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Director, Geomatics (Land Survey)

Job ID: 2026-12003

Openings: 1

Location: US-CA-Irvine

Category: Survey

Type: Regular Full-Time

Overview

The Director of Geomatics is the top regional operations leader responsible for the daily management of NV5's engineering-grade land survey and geomatics services within a designated area. This position oversees regional performance, team leadership, and client satisfaction, aligned with the Geomatics Leadership Matrix and the Vice President-level operating schedule.

The Director translates BU and Vice President strategies into a workable regional operating plan and ensures disciplined delivery through standardized project controls, predictable workflows, and consistent quality. The Director works closely with the Vice President – Project Controls & UAS Operations and Quality leadership to reduce variance, improve cash conversion, and minimize rework.

This leader is outward-facing and promotes growth through client engagement, pursuit support, and cross-selling across NV5 service lines, while fostering a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Core Accountabilities

• Execution of regional operating plan (revenue, margin, backlog, staffing, equipment).
• Delivery discipline: scope, schedule, budget-to-actual, change management, risk documentation, and closeout standards.
• Financial controls: usage, labor efficiency, work-in-progress quality, billing timeliness, A/R aging, and forecast accuracy.
• Quality and risk: engineering-grade QA/QC compliance, audit readiness, reduced rework, and contract/risk controls.
• Client program health: satisfaction, issue resolution speed, renewals, and cross-sell growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic, Financial, and Operating Leadership

• Translate the BU and regional business plan into an executable operating plan for the assigned geography, including revenue, margin, backlog coverage, staffing, and equipment targets.
• Own day-to-day financial management: monitor project gross margin, utilization, labor efficiency, manage backlog conversion, WIP, and A/R; and implement recovery actions for underperforming projects and teams.
• Support the pricing strategy and contract stance to ensure the delivery of budgeted profitability; escape exceptions beyond approved authority to the BU Leader/VP according to the delegation of authority.
• Lead capacity planning and workload balancing across offices and teams to optimize utilization and minimize avoidable subcontractor leakage.

Operational Excellence and Project Delivery Discipline

• Ensure consistent application of NV5 project delivery standards from kickoff to closeout: defined scope, schedule controls, budget-to-actual tracking, change management, and documented risks/issues.
• Collaborate with the Vice President – Project Controls & UAS Operations to establish standardized controls, dashboards, and review schedules; ensure data inputs are timely and accurate.
• Lead forecasting and variance management through weekly and monthly project reviews; validate assumptions and drive action plans to reduce schedule and margin variance.
• Drive billing and cash discipline: ensure invoicing is timely, support collections, and maintain healthy DSO and A/R aging in partnership with Finance and Project Managers.

Quality, Technical Standards, and Risk Management

• Ensure engineering-grade QA/QC for survey and geomatics deliverables, following NV5 procedures, client standards, and jurisdictional requirements.
• Collaborate with Quality leadership (including the Director of Quality Control, if applicable) on audits, independent QC reviews, and corrective and preventive actions; monitor rework causes and develop training to minimize repeat defects.
• Enforce contract administration and risk controls, including clarifying scope, capturing change orders, and maintaining documentation that protects margins and reduces claims exposure.
• Maintain compliance with client requirements, regulatory standards, and NV5 safety policies; ensure field safety planning and incident preparedness are consistently executed.

Client, Market, and Cross-Sell Leadership

• Serve as the regional relationship leader (executive sponsor where applicable) for key clients and programs; maintain strong communication with clients and proactively manage escalations and performance expectations.
• Drive account penetration and cross-sell strategies in partnership with Business Development and related NV5 verticals (Power, Infrastructure/Transportation, Water, Environmental, Geospatial, Inspection/Integrity).
• Support pursuit efforts for major opportunities: resource planning, technical approach, staffing, pricing inputs, and risk evaluation to ensure bids align with delivery capacity and profitability objectives.
• Encourage the adoption of advanced geomatics technologies (UAS, mobile mapping, terrestrial scanning, GIS integration) to boost competitiveness and delivery efficiency.

People Leadership and Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop Survey Managers, Project Managers, and field leaders; set expectations aligned with KPIs and reinforce accountability.
• Recruit and retain top talent; manage onboarding, performance reviews, and development plans; ensure staffing levels match forecast and backlog.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement; encourage work-sharing and knowledge sharing across offices and teams.
• Support succession planning and the development of next-generation technical and operational leaders.

Governance, Reporting, and Interfaces

• Provide routine performance reports to BU/VP leadership, including KPI scorecards, forecast updates, staffing outlook, and key risks and opportunities.
• Participate in monthly and quarterly business reviews and lead action plans to address gaps in plan (revenue, margin, utilization, backlog coverage, DSO).
• Ensure alignment with shared services and partners (Finance, HR, IT, Safety, Quality) and drive the timely execution of required actions.

Key Interfaces

• BU Leader – Geomatics and Vice President, Geomatics.
• Vice President – Project Controls & UAS Operations (controls, cadence, dashboards, workflow standardization).
• Quality leadership (audits, standards, corrective actions; Director – Quality Control as applicable).
• Finance/Accounting (WIP, billing, A/R, forecasting, project profitability).
• Business Development and Marketing (client plans, pursuits, proposals, cross-sell).
• Client project stakeholders, subcontractors, and partner firms.

Decision Rights and Escalation

• Manage regional staffing allocations, scheduling, and resource balancing within approved headcount and budget; elevate capacity conflicts and headcount adjustments to the BU Leader/VP.
• Approve project delivery plans and recovery strategies for at-risk work; engage clients as needed to reset expectations and secure change orders.
• Authorize routine subcontractor use consistently with project budgets and policies; eliminate non-standard commitments and procurement outside policy thresholds.
• Recommend pricing inputs and contract terms; elevate deviations from standard terms, risk thresholds, or margin requirements according to delegation of authority.
• Enforce quality and safety standards; halt work and escalation when conditions pose unacceptable risks to quality, safety, or licensure.
• Escalate significant financial, contractual, or reputational issues promptly to BU/VP leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• 8-10+ years of progressively responsible experience in land survey/geomatics operations, including project delivery and team leadership.
• Demonstrated operational and financial discipline: managing schedules, budgets, change orders, WIP/billing, and margin performance.
• Strong knowledge of survey/geomatics standards, QA/QC practices, and delivery workflows for engineering-grade products.
• Effective leadership skills and ability to coach, manage performance, staff, and build high-performing teams.
• Strong client communication skills and ability to represent NV5 professionally in meetings and project discussions.

Preferred

• California Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license or demonstrated ability to operate under PLS supervision with strong technical expertise; multi-state licensure is a plus.
• Experience supporting utility, infrastructure, and/or programmatic clients with multiple projects.
• Proficiency with standard survey/geomatics software and enterprise ERP/project management tools.
• Experience implementing standardized processes and KPI-focused performance management.

Education and Licensure

• Bachelor's degree in surveying, geomatics, civil engineering, or a related field (preferred), or equivalent experience.
• Professional licensure: PLS strongly preferred for director-level leadership; LSIT or a comparable credential is desirable.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel to project sites and NV5 offices as needed.

The pay range for this position in California is $156,000 to $208,000 per year. Base pay offered may be higher or lower depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location of the candidate. Restricted stock units may be