Survey Technician

Bureau of Reclamation; Yuma (AZ); Remote; USD 56,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

Bureau of Reclamation is seeking a Surveying Technician to perform land, construction, and hydrographic surveying using GPS, total stations, scanners and echo sounders in support of engineering and project planning in the Yuma area.

Responsibilities include establishing survey control networks, reviewing contractor computations, conducting field surveys during construction, and coordinating with engineers and other staff. Training on instruments and safety is provided.

Qualifications

• Transcript(s) required to support claimed education if substituting education for experience.
• Unofficial transcripts acceptable, but official transcripts required before start if education was used to qualify.
• Foreign Education: show proof of evaluation to be considered equivalent to US education.

Responsibilities

• Perform land, construction, and hydrographic surveying using GPS, total stations, scanners, and echo sounders to support engineering and project planning.
• Establish and maintain survey control networks including benchmarks, alignments, grades, and reference points for construction activities.
• Review contractor computations and proposed realignments for accuracy and compliance with project standards.
• Conduct field surveys during construction to verify alignment and complete as-built surveys.
• Coordinate survey activities with engineers, contractors and other project staff, and document findings.
• Maintain organized survey records and field notes, digital data files, and daily activity reports.
• Provide training on survey instruments, data collection techniques, and safety practices.

Skills

GPS surveying

Total stations

Scanners

Echo sounders

Field notes

Job description

This position is within the Surveying Team, Facilities Engineering Group of the Technical Support Office Yuma Area Office (YAO), Lower Colorado Basin Region. You may be expected to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work occasionally to support emergency field responses or critical mission requirements.

Key Responsibilities

At the full performance level (GS-10) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Performs a wide range of land, construction, and hydrographic surveying tasks using Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment, total stations, scanners, echo sounders, and other precision tools to collect accurate data that supports engineering and project planning needs.

Establishes and maintains survey control networks, including benchmarks, alignments, grades, and reference points, ensuring the accuracy required for construction activities, structural placement, and river or water-management operations.

Reviews and verifies survey-related information in construction documents, including contractor computations, proposed realignments, layout plans, and vertical and horizontal control data, to ensure accuracy and compliance with project standards.

Conducts field surveys throughout construction, including restoring disturbed control points, checking placement of forms for concrete, verifying structural alignment, and completing final "as-built" surveys to confirm that completed work meets specification requirements.

Coordinates survey activities with engineers, contractors, and other project staff, identifies data gaps or issues, communicates needed corrections, and supports decisions related to project progress, technical needs, and job estimates.

Maintains organized survey records and technical documents, including field notes, digital data files, computations, and daily activity reports that document work performed, site conditions, safety concerns, and any issues affecting accuracy or project timelines.

Provides training and coaching to personnel on survey instruments, data collection techniques, computation methods, and safety practices; promotes consistent data quality and ensures safe work habits in field environments. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Physical Demands/Work Environment: The work requires considerable and strenuous physical exertion while in the field, in varied terrain, which involves climbing, walking, bending, crawling, or stooping. Incumbent conducts lengthy field surveys in desert terrain during peak periods of summer heat. The work will involve the occasional operation of all-terrain vehicles, boats up to 150 hp, light-duty trucks.

May be required to clear line with axes, brush hooks, and chain saws in extreme heat or cold; lifting up to 60 lbs. is required. The work is performed in the field (50%) and in the office (50%). Work is performed outside under regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks and discomforts, adverse weather conditions with exposure to fluctuating temperature, insects, snakes, underbrush, etc.

For field work exposure to a variety of temperatures ranging from 35 degrees F in the winter months, to highs in excess of 100 degrees F in the summer months. In remote locations with no cell reception; work environment requires the employee to stay alert continually, recognize and correct workplace hazards, and to take special safety precautions including wearing hard hats, safety glasses, ear plugs, or other personal protective equipment are required in some cases.

Construction surveys are conducted in an area of high noise level, vibration, dust, and moving machinery. Hard hat, steel toe boots, and safety glasses are required on construction site. Office work is performed in a well-lighted, ventilated and temperature-controlled area.

Requirements & Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position.

Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.

https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $55882 – $88356/yr.

Is this position remote or telework eligible?

This position is eligible for telework.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-11-23.

How many openings are available?

There are 2 openings for this position.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Transition' hiring path.