Hydrographic Processing Specialist

Woolpert; North Charleston, San Rafael (SC, CA); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Freedom to Work program

Principal program

Flexible PTO

Career development

Health, vision, dental insurance

Sick time, retirement plan, fitness,re

Job summary

Woolpert is seeking a Hydrographic Data Processing Specialist to join the Bathymetric Charting Data Processing Team. The role supports large marine surveys for NOAA and other agencies, with remote work flexibility and office options in San Rafael, CA or Charleston, SC.

Responsibilities include handling multibeam data, side-scan sonar processing with SonarWiz, and feature management across QPS Qimera and CARIS, ensuring QA/QC and deliverable quality. A relevant degree plus experience is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field plus 3+ years' job-related experience.
• Strong understanding of hydrographic survey principles and geospatial workflows.
• Experience with industry-standard software packages (QPS, CARIS, SonarWiz, ArcGIS).

Responsibilities

• Manage daily imports and processing tasks on multiday projects.
• Process multibeam hydrographic data using QPS Qimera: cleaning, refraction, etc.
• Perform side scan sonar processing with SonarWiz: mosaicking, classification, reporting.
• Review acquisition logs and metadata to ensure workflow integration.
• Produce daily data packages (Coverage TIFFs, line mile reports).
• QA/QC checks for data accuracy and compliance with specs.

Skills

Hydrographic processing

QPS Qimera

QA/QC

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor in Surveying / Geomatics

Master's in a related field

Tools

QPS Qimera

CARIS

SonarWiz

ArcGIS

Job description

North Charleston, SC; Remote - United States; San Rafael, CA

We seek to move the world forward through innovative thinking.

Woolpert is an award-winning, global leader in architecture, engineering, and geospatial services. We blend design excellence with cutting-edge technology to deliver exceptional client value. Our team is passionate about their work and committed to building the next generation of industry leaders, and as a certified Great Place to Work ® , Woolpert embraces progress and innovation to create limitless opportunities for career growth.

Woolpert is hiring a Hydrographic Data Processing Specialist to join our Bathymetric Charting Data Processing Team. This position is eligible for remote work with the team working between Eastern and Pacific Time working hours. Alternatively to a remote option, an in-office role is available within the San Rafael, CA or the Charleston, SC office if the candidate is local or willing to relocate.

Our team supports largescale marine survey projects globally throughout our Maritime sector. Projects this team typically support are public sector, as an industry contractor with NOAA Office of Coast Survey and other government agencies to support charting efforts for feature detection and updating general bathymetry. As a processing position, work travel is not expected and field time is not necessary.

This position is ideal for someone who enjoys working with large geospatial datasets, developing efficient processing workflows, analyzing data for quality control, categorizing features, and producing high-quality deliverables.

We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. Applicants must already possess work authorization in the country the job is located.

What you will do:

• Manage daily imports and processing tasks on multiday projects
• Process multibeam hydrographic data using QPS Qimera, including:
  • Data cleaning, refraction correction, and sound velocity application
  • Patch test validation and calibration review
  • Surface generation and uncertainty analysis
  • Feature detection, creation, and reporting
• Perform side scan sonar processing and interpretation using SonarWiz, including:
  • Mosaicking and gain normalization
  • Target identification and classification (e.g., debris, infrastructure, seabed features)
  • Contact selection and reporting
• Feature management and new feature creation in QPS Qimera and CARIS
• Review and validate acquisition logs and metadata from QINSy to ensure proper integration into processing workflows
• Produce daily data packages including:
  • Coverage Tiffs
  • Line mile reports
• Bathymetric Surfaces and Grids
• Backscatter and Side Scan mosaics
• Survey overview and analysis reports
• Perform QA/QC checks to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and compliance with project specifications
• Document processing workflows and maintain reproducibility across projects
• Identify inefficiencies and contribute to improving internal processing standards
• Coordinate with field teams to resolve data gaps, anomalies, or acquisition issues
• Work closely with project managers and technical leads to meet project schedules and deliverable requirements

What you will bring:

• A bachelor’s degree in surveying, geomatics, environmental science, ocean engineering, coastal and ocean policy, geology, geography, geophysics, oceanography, spatial science, marine science, physics, mathematics or comparable field plus a minimum of 3 years of job-related experience, or a master’s degree plus 1 year of job-related experience.
• Strong understanding of hydrographic survey principles and geospatial data workflows
• Experience with industry standard software packages such as: QPS Qinsy and Qimera, CARIS, SonarWiz, SeaView, Discover, Global Mapper, POS Pac, ArcGIS, etc.
• Detail-oriented mindset with a focus on producing accurate, defensible datasets
• Ability to work in a team environment, self-manage, and manage others.
• Ability to manage multiple datasets and deadlines in a production environment
• Willingness and ability to learn as you go.
• A strong work ethic to self-motivate and hold yourself accountable as a potentially remote worker.
• Above average attention to detail and aesthetics for data modeling.
• The ability to learn quickly and adapt to new software.
• An enthusiastic attitude that is open to receiving and giving constructive professional feedback.
• A genuine passion and desire to work in a marine focused organization.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

• Experience in Qimera or Caris
• Experience in SonarWiz
• Experience with feature management and reporting
• Familiarity with
  • NOAA Hydrographic Specifications and Deliverables
  • IHO Hydrographic Specifications
  • NOAA Pydro Toolset
  • Global Mapper or GIS platforms

#LI-AT1

Benefits You Will Love

Certified as a Great Place to Work, Woolpert is one of the fastest-growing architecture, engineering, and geospatial companies in the world. With over 75 offices and countless projects around the globe, you’ll work on meaningful assignments that improve quality of life around the world. In addition to offering competitive pay, we provide employees with a robust set of unique benefits, including:

• Freedom to Work program: Set your own schedule and location (as appropriate).
• Principal program: Earn the opportunity to become an owner of the firm.
• Flexible paid time off/vacation: Take time off when it makes sense for you and your team.
• Career development: Explore a wide range of learning and growth opportunities within and across industries.
• Health, life, vision, and dental insurance: Cover all your medical bases.
• Paid sick time, retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, pet insurance, identity protection, technology stipend, employee assistance program, and more!

Base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Woolpert is an equal-opportunity employer.

Woolpert is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals. We recruit, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. You may view more about EEO on our website: Equal-Employment-Opportunity-The-Law.pdf and EEO is the Law Poster Supplement .

Applicants who require an accommodation throughout the application and interview process should request this in advance by contacting your Recruiter

To all agencies: Please, no phone calls or emails to any employee of Woolpert or any of our subsidiaries about this requisition. All resumes submitted by search firms/employment agencies to any employee at Woolpert via email, the internet, or in any form and/or method will be deemed the sole property of Woolpert, unless such search firms/employment agencies were engaged by Woolpert's Talent Acquisition Team for this requisition and a valid agreement is in place. In the event a candidate who was submitted outside of Woolpert's applicant process is hired, no fee or payment of any kind will be paid.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Woolpert’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.