Job Summary:
The Senior GIS Specialist serves as a key technical resource within the GIS team, supporting production work while helping scale team capabilities through mentorship, process development, and project guidance. This role is designed for a seasoned GIS professional who enjoys hands-on technical work while also supporting the growth and efficiency of the broader team.
The Senior GIS Specialist will contribute directly to billable project work while functioning as a technical anchor for onboarding, workflow development, and quality execution across a growing, multi-disciplinary environment supporting internal departments and external clients.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Technical Production and Project Delivery
- Perform advanced GIS analysis, mapping, and data management in support of internal departments (Electric T&D, Planning, Grants, Civil, Survey, Land Services) and external clients.
- Develop and deliver high-quality GIS products, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and adherence to standards.
- Utilize GIS software (e.g., ESRI suite) to execute complex workflows and solve technical challenges.
- Contribute actively to billable work; this is not a supervisory-only role.
- Team Development and Technical Mentorship
- Provide onboarding support and technical training for GIS team members.
- Serve as a go-to resource for staff for troubleshooting, best practices, and workflow guidance.
- Coach team members on GIS tools, data standards, and project execution.
- Foster a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
- Project and Technical Guidance
- Assist staff at the initiation of projects to ensure clear understanding of scope, deliverables, and expectations.
- Help define appropriate workflows, methodologies, and quality control checkpoints.
- Identify potential risks or inefficiencies early and guide teams toward effective solutions.
- Ensure alignment with internal standards and client expectations from the outset.
- Process Development and Implementation
- Lead efforts to develop, document, and standardize GIS workflows and procedures.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and scalability of GIS operations.
- Support implementation and adoption of best practices across the GIS team.
- Maintain documentation for tools, processes, and standards.
- Resource Coordination
- Assist in coordinating workload distribution across the GIS team based on capacity, skill sets, and project needs.
- Collaborate with team members and leadership to ensure balanced workloads and effective project execution.
Required Minimum Qualifications and Skills:
- Bachelor's degree in GIS or Geography or a related field
- Approximately 5+ years of experience in GIS
- Strong proficiency with GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and related ESRI tools)
- Strong skills in the principles of cartography, including coordinate systems and projections, map composition and symbology
- Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment on projects with project engineers and other employees both in person and virtually
- Ability to think analytically and solve problems
- Exceptional organizational skills
- Strong attention to detail while completing tasks to meet aggressive project schedules
Additional Desired Skills and Experience (not required):
- GISP Certification
- Proficient with ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Server, and/or ArcGIS Field Maps
- Private sector GIS experience
- Strong interpersonal skills; excellent written and oral communication skills
- Basic relational database knowledge
- Familiarity with using SQL geodatabases
- Familiarity with AutoCAD .dwgs within ArcGIS software and converting data
- Experience using Google Earth
- Familiarity with electrical distribution and/or transmission systems
- Working knowledge of electric or water/wastewater/storm water utility GIS models
- Knowledge of Python/ArcPy
- Experience with Trimble Business Center
- Familiarity with legal descriptions including easement descriptions
- Experience with field data collection
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office products (Excel, Word, Outlook)
Physical Requirements
- Ability to sit for extended periods of time while working at a computer workstation, including viewing monitors, typing, and using a mouse or other input devices
- Ability to stand, walk, bend, and reach intermittently during the workday for meetings, collaboration, filing, and general office movement
- Ability to occasionally lift, carry, or move items such as plan sets, binders, laptops, or office equipment weighing up to approximately 20 pounds
- Ability to visually inspect and review technical documents, drawings, calculations, and data with or without reasonable accommodation
- Ability to communicate effectively in person, over the phone, and via virtual platforms, including speaking, listening, and comprehension
- Ability to work in standard office conditions, including exposure to computer screens, artificial lighting, and typical office noise levels
Mental & Cognitive Requirements
- Ability to apply judgement and critical thinking to analyze complex technical problems, evaluate alternatives, and develop practical solutions
- Ability to maintain sustained concentration and attention to detail while performing tasks such as calculations, design development, technical review, and quality control
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously, often under changing conditions, deadlines, and client requirements
- Ability to interpret, understand, and apply technical standards, codes, regulations, and project specifications
- Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing, to colleagues, clients, and stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds
- Ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams, including participating in meetings, providing constructive feedback, and integrating input from others
- Ability to exercise sound judgment under time constraints, including responding to urgent project needs or resolving issues with incomplete information
- Ability to adapt to evolving technologies, software tools, and work processes common in a professional engineering environment
This role plays a critical part in enabling the continued growth of the GIS team by strengthening technical execution, supporting staff development, and ensuring consistent, scalable processes-without adding a formal management layer.