Land Surveyor

The incumbent serves as a Land Surveyor in the Surveys and Maps Section of the Division of Realty, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3. The duty location is the Fergus Falls Wetland Acquisition Office in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Duties:

Following are the major, though not all inclusive, duties of this position:

• Performs field work for assigned boundary surveys.
• Contracts for surveys from private firms or individuals. Prepares contract specifications, performance standards, and changes; prepares work statements, cost estimates; and prepares justification statements for contractual procedures.
• Serves as contracting officer’s representative and reviews contract work for technical compliance.
• Instructs Realty staff relative to questions of interpretation of deeds, plats, county records, and claims of landowners, and unusual conditions.
• Gathers information concerning former surveys, including searching state and county property records, interpreting applicable laws and regulations, and interviewing interested and sometimes adverse landowners.
• Records detailed and accurate field notes as permanent record of each survey; finalizes into a tract map and “Report of Survey”. Makes complete and detailed drawings of survey area.
• Uses electronic programmable calculators, data collector, and computers to collect, process, and analyze field survey data.
• Develops budget and cost estimates which are supportive of surveys required.
• Serves as an expert witness at judicial proceedings in condemnation cases, adverse claims and boundary line disputes.
• Investigates claims involving questions as to boundary location in relation to titles, records of the Bureau of Land Management, and other governmental agencies to obtain status of lands to be reserved out of the public domain.

Qualifications:

A. Completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree in land surveying; or civil engineering with a surveying option/emphasis. Civil engineering major courses include at least 6 semester hours of surveying, 3 semester hours of land law, and 21 additional semester hours in any combination of the following: surveying, photogrammetry, geodetic surveying, geodesy, route surveying, remote sensing, cartography, survey astronomy, land information systems, computer-aided mapping, aerial photo interpretation, and survey analysis and adjustments.
OR
B. Combination of education from an accredited college or university and experience – – Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in “A” above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
OR
C. Current registration as a Professional Land Surveyor in a state, territory or the District of Columbia obtained by written examination. Registration must have obtained under conditions outlined in the National Council of Engineering Examiners (NCEE) Unified Model Law for Registration of Surveyors. Applicants wishing to be considered under this provision must show evidence of registration based on successful completion of the written examinations. Registrations granted prior to adoption of a registration law with qualification requirements equivalent to the NCEE Model Law by the state, territory, or District of Columbia are not acceptable under this option. To be considered equivalent to the NCEE Model law, registration laws must include the four options listed within the NCEE Unified Model Law in the section specifying “General Requirements for Registration” as a Professional Land Surveyor.

In addition to the Basic Education requirements you must meet one of the following:

A. Have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service which has provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the work of a Land Surveyor. Examples of specialized experience may include performing the following under the authority of a properly certified, higher grade land surveyor: plans and conducts cadastral surveying projects of a complex nature, usually involving conflicting title data or fragmentary corner evidence requiring the knowledge to conduct thorough research, properly perform a professional evaluation and the proper application of pertinent State and Federal laws. Assembles all survey project data and performs the necessary mathematical computations involved in restoring public land survey corners, traverse closure, azimuth determination, state plane coordinate transformation, section subdivision, route alignment, riparian ownership, and location. Thoroughly prepares preliminary and final survey plats, drawings, reports, legal records, and title descriptions for review and approval by a registered land surveyor.
OR
B. Have completed at least three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree in land surveying; or civil engineering with a surveying option/emphasis.
OR
C. Have a combination of experience as described in “A” above and education as described in “B” above.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Apply online at link included