Senior LiDAR Production Scientist

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

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Medical insurance on day one

Generous paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

Prairie Engineers is seeking a Senior LiDAR Mapping Scientist to own LiDAR production end-to-end—from acquisition specs to classified clouds, surfaces, and accuracy reporting. You will lead office production, mentor UAV pilots, set methods, and develop repeatable standards for multidisciplinary projects.

The role supports land and hydrographic surveying and engineering staff, with an anticipated salary range of $80,000–$135,000 per year depending on ability, certifications, and education.

Qualifications

• 8+ years producing mapping-grade LiDAR products for design/engineering clients.
• Classification, surface modelling, and accuracy reporting experience; Python scripting a plus.
• Experience estimating mapping scopes for government and private clients.
• Ability to work with licensed surveyors, pilots, and design engineers; federal/state mapping experience a plus.
• Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent production experience accepted.
• CMSLiDAR or CP certification strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Specify acquisition methods and flight requirements for UAV, mobile, SLAM, and terrestrial LiDAR.
• Process, calibrate, classify, and deliver point clouds and derived surfaces.
• Design QC workflows; assess accuracy against ASPRS standards and specs.
• Diagnose trajectory/datums issues and implement corrections before delivery.
• Prepare level-of-effort and cost estimates for tasks and proposals.
• Mentor junior staff and develop repeatable production standards.

Skills

LiDAR mapping

Classification

Surface modelling

Accuracy reporting

Python scripting

Estimating scopes

Education

Bachelor's degree in geomatics or related field

ASPRS CMSLiDAR or CP certification

Tools

Terrasolid Suite

ArcGIS Pro

Civil 3D

Recap

Pix4Dmatic

TopoDOT

Bentley Open Roads

Job description

Prairie Engineers is seeking a Senior LiDAR Mapping Scientist to own LiDAR production end-to-end—from acquisition specs to classified clouds, surfaces, and accuracy reporting. You will lead office production, mentor UAV pilots, set methods, and develop repeatable standards for multidisciplinary projects.

The role supports land and hydrographic surveying and engineering staff, with an anticipated salary range of $80,000–$135,000 per year depending on ability, certifications, and education.