Survey Technician or Land Surveyor (Level DOE)

Basin Electric Power Cooperative; Bismarck (ND); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Basin Electric Power Cooperative in Bismarck, ND is seeking a Survey Technician or Land Surveyor (Level DOE) to perform field and office surveying tasks under a Registered Land Surveyor. The role supports land and infrastructure projects with emphasis on accuracy and compliance with regulatory standards.

The position requires travel for field work, mentoring junior staff, and maintaining surveying equipment, with a base on-site at the HQ building in Bismarck and no remote work option.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in land surveying or engineering technology.
• This is a DOT/FMCSA (non-CDL) qualified position.
• Travel up to 75%.
• A valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Perform field measurements and survey services in PLSS, Metes & Bounds, and subdivision tracts.
• Process, compute, and draft collected data to meet project needs.
• Analyze surveying information and interface with engineers and designers.
• Maintain and care for field equipment, vehicles, sensors, and data collectors.
• Provide mentoring and training to survey technicians and drafters, as applicable.
• Support survey data management and quality control activities.

Skills

Total Station

GNSS receivers

Data collectors

Survey software

Regulatory knowledge

MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel)

Education

Associate’s degree in land surveying or engineering technology

Bachelor’s degree in land surveying or engineering technology

Tools

Survey data management

Cadastral and boundary description knowledge

Job description

Survey Technician or Land Surveyor (Level DOE)

Job Title: Survey Technician or Land Surveyor (Level DOE) Posting Start Date: 10/23/26

POSITION PURPOSE

This position is located at our Headquarters buidling in Bismarck, ND and is not a remote position.

Based on experience and education, this position will either be hired as a Survey Technician (Level DOE) or a Land Surveyor.

A successful Survey Technician performs surveying services and activities in accordance with local, state, and federal requirements. Work under the close guidance and direction of a Registered Land Surveyor to complete a variety of skilled surveying tasks, both in the field and in the office.

A successful Land Surveyor performs surveying services and activities in accordance with local, state, and federal requirements. Work independently, with supervision support to assure the completion of a variety of surveying tasks, both on schedule and on budget.

SURVEY TECHNICIAN ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Perform field measurements and survey services including volumetric surveys for stockpiles and landfills, bathymetric surveys for ponds and reservoirs, grade staking for landfill permitting and grading projects, construction staking for new and existing infrastructure, and cadastral and boundary monument recovery for transmission line easement and access route acquisition within the Public Land Survey System, Metes & Bounds, and subdivision tracts.
• Perform office duties including uploading and downloading daily survey data to appropriate cloud and network storage locations, updating survey software and firmware on a routine basis for data collectors, GNSS receivers, and terrestrial measurement devices, and processing, computing, and drafting collected data to meet project needs and mapping requirements using surveying and drafting software platforms.
• Analyze and convert field surveying information including linear, angular, horizontal, and vertical units.
• Interface with surveyors, engineers, architects, designers and consultants to identify and fulfill project requirements.
• Maintain, clean, and care for all field equipment, including fleet vehicles, UTVs and trailers, power tools and attachments, survey data collectors, GNSS receivers, total stations, terrestrial scanners, UAVs, power bank systems and batteries.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

LAND SURVEYOR ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Perform field measurements and survey services, including volumetric surveys for stockpiles and landfills, bathymetric surveys for ponds and reservoirs, grade staking for landfill permitting and grading projects, construction staking including calculating points, lines, offsets, and grades for variety of new and existing infrastructure, and cadastral and boundary monument recovery for transmission line easement and access route acquisition within the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), Metes and Bounds descriptions, and subdivision tracts.
• Perform office-based surveying duties, including cadastral survey oversight, survey data analysis and quality control, preparation and review of survey documents and legal descriptions, property and boundary research, quantity calculations, survey data management, and processing and drafting of survey data to support project and mapping requirements.
• Analyze and convert surveying information including linear, angular, horizontal, and vertical units.
• Interface with surveyors, engineers, architects, designers and consultants to identify and fulfill project requirements.
• Provide mentoring and training to survey technicians and designers/drafters, as it relates to land surveys and plats. Support survey technicians on day-to-day tasks.
• Provide technical support and recommendations for the purchase of surveying equipment.
• Maintain, clean, and care for all field equipment, including fleet vehicles, UTVs, trailers, power tools and attachments, survey data collectors, GNSS receivers, total stations, terrestrial scanners, UAVs, power bank systems and batteries.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

SURVEY TECHNICIAN MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Associate’s degree in land surveying or engineering technology.
• This is a Department of Transportation (DOT) (FMCSA) (non-CDL) qualified position.
• Travel up to 75%.
• A valid driver’s license.

LAND SURVEYOR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in land surveying or engineering technology; and 6 years of related surveying experience, including a variety of construction staking, cadastral, and topographic surveying; or
• Associate’s degree in land surveying or engineering technology; and 8 years of related surveying experience, including a variety of construction staking, cadastral, and topographic surveying.
• A Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license in North Dakota with the ability to obtain licensing in other states.
• Travel up to 60%.
• This is a Department of Transportation (DOT) (FMCSA) (non-CDL) qualified position.
• A valid driver’s license.

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS

This position requires frequent sitting and use of keyboard/computer; standing, walking, stooping/bending, climbing stairs/ladders, kneeling, lifting/carrying up to 50 pounds, reaching, crawling, and pushing/pulling up to 50 pounds, using a hammer and/or other power tools, all in a routine and repetitive manner. This position requires good color vision and hearing, finger dexterity, the ability to perform close work, and the ability to speak. This position is occasionally exposed to dirt/dust, chemicals, extreme heat/cold, vibration, noise, poor ventilation, electrical risks, confined areas, and heights up to 300 feet, requiring the use of safety equipment, including a harness, in accordance with ANSI Z359 standards.

SURVEY TECHNICIAN KEY SKILLS

• Ability to operate conventional and robotic total station equipment, global navigation satellite system receivers, and data collectors.
• Familiar with handheld calculators, survey software platforms, online services, and drafting software platforms.
• Understanding of types of surveys and surveying field notes.
• A good understanding of applicable governmental regulations and requirements
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.

LAND SURVEYOR KEY SKILLS

• Strong working knowledge in land surveying; including knowledge of various land development, survey retracement, legal description, and Cadastral Laws.
• Excellent understanding of rules of evidence and their application to property ownership problems, including interpretation of evidence, writing of property descriptions, and survey recommendations.
• Proficient in the operations of conventional and robotic total station equipment, global navigation satellite system receivers, and data collectors.
• Experience using handheld calculators, survey software platforms, online services, and drafting software platforms.
• Strong field experience in construction staking, cadastral, mapping, and topographic surveying.
• Excellent understanding of applicable governmental regulations and requirements and all state laws concerning land surveys for the development of properties.
• Proficient with personal computers and Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Basin Electric wants all interested and qualified candidates to apply for employment opportunities. If you are an applicant with a disability who is unable to use our online tools to search and apply for jobs, or who needs other assistance or accommodations, please contact us at 701-223-0441. Please indicate the specifics of the assistance needed or provide your contact information, and a Basin Electric Human Resources representative will contact you. Basin Electric is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer regarding race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, and veterans status.