Job Description

Professional Land Surveyor, PLS - Senior Project Manager

What We're Looking For:

Michael Baker International is seeking an experienced Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) and Senior Project Manager to lead complex surveying and mapping projects throughout California.

This is a unique opportunity for a licensed California PLS to take ownership of high-profile public and private sector projects while helping grow one of the state's leading Survey and Geospatial practices. The ideal candidate is a proven technical leader who enjoys managing projects, mentoring staff, building client relationships, and contributing to business growth.

Work from anywhere in California

What You'll Do:

The Professional Land Surveyor, PLS - Senior Project Manager is responsible for leading the delivery of complex survey and mapping projects while providing operational oversight of mapping staff and technical workflows. This role ensures successful execution of projects in alignment with scope, schedule, budget, and quality standards established by Michael Baker.

This position also plays a key role in client management, business development, and staff leadership, supporting the continued growth of Survey and Geospatial Practice.

Project Delivery & Management

• Lead and manage survey and mapping projects across public and private sector clients
• Ensure successful delivery of projects in accordance with defined scope, schedule, and budget
• Develop and maintain project work plans, schedules, and resource forecasts consistent with internal PM processes
• Monitor project performance, proactively identify risks, and implement corrective actions
• Oversee coordination between field, mapping, and engineering teams to ensure integrated project delivery

Technical Leadership

• Perform and oversee:
• Boundary analysis, research, and computations
• Preparation of final maps, parcel maps, records of survey, and ALTA/NSPS surveys
• Legal descriptions, exhibits, and plats.
• Provide technical oversight and QA/QC of mapping deliverables to ensure compliance with standards and client requirements
• Ensure adherence to internal QA/QC practices and standardized workflows for consistent, high-quality deliverables

Operations & Team Leadership

• Provide day-to-day directions to mapping staff, including balancing workload, staffing, and mentoring
• Coordinate with Field and Mapping Team Leaders to ensure alignment with policies, procedures, and production goals
• Support development and implementation of best practices, tools, and standardized processes
• Mentor staff in technical skills, project delivery, and career development

Client Management & Business Development

• Serve as primary client contact for assigned projects
• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective clients
• Identify and pursue new work opportunities, including internal collaboration across service lines
• Participate in proposal development, scope definition, and fee estimation

Quality & Financial Performance

• Maintain accountability for project financial performance, including:
• Budget tracking and forecasting
• Labor and expense management
• Schedule adherence
• Conduct project audits and quality reviews to ensure compliance with company and client standards
• Support continuous improvement of project delivery performance and profitability

What You Need to Succeed:

• Minimum of 15 years of survey-related experience with increasing levels of responsibility
• Active California Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license required
• Be outgoing and organized, as well as possess strong project management and operational management skills
• Ability to network and build relationships with current and prospective clients
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, are essential to success in this role
• Experience in boundary analysis, computations of ALTA and topography surveys as well as perform quality control of survey plans, record plats, descriptions, and review of title commitments
• Ability to provide guidance and mentoring to staff in the growing survey practice

Compensation:

The approximate compensation range for this position is $180,000-225,000.00. This compensation range is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation is dependent upon factors such as education, qualifications, experience, skillset, and physical work location.

Why Choose Us:

• Medical, dental, vision insurance
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Life, AD&D, short-term, and long-term disability
• Professional and personal development
• Generous paid time off
• Commuter and wellness benefits