Chief of Surveys - Public Works Department

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley, is one of the nation's best managed cities and one of the top ten cities in which to live, work, and do business. Moreover, San José is the center of cultural, government and economic activity for the region. The employees of the City of San José have embraced the following values: Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Collaboration, Respect and Celebration. The City's Department of Public Works (DPW) is seeking an individual whose values align with the values of the City's employees

The Public Works Department is responsible for delivering capital improvement projects for a wide variety of City facilities and infrastructure, maintaining City facilities and fleet assets, facilitating and regulating development activities, and providing animal care and services . The Department is committed to high-quality service, partnering with the community, and providing an excellent environment in which to work.

About the Division

Engineering Services Division is comprised of four sections: Construction Management Services, Structural Engineering and Code Inspection, Material Testing Laboratory, and Survey. This division provides technical support services for Capital Improvement Projects, development/utility permit projects, inspection oversight, Underground Service Alert (USA) services, land surveying, monument preservation services, field and laboratory testing, pavement design and evaluations, and building code inspection services.

The Land Survey Section provides land surveying services to Capital Improvement Projects and development permit projects; Maintains the City of San Jose's system of benchmarks; Provides monument preservation services for those monuments impacted by City improvement projects; and Technical map review services for subdivision maps within the City of San Jose.

Position Duties

Salary range for the classification of Chief of Surveys is:

$133,682.64 - $162,860.88 Annually. This range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The Department of Public Works is recruiting for (1) Full-Time Chief of Surveys position to provide the following typical duties and responsibilities which may include but are not limited to:

• Supervises an office technical staff in the preparation of drawings, corner records, record of surveys, reviewing improvement plans and specifications, parcel maps and tract maps.
  

• Provides direction and supervises several field survey crews to locate property lines, gather data for topographic surveys and stake construction projects.
  

• Reviews, schedules, and assigns crews to survey projects; recommends methods and procedures to efficiently complete assigned projects.
  

• prepares time and cost estimates for requested survey work.
  

• Reviews preliminary construction drawings to determine nature and extent of required survey work; participates in pre-construction, project scheduling, and other meetings concerning survey matters.
  

• Reviews, approves, or examines land surveying documents (maps, plats, reports, descriptions, etc.) under supervision of the Land Surveyor .
  

• Manages surveying staff including supervision, hiring, training and performance evaluations .
  

• Plans, coordinates, and schedules all office surveying activities .
  

• Sets and maintains standard practices for office surveying activities and quality control .
  

• Consults with public and private engineers, inspectors, and contractors relative to reque s ted work and coordinates any necessary activities .
  

• Communicates with clients and the public and resolves issues that arise during field surveys .
  

• Performs map and document research for field and office survey projects .
  

• Interprets construction documents for construction surveys .
  

Minimum Qualifications

Education : High School Diploma or equivalent (General Educational Development [GED] Test or California Proficiency Certificate)

Experience : Eight (8) years of increasingly responsible sub-professional engineering/surveying work, including three (3) years at a level of a Survey Party Chief, Senior Engineering Technician, Senior Construction Inspector, or equivalent .

Acceptable Substitutions

Up to four (4) years (equivalent to 120 semester units or 180 quarter units) of undergraduate course work in college engineering, surveying, geography, and/or mathematics, or related fields, from an accredited college or university, may be substituted for subprofessional engineering/surveying experience on a year-for-year basis.

Certifications

Possession of a Land Surveyor-in-Training certificate and possession of a valid driver's license authorizing the operation of a motor vehicle in the State of California. - Land Surveyor's license is highly desirable.

Form 700

Upon commencement of employment and subsequently each spring, the incumbent of this position must file the Family Gift Reporting Form together with the Statement of Economic Interest-Form 700. Please view the following link for details related to the State-Required reporting: Form 700 (ca.gov) and the following link for the City of San José Family Gift Reporting Form: showpublisheddocument (sanJoséca.gov).

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise - demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Analytical Thinking - Approaches a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Customer Service - Approaches problem-solving by focusing on customers first; advocates for customer results point of view; demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently in a timely , accurate , respectful, and friendly manner.

Decision Making - I dentifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions .

Initiative - Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives ; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Leadership - L eads by example; serves as appropriate role model; demonstrates high ethical standards; Remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment; encourages and rewards risk-taking, allowing others to learn from mistakes.

Planning - Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives , while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives .

Project Management - ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives .

Supervision - sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources .

Communication Skills - Communicates and listens effectively and responds in an timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate , complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form.

Selection Process :

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews .

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Jennifer Macias at Jennifer.Macias1@sanjoseca.gov .

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 8/11/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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