Senior LiDAR Mapping Scientist — Lead Repeatable Production

Prairie Engineers, P.C.; Keokuk (IA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Medical insurance from day one

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

Prairie Engineers invites a Senior LiDAR Mapping Scientist to own LiDAR production from acquisition through classification, surfaces, accuracy reporting, and client delivery. You will lead office production and mentor UAV pilots and mapping staff, setting methods, tool choices, quality control, and level-of-effort estimates under the Mapping Discipline Lead.

The role drives standardized workflows across UAV, mobile, terrestrial, SLAM, and partner datasets, with salary range $80,000–$135,000 per

Qualifications

• 8+ years producing mapping-grade LiDAR products for design or engineering clients.
• Demonstrated classification, surface modelling, and written accuracy reporting.
• Experience with Python, scripting, batch processing, or geospatial workflow automation is a plus.
• Experience estimating mapping scopes for government and private clients.

Responsibilities

• Specify internal acquisition methods and vendor/flight requirements for UAV and LiDAR projects.
• Process, calibrate, classify, and deliver point clouds and derived surfaces.
• Design QA workflows; assess accuracy against standards and project specs.
• Diagnose data issues and implement corrections before delivery.
• Prepare level-of-effort and cost estimates for tasks and proposals.
• Mentor mapping staff and develop repeatable production standards.

Skills

LiDAR mapping

Geospatial workflows

Python scripting

Quality control

Client interaction

Education

Geomatics / surveying degree

Tools

Terrasolid Suite

Spatial Explorer Pro

Pix4Dmatic

ArcGIS Pro

Civil 3D

Open Roads Designer

Bentley OpenRoads

Applanix PosPac

HyPack

HySweep

LP360

TopoDOT

Global Mapper

Job description

Prairie Engineers invites a Senior LiDAR Mapping Scientist to own LiDAR production from acquisition through classification, surfaces, accuracy reporting, and client delivery. You will lead office production and mentor UAV pilots and mapping staff, setting methods, tool choices, quality control, and level-of-effort estimates under the Mapping Discipline Lead.

The role drives standardized workflows across UAV, mobile, terrestrial, SLAM, and partner datasets, with salary range $80,000–$135,000 per