, property descriptions, and GPS surveys.
Professional Survey Licensure required.
Experience with public and private sector work (e.g. state, city, county, utility districts, and private land development)
Advanced proficiency with of land survey principles, practices, process, methods and techniques.
Advanced proficiency with relevant codes, regulations, compliance practices, and record-keeping requirements.
Strong analytical skills and prior demonstrated experience with research techniques, modeling data, scanning and digitizing files, and experience maintaining records and databases for assigned projects required.
Experience supporting project managers and serving as deputy project manager.
Demonstrated experience leading and reviewing technical reports, survey and mapping efforts, impact evaluations, siting reports, and permit applications for assigned segments/project work.
Strong expertise with digitalized mapping, fieldwork (survey), data analysis, spatial relationship identification and evaluation.
Established experience coordinating with clients, regulatory and resource agencies, communities, and technical staff required.
Highly capable self-leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
Ability to work independently and provide guidance and leadership to junior team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
Proficiency with survey equipment and instruments, Auto Cad, Civil 3D, as well as Microsoft Office suite and other technological tools.
Well-developed critical thinking and problem-solving skills required to reach conclusions from research, survey results, data collation, and identifying the most effective solutions to accomplish objectives of assigned projects.
Ability to work schedules conducive to project-specific requirements that may extend beyond the typical work week
Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.

Responsibilities

Lead, conduct, and review surveys and reports from survey teams, field sites, property/utility records, deeds, land/property titles, structural plans, and other matrices for project research and investigation.
Research legal and survey records to obtain information about property boundaries; including deeds, easements, vacations, dedications, Right of Ways, riparian rights, etc; resolving boundaries using accepted boundary and legal principles, and case, state, and federal laws.
Reduce and process field notes, sketches, checklists, and digital data in required formats for Project Managers, Survey Technicians, and GIS/ Drafting staff.
Work with field and office personnel, both as a team member and independently, to produce a Record of Surveys, Short Plats, Long Plats, Final Plats, Boundary Line Adjustments, easement exhibits, and any document required for project completion.
Comprehend and create legal descriptions; assisting in the preparation of legal documents related to land ownership and property boundaries.
Oversee quality control standards and procedures for accurate and precise survey measurements, documentation, and analysis of incoming and existent data.
Coordinate the modeling and preparation of survey maps, graphs, and tabular data using aerial photographs, GPS, and other tools and data to determine exact locations of project areas, site impact, and associated physical and geographic sensitivities.
Perform professional land survey work and site investigations, observations, studies, and surveys to gain further information relating to digital mapping, merging topographical data with external data, verifying site conditions and characteristics, and validating and signing off on the authenticity of spatial data.
Prepare and complete land survey segments, topographic mapping, and construction staking preparation pertaining to impact assessment and/or construction activities for assigned projects.
Prepare data and visualizations such as maps, tables, charts, reports, models, cross-sections, and other illustrations for the interpretation or presentation of data, findings, or analyses.
Prepare comprehensive technical reports and presentations that explain research, findings, and recommendations to address, prevent, control, or remediate physical and geographic site issues on assigned projects.
Ensure compliance with guidelines and project-specific procedures which include but are not limited to, the maintenance of any data collection, database, documentation, logbooks, and the management of a digital library of geographic survey maps in various file types.
Oversee and monitor cross-functional teams in executing project work, including project budgets, tracking hours and expenses, and task completion.
Oversee existing survey equipment, maintaining and ensuring proper calibration and functionality.
Develop effective working relationships with regulatory agencies, clients, communities, subcontractors, and technical staff in a confident and professional manner.
Actively engage in business development and proposal writing on assigned initiatives.
Remain current in latest survey practices, methods, procedures, subject matter, and techniques.
Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and adhere to professional conduct and KLJ’s policies and procedures.
Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.