Drafting and Survey Technician

Canadian Armed Forces; Gagetown, Kingston; On-site; CAD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Canadian Armed Forces is seeking Drafting and Survey Technicians (DS Tech) for full-time or part-time service. Responsibilities include using advanced survey equipment to collect data and produce technical drawings. Technicians will work in office and field environments and may have opportunities for international deployment.

Qualifications

• Technical training at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering.
• No prior experience required.
• Understanding of applied math necessary.

Responsibilities

• Collect geodetic survey data
• Use CAD software for designs
• Support military engineering teams

Skills

Attention to Detail

Technical Proficiency

Education

Completion of Grade 11 or equivalent

Tools

AutoCAD

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)

Job description

Non-Commissioned Member | Full Time, Part Time

As a member of the military, Drafting and Survey Technicians (DS Tech) provide both deployed and domestic drafting and survey support to the Canadian Armed Forces and other government departments anywhere in the world.

As a member of the military, Drafting and Survey Technicians (DS Tech) provide both deployed and domestic drafting and survey support to the Canadian Armed Forces and other government departments anywhere in the world.

Drafting and Survey Technicians belong to the Military Engineering Branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. Their primary responsibilities are:

• Collect geodetic survey data using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and other survey equipment
• Use data to produce digital and hard copy civil and site drawings, and designs of specific areas
• Use computer aided design (CAD) software to produce digital and hard copy designs
• Provide survey and drawing support to military specialist engineering teams

Work environment

Drafting and Survey Technicians are members ofthe Royal Canadian Air Force. They may be called upon to support all CAF exercises and operations, including those lead by the Royal Canadian Navy. The primary work environment is in an office, however fieldwork is a large component of the job and is conducted in approved weather conditions, 24/7, on bases, wings or in operational theatres. Drafting and Survey Technicians use high-tech computer workstations and software designed for drafting and survey applications. Drafting and Survey Technicians are employed in Kingston, ONand Gagetown, NB. As you progress in your career, you may also have the opportunity to be posted to Brussels, Belgium.

If you chose a career in theRegular Force, upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

I’m Sergeant Sean Carroll from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, a Drafting and Survey Technician with 1 Engineer Support Unit, in Kingston, Ontario.

And I’m Master Corporal Cameron Wallace from McCord, Saskatchewan, a Drafting and Survey Technician also with 1 Engineer Support Unit at CFB Kingston.

WALLACE: Drafting and Survey Technicians, or DS Techs, provide deployed and domestic survey and drafting support to the Forces and other government departments, using the latest survey equipment and computer-aided drafting software.

CARROLL: As surveyors, we ensure that camps and structures are situated in the right locations and laid out in the correct orientation.

WALLACE: As draftspersons, we generate the final construction drawings from the engineers’ designs, that the tradespeople use to actually build the project.

WALLACE: There’s so much that we could do, right? We could be outside, surveying the ground, and then back inside, taking that data that we collected, putting it into the computer and then producing a design and then going out and staking it out again.

CARROLL: And from Corporal to Sergeant, you’re usually involved in every step of the process.

CARROLL: Drafting and Survey Technicians work as both surveyors and draftspersons and are required to be proficient at both.

WALLACE: What makes a good Drafting and Surveying Technician would be somebody that pays very close attention to detail, that’s very meticulous. Also, honesty plays a huge role, just to build that trust between you and the people that you’re working with.

CARROLL: We work with the latest Global Navigation Satellite System enabled survey equipment, and work with both Auto CAD and Auto CAD Civil 3D for Computer Aided Design.

WALLACE: As a Drafting and Survey Tech in the military, we’re trained in the many technical aspects of Drafting and Survey but we’re also trained to develop our soldier skills because we need to be able to work in a combat environment.

CARROLL: The camaraderie is great within the drafting / surveying section, and again a lot of really unique experiences, from being responsible for laying out hundreds of tents for a major exercise -- it can be yourself and your partner tasked to do that before the main body shows up. So you get to kinda see stuff falling into place.

WALLACE: I’ve been deployed to places within Canada such as Rankin Inlet, Inuvik, Wainwright, Alberta, Petawawa, Ontario – outside of Canada, I’ve been deployed to South Dakota, Latvia, and Kuwait.

WALLACE: To become a DS Tech, after your basic military training, you’ll attend the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick for the technical portion of your trade training.

WALLACE: When you’re done at Gagetown, you’ll be posted to either CFB Cold Lake in Alberta, CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia, or CFB Kingston in Ontario where you’ll go through 2 years of on-the-job training. You’ll be working alongside experienced DS Techs who will mentor you as you develop your new trade skills, working on a wide variety of engineering and construction projects.

CARROLL: And because it’s such a small trade, everyone will get the opportunity to continue to travel and deploy, and stay current and stay on the tools. I didn’t join to ride a desk, and the working ranks – it goes right from top to bottom.

WALLACE: The most attractive part about being a Drafting and Surveying Technician in the Canadian Armed Forces would be the deploying side. Just seeing a different part of the world, seeing how another country operates and helping out that country.

CARROLL: I’ve always wanted to join the military as a kid – I went in blind, not knowing what I was getting into, and it was one of the best decisions I made.

Related Civilian Occupations

• Land Survey Technologists and Technicians

No previous work experience or career related skills are required. CAF recruiters can help you decide if your personal interests and attributes match the criteria for this occupation.

The minimum required education to apply for this occupation is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 11 high school, Secondary 5 in Quebec or equivalent secondary school education, including: Grade 11 applied math, or Secondary 5 applied math in Quebec.