Survey Field Technician

MEB General Contractors; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

MEB General Contractors in Virginia is seeking a Survey Technician to operate total stations, GNSS receivers, and data collectors, performing layout, stakeout, and as-built data collection for projects in the Hampton Roads area. You will process data, support drawings, and ensure accuracy under guidance from the Survey Crew Chief.

The role emphasizes safety, accuracy, and timely data delivery with travel between sites across the assigned region.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of field or survey experience or time as a rodman and ready to run instruments.
• Ability to set up and operate total stations, GNSS receivers, and data collectors; cross‑skill trainable.
• Ability to run layout, stakeout, and as-built surveys under direction and hold the tolerance.
• Comfort with survey software for processing and analyzing data and to check own work.
• Ability to read plans and translate them to points on the ground.
• Judgment to stop and ask when a control point or tolerance looks wrong.
• OSHA 10 required; OSHA 30 a plus. First Aid and CPR; training provided if needed.
• High school diploma or GED preferred; geomatics coursework a plus; valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Field safety: maintain certifications and PPE, report hazards, and stop unsafe work.
• Instrument setup and operation: configure total stations, GNSS receivers, and data collectors.
• Layout and stakeout: perform layout under supervision and maintain tolerance.
• As-builts: collect data and support drawings and owner turnover records.
• Measurements and calculations: perform vertical and horizontal layout, control points, and elevations.
• Data processing: use survey software to process data and flag discrepancies.
• Equipment care and inventory: maintain instruments and keep tools ready for next day.
• Monitoring and escalation: note deviations and elevate questions to Crew Chief.

Skills

Field survey experience

Total station operation

GNSS receivers operation

Data collectors operation

Layout and stakeout

As-built surveys

Reading plans and translating to field

Discretion and judgment

Safety training and OSHA awareness

Valid driver's license

Education

High school diploma or GED

Survey or geomatics coursework

Valid driver's license

Tools

Total stations

GNSS receivers

Data collectors

Survey software

Job description

Hampton Roads area, Virginia // Non-exempt, hourly

THE ROLE

You run the instruments that put MEB's projects in the right place. You set up and operate total stations, GNSS receivers, and data collectors, and you handle layout, stakeout, and as-built documentation under the direction of the Survey Crew Chief. The crews build off the points you set.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

• Field safety. Keep your certifications and PPE current, work safely around active equipment and traffic, and report hazards to the Crew Chief immediately. You hold stop-work authority for unsafe conditions.
• Instrument setup and operation. Set up and configure total stations, GNSS receivers, and data collectors, and operate them accurately enough that nobody downstream has to check your work.
• Layout and stakeout. Run job layout and stakeout under the guidance of senior survey staff, and hold tolerance.
• As-builts. Collect as-built data and support the detailed drawings and records that go into the project file and the owner turnover.
• Measurements and calculations. Perform vertical and horizontal layout, control points, and elevation profiles.
• Data processing. Use survey software to process and analyze the data, check it for accuracy and completeness, and flag discrepancies for review rather than passing them along.
• Equipment care and inventory. Operate and maintain the instruments to manufacturer standards, and keep the tools and materials ready for the next day.
• Monitoring and escalation. Support monitoring of existing and new structures, note deviations from design, and elevate layout, control, and tolerance questions to the Survey Crew Chief.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 1+ years of field or survey experience, or time as a rodman and ready to run instruments
• Ability to set up and operate total stations, GNSS receivers, and data collectors. If you are strong on one platform and new to another, that is trainable
• Ability to run layout, stakeout, and as-built surveys under direction and hold the tolerance the work requires
• Comfort with survey software for processing and analyzing data, and the discipline to check your own work before it leaves your hands
• Ability to read plans and translate them to points on the ground
• The judgment to stop and ask when a control point or a tolerance does not look right. A wrong point costs more than a question
• OSHA 10 required, OSHA 30 a plus. First Aid and CPR. We provide the safety training you do not already hold
• High school diploma or GED preferred. Survey or geomatics coursework is a plus. Valid driver's license

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Outdoor field work in all weather, on active jobsites and over uneven terrain
• Walk the site, climb, and work around heavy equipment and active traffic; required PPE
• Carry and set up instruments and equipment, occasionally up to 50 lbs
• Travel between project sites across the assigned region

COMPENSATION

The anticipated starting hourly rate for this position is $30 to $36 an hour. This is the range we expect to pay someone starting in this position. Where an offer lands within it depends on the experience you bring, the certifications and technical skills that apply to this work, the scope you have carried before, and what we pay people already doing equivalent work here. The range covers base pay. It is a starting range, not a ceiling. People move up through it and past it as they grow with us.

WHY MEB

• Employee ownership. MEB is employee owned. Through our ESOP, the people who build the work own the business behind it.
• Benefits. MEB pays the medical and dental premiums for our employees. We also offer vision, disability, and life insurance, FSA and HSA options, a matching 401(k), tuition reimbursement, a health and wellness program, and paid time off.
• Room to grow. Career paths at MEB are defined, not improvised. You will know what the next step requires and who is responsible for helping you get there.
• Core values. Clients First, Safety Matters, and Family by Choice. You will see them on the jobsite, not just in the handbook.
• Who we are. Founded in 1982, MEB is a Virginia-based construction firm with more than 475 employees, headquartered in Chesapeake with a regional office in Richmond. We build resilient environments: projects that improve the communities we work in, locally and nationwide.
• What we build. Heavy civil is the core of what we do: our own crews and equipment self-perform water and wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, pipelines, utility systems, and industrial facilities, scope most general contractors subcontract out. We also build schools, public libraries, recreation and sports centers, and civic facilities across Virginia, and we are a national leader in aviation fueling systems and storage on government and military installations nationwide.

MEB General Contractors, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, marital status, military status, status as a victim of family abuse, or any other status protected by law.

MEB is proud to support those who have served. Veterans are encouraged to apply.

MEB participates in E-Verify and verifies the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Employment is contingent on a pre-employment drug screen and a motor vehicle record check (as required).

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.