Land Surveying Associate

Full Job Description

Land Surveying Associate positions participate in and supervise the work of professional and subprofessional personnel and provide office and field survey services in support of the City's public works, land acquisition and private development projects; review, approve and process subdivision and other types of maps, and land title documents to ensure they are in compliance with state and local ordinances; establish and confirm property boundaries on subdivision maps; record maps with the San Diego County Surveyor's Office and San Diego County Recorder's Office; prepare legal descriptions, Records of Surveys, easement and survey plats, and Certificates of Correction and Compliance; participate in and/or supervise the efforts of the City Geographic Systems Cadastral Mapping Program; perform Computer-Aided Drafting & Design (CADD) project processing using various computer programs and may direct field crews for additional field surveying data collection to finalize CADD projects; serve as Party Chief on a survey crew; train, review and evaluate the work performance of subordinates; read and interpret construction plans, field survey notes, maps and records-of-survey and right-of-way drawings; prepare survey notes and sketches by hand and utilizing CADD programs; participate in and/or supervise the preparation of corner records and records of survey; establish horizontal and vertical control for field surveys; utilize electronic total stations, data collectors, bar code levels and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment; perform complex coordinate geometry land surveying calculations; and perform other duties as assigned.

NOTES:

• Eligible benefited employees originally hired on or after July 10, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS).

• Land Surveying Associate employees with valid State of California registration as a Professional Land Surveyor are eligible for 31% additional pay.

Land Surveying Associate employees who do not have a valid State of California Professional Engineer registration but have a valid Land Surveyor-in-Training (LSIT) certification that meets the requirements established by California's Department of Consumer Affairs, Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, are eligible for 8% additional pay.

Please note that LSIT certification pay will end once Land Surveying Associate employees receive a state registration.

Requirements

You must meet the following requirements on the date you apply, unless otherwise indicated.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: You must meet ONE of the following options:

1. Bachelor’s Degree in Land Surveying AND three years of full-time journey-level land surveying experience as described in the NOTES below.

2. Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which MUST include a minimum of 30 semester/45 quarter college-level units of land surveying coursework AND three years of full-time journey-level land surveying experience as described in the NOTES below.

3. Registration as a Professional Land Surveyor with a state licensing board.

4. Land Surveyor-In-Training (LSIT) Certificate issued from a state licensing board AND three years of full-time journey-level land surveying experience as described in the NOTES below.




NOTES: Qualifying journey-level land surveying experience MUST include performing ALL of the following functions:

• Producing and/or reviewing survey, subdivision, and topographic maps or land title documents.
• Producing cadastral components of a Geographic Information System.
• Party Chief on a survey crew performing ALL the following duties: preliminary, topographic and/or construction staking surveys; analyzing and/or resolving conflicts between field and record data when making a boundary determination; performing complex coordinate geometry calculations; analyzing conflicts between design plans and existing improvements; preparing cut sheet notes and sketches; reviewing as-built plans, maps, record-of-survey and right-of-way drawings; and collecting, reviewing, and processing survey data for CADD mapping.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
• Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for education lacking on a year-for-year basis. One year of full-time experience = 30 semester/45 quarter college-level units.
• A Master’s Degree in Land Surveying, Civil Engineering, or Geographic Information Systems may be substituted for a MAXIMUM of one year of the required experience.

City of San Diego employees using the Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA) experience to qualify must submit written documentation, signed by their appointing authority or payroll specialist, detailing the work performed, dates, and the total number of qualifying OCA hours.

OCA experience without the required documentation will NOT be considered.

LICENSE: A valid California Class C Driver's License may be required at the time of hire.




HIGHLY DESIRABLE(S):

• Registration as a Professional Land Surveyor with the State of California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.

• Land Surveyor-In-Training (LSIT) Certificate issued by the State of California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.

• Knowledge and experience using AutoCAD.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS (MUST SUBMIT WITH APPLICATION):

• Proof of degree/transcripts, registration, and/or certificate, if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.

• Proof of transcripts showing completion of the required coursework, if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.

• For City of San Diego employees, proof of Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA), if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.

Required documents should be attached electronically to your application.

If you are unable to attach them at the time of application submission, you must submit them as soon as possible via fax at (619) 533-3337 or to the Employment Information Center: City of San Diego Personnel Department, 1200 Third Avenue - Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101.

Include your name and the title of the position for which you are applying.

Qualifications

Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental questions will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in this initial screening process, your application will be reviewed for applicable education, experience, and/or training to ensure all minimum requirements have been met. Successful candidates will be placed on a list which will be used to fill position vacancies during the next six months (180 days). For each vacancy, only those candidates with the most appropriate qualifications will be contacted by the hiring department for an interview.

Additional Information

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS: Employment offers are conditional pending the results of all screening processes applicable to this position, which may include the following: confirmation of citizenship or legal right to work in the United States; completion of a pre-employment medical review and exam (which may include drug and alcohol testing); reference checks; and fingerprinting. Fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice for a conviction record report. Certain positions may require additional screening processes, including a polygraph examination and/or background investigation. All screening processes must be successfully completed before employment begins. A positive test result for alcohol, cannabis/marijuana, illegal drugs, or inadequately explained prescription drugs, or misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of pertinent facts in any step of the screening or selection process, may be cause for disqualification or termination of employment. Nothing in this job posting constitutes an express or implied contract for employment with the City of San Diego. Candidates must notify the Personnel Department of any change to their name, mailing address, email address, or phone number; otherwise, they may miss employment opportunities.


Rev. 5 - March 20, 2026 (New Recruitment Date)