Chief Field Engineer

Balfour Beatty plc; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance

Health Savings Account

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Tuition Assistance

Employee Referral Bonus

Job summary

A leading construction company is seeking a Chief Field Engineer to join their Dallas team. This senior role focuses on survey control and the execution of advanced site reality capture technologies including drones and laser scanning. The Engineer will oversee survey crews, maintain project control, and coordinate with the VDC/BIM teams for model integration. Candidates should have 7+ years of relevant experience with strong knowledge of surveying principles and drone operations.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of surveying principles and construction tolerances.
• Working knowledge of UAS operations and 360° capture platforms.
• Experience coordinating survey workflows with construction teams.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain project control and layout systems.
• Execute and manage drone operations for site documentation.
• Coordinate reality capture data with VDC/BIM teams.

Skills

Surveying principles

Drone/UAS operations

Photogrammetry

Laser scanning

Blueprint reading

Algebra

Education

Technical training in surveying or civil engineering

7+ years experience in construction

Tools

Total station

Surveying software (TSI, SMI, COGO)

Job description

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance
• Health Savings Account
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Tuition Assistance
• Employee Referral Bonus
• And more!

Summary

Balfour Beatty is seeking a Chief Field Engineer to join our team in Dallas, TX. The Chief Field Engineer is the senior field authority responsible for survey control, layout accuracy, and the execution of site reality capture technologies. This role expands traditional survey leadership responsibilities to include drones (UAS), laser scanning, and 360° site capture in support of construction, VDC/BIM, quality control, and project documentation.

This position reports directly to the Project Superintendent and serves as the primary field liaison to VDC and Project Engineering teams for all survey and reality capture activities.

Essential Functions – Survey Control

• Establishes, verifies, and maintains certified project control, benchmarks, and layout systems.
• Ensures accuracy of horizontal and vertical control for all project activities.
• Oversees survey crews, layout engineers, and instrument operators.
• Maintains field notes, as-built documentation, and survey records as permanent project records.

Essential Functions – Reality Capture

• Executes and manages drone (UAS) operations for progress documentation, existing conditions capture, and site logistics.
• Oversees terrestrial laser scanning for as-built verification, renovation support, tolerance validation, and coordination.
• Directs scheduled 360° site capture for progress tracking, QA/QC, safety documentation, and claims support.
• Establishes and verifies ground control points (GCPs), targets, and reference control required for photogrammetry and scan registration.

Data Coordination & Integration

• Coordinates reality capture and survey data with VDC/BIM teams for model integration and digital twin workflows.
• Supports creation of as-built records, existing conditions models, and progress verification exhibits.
• Verifies subcontractor work using scan-to-model and field comparison techniques.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Operates drones in compliance with FAA Part 107, Remote ID requirements, and company SOPs.
• Enforces jobsite safety policies for survey and reality capture operations.
• Participates in development and continuous improvement of survey and reality capture best practices.

Education, Experience & Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of surveying principles, layout, and construction tolerances.
• Working knowledge of drone/UAS operations, photogrammetry, laser scanning, and 360° capture platforms.
• Experience coordinating survey and reality capture workflows with construction and VDC teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in field operations and technology-enabled construction workflows.

Working Conditions

Most work occurs on construction sites. Due to daily condition changes on construction projects, when employees are outside of the office trailer or structure they must wear appropriate personal protective equipment as required by the company's safety policies and as required for weather conditions.

Physical Abilities

Sitting 30 - 50% of time on job. Helpful abilities: able to lift 40 pounds or more; push and pull objects weighing 50 pounds or more; able to identify and distinguish between colors.

Additional Education, Experience, and Knowledge

• Technical training or coursework in surveying, civil engineering, or a related field. 7+ years of relevant years of experience in the construction industry may be substituted for formal education.
• Basic survey skills and knowledge of the correct and safe usage of surveying instruments including total station and equipment.
• Experienced in using surveying software such as TSI, SMI, and COGO.
• Experienced in blueprint reading and understands contract documents.
• Has common knowledge of Algebra, Ordinary Geometry, and Trigonometry and can accurately calculate dimensional data for layout work.
• Has a working knowledge of job site tolerances and checks work.
• Able to organize people, tools, and equipment and plan/manage multiple activities to accomplish desired results.
• Act in a manner of integrity that shows support for the company, its values, and the employees, while maintaining constant focus on meeting/exceeding customer requirements and expectations.

Balfour Beatty is an equal opportunity employer that recognizes the value of a diverse workforce. All qualified individuals will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other criteria protected by federal, state or local law.