Survey Party Chief

Survey Party Chief

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Survey Party Chief

Salary

$92,080.80 - $111,937.68 Annually

Location

Sacramento, CA

Job Type

Permanent Full-Time

Job Number

28390-D

Department

Community Development

Division

County Engineering

Opening Date

05/04/2026

Closing Date

7/27/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

• Description

• Benefits

• Questions

The Position

6/29/26, 7/13/26, 7/27/26 (final)

Under direction, Survey Party Chiefs perform advanced journey level work and/or act as leadworkers for a field survey crew performing paraprofessional land and engineering surveys. Responsibilities include the location of boundaries, rights of way and easements, establishment of horizontal and vertical control, topographic mapping and construction surveying for the purposes of constructing public works projects. The projects include but are not limited to highways and bridges, storm water drainage facilities, water conveyance systems, sanitary sewer conveyance and treatment facilities and various other public works structures and projects.

Examples of Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of

• Public works surveying principles, practices, methodologies, and techniques.

• California Coordinate System, Land Surveyor's Act, Subdivision Map and other statutes related to land surveying.

• Engineering, surveying, and mathematics concepts and practices as applied to office and field survey work.

• Use and application of survey instruments for measurements of public works facilities and projects.

• Basic principles of leadworker responsibilities and training methods.

• Acceptable safety standards safe work practices.

Ability to

• Plan and provide lead direction to assigned staff.

• Prepare detailed technical documentation and survey notes.

• Configure and operate automated and electronic survey instruments and equipment.

• Interpret legal descriptions of real property.

• Maintain sets of survey field notes and prepare reports to document project progress.

• Maintain cooperative relationships with coworkers and the public.

• Read, write and speak English at a level necessary for satisfactory work performance.

Employment Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Either: 1. Two years of full-time experience in Sacramento County Service in the class of Survey Technician (Level II).

Or: 2. Three years of paraprofessional surveying experience involving public works facilities or structures.

Note: Completion of 36 semester units or 45 quarter units of coursework in surveying, engineering or related field at an accredited college or university may substitute for up to one year of the required experience.

General Qualifications

Driver's License: Possess and maintain a valid California Driver's License, Class C or higher. Failure to maintain a valid California Driver’s License, Class C or higher constitutes cause for termination from the class in accordance with Civil Service Rule 11.4. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to physical disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be physically capable of performing manual labor including the lifting and carrying of objects weighing up to 75 pounds.

• Perform a variety of physical tasks in inclement weather and in a variety of difficult locations and conditions.

• Must possess sufficient eye-hand coordination to utilize a variety of hand and power-driven tools.

Working Conditions: Incumbents are subject to emergency and on-call work in all kinds of weather, and under hazardous conditions, at other than normal duty hours.

Probationary Period

The probationary period for this classification is six (6) months.

Application and Testing Information

APPLICATION

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. All applicants must complete and submit an online County of Sacramento employment application by 5:00 PM on the posted cut-off date. Click here ( to apply.

County of Sacramento

Department of Personnel Services

Employment Services Division

700 H Street, Room 4667

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone View phone number on click.appcast.io; 7-1-1 California Relay Service

Email View email address on click.appcast.io

Inter-Office Mail Code: 09-4667

• Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.

• Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.

• Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.

• Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.

• A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

Applicants are required to provide a full and complete response to each supplemental question. The Supplemental Questionnaire is located in the tab marked "Supplemental Questions". Please be descriptive in your response.

Note: Responses of "See Resume" or "See Application", or copy and paste of work experience are not qualifying responses and will not be considered.

• Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.

• The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.

• Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.

• If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.

• Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.

• If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.

• For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.

• If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.

FORMULA RATE EXAMINATION (Weighted 100%)

All candidates meeting the minimum qualifications by the cut-off date will have their Supplemental Questionnaire scored in the Formula Rate Examination.

This examination will evaluate the relevance, level, recency, progression and quality of candidate's education, training and experience. The candidate's application or other materials will not be included in this examination. Therefore, the candidate's responses to the supplemental questionnaire should be thorough, detailed and complete. The score from the Formula Rate Examination will determine the ranking on the eligible/employment list for this job.

All candidates competing in the testing process will receive written notice of their examination results by email. Notices can also be accessed in their governmentjobs.com inbox. Applicants achieving a passing score will be placed on the eligible list in rank order. The rank is determined by the test score attained from the examination.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Click here ( for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

For information regarding County jobs:

Sacramento County is about enriching communities to thrive. We strive to create inclusive workplaces that reflect the communities we serve. We value and celebrate the unique perspectives, backgrounds, abilities, and diverse dimensions of our employees and residents. Through transparency, courage, innovation, and trust we are committed to advance equity and transformational change.

We are a proud equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability for any phase of the hiring process, please contact our Disability Compliance Office at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io, CA Relay 711. For more information, visit: Reasonable Accommodation Requests - Job Applicant Instructions (

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

At Sacramento County, we strive to provide benefit programs designed to meet our employees’ current and future needs and help them as they balance their careers and personal life. County of Sacramento employees have a variety of benefits available. These benefits include:

• Dental Insurance

• Vision Benefits

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

• Health Insurance

• Health Savings Account (HSA)

• Life Insurance

• Critical Illness

• Retiree Health Savings Plan (RHSP)

• Deferred Compensation

More information can be found on the Benefits website (

TEMPORARY POSITIONS:

Most benefits do not apply to temporary positions.

VACATION:

Generally, vacation with pay begins at 10 days annually. With increase over a period of years, the maximum annual vacation with pay is 25 days.

HOLIDAYS:

14.5 holidays per year as recognized by the Board of Supervisors.

SICK LEAVE:

Equivalent to 15 days annually, unlimited accumulation.

TUITION REIMBURSEMENT:

Regular County employees may be eligible to receive Tuition Reimbursement. The costs for course tuition/registration fees and required books/supplies may be eligible for reimbursement. Tuition reimbursement amounts may vary depending upon union agreement.

RETIREMENT:

The County’s defined-benefit pension plan is provided by the County Employees’ Retirement Law of 1937 and is managed by the Sacramento County Employees' Retirement System (SCERS) Board of Retirement. For more information, visit the SCERS website,

DENTAL INSURANCE:

For more information, visit the Benefits website (

LIFE INSURANCE:

The County of Sacramento provides a basic life insurance benefit to all eligible employees at no cost. Additional coverage may be purchased through payroll deduction.

For more information, visit the Benefits website (

DEFERRED COMPENSATION:

A deferred compensation program is available through the County 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan. For more information, visit the Benefits website (

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM:

The County of Sacramento provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and their eligible dependents. The EAP offers confidential, professional counseling services in areas such as:

• Legal Advice/Difficult Decisions

• Marriage or Family Relationships

• Financial or Credit Worries/Elder Care

• Alcohol and Drug Abuse

More information can be found on the Benefits website (

WELLNESS INCENTIVE PROGRAM:

The County will recognize and award time off to eligible employees who maintain an excellent attendance record.

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT:

The County offers regular employees two separate Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA's). These accounts allow employees to set money aside, on a pre-tax basis via payroll deduction, to pay for medical, dental or dependent care expenses.

DEPENDENT CARE REIMBURSEMENT ACCOUNT:

Employees may set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified childcare or dependent care expenses that are necessary for the employee and/or spouse to continue working.

MEDICAL REIMBURSEMENT ACCOUNT:

The Medical Reimbursement Account allows pre-tax dollars to be set aside to pay for out-of-pocket expenses that are not paid by insurance or reimbursed by any other benefit plan.

WORKERS' COMPENSATION:

In case of injury while on the job, each employee is protected under the Workers' Compensation laws of California.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: FAQs (

VETERAN'S PREFERENCE:

Military veterans who have served during wartime shall be given preference in initial appointment to County service. Such preference shall apply, provided the veteran has first achieved a minimum passing score in the examination. The passing score of a veteran shall be annotated to indicate the veteran's score shall be regarded as 5 points or higher, OR 10 points higher for disabled veterans, only for the purpose of determining the three ranks along with which the veteran's name shall be certified. No score shall actually be changed and no new rank shall be created as a result of application of veteran's preference for certification purposes.

"Disabled Veteran" means any veteran who has served during wartime and, who, as of the final filing date for an examination is declared by the United States Veterans Administration or military service department to be 10% or more disabled as a result of his/her military service. Persons claiming eligibility for disabled veteran's preference must submit to the employment office, on or before the application deadline date, a certification from the United States Veterans Administration or a military service department, dated within 1 year, which certifies the present existence of a service related disability of 10% or more, or other acceptable proof of such disability as a result of his/her military service.

Persons claiming eligibility for veterans preference must submit a copy of Form DD 214 or other acceptable proof of veteran's status on or before the final filing date for the examination. For purpose of this rule "reserve" status does not constitute active duty.

SPECIAL SKILL QUALIFICATIONS (WHEN SPECIFIED ON THE JOB ANNOUNCEMENT):

Persons who have special skills required by some (but not all) positions in a class may be certified ahead of others provided that:

Such special skills are based on the duties and requirements of the positions and are in conformance with merit system and equal opportunity principles, and

The certification of eligibles who possess special skills have been approved by the Civil Service Commission.

01

he following Supplemental Questionnaire is the Civil Service Exam for this position and will be used to determine your exam score. All experience, education, and/or training used to answer the supplemental questions must be included on your application.

In order to receive every consideration in the selection process, you must complete all questions with concise but detailed answers and provide all requested information. Each answer will be scored separately. References such as 'See Resume' as a response will not be scored.

By continuing in the exam process, you are certifying that all information provided in the Supplemental Questionnaire is true to the best of your knowledge.

• I have read and understood the above instructions.

02

The Minimum Qualifications for this position are the following:

Either: 1. Two years of full-time experience in Sacramento County Service in the class of Survey Technician (Level II).

Or: 2. Three years of paraprofessional surveying experience involving public works facilities or structures.

Note: Completion of 36 semester units or 45 quarter units of coursework in surveying, engineering or related field at an accredited college or university may substitute for up to one year of the required experience.

Select the one box that best describes how you meet the Minimum Qualifications stated on the job announcement.

• Pattern 1: Two years of full-time experience in Sacramento County Service in the class of Survey Technician (Level II).

• Pattern 2: Three years of paraprofessional surveying experience involving public works facilities or structures.

• I meet pattern 1 or pattern 2 using the education substitution.

• I do not meet the minimum qualifications for this classification.

03

Select the one box that best describes your education related to Surveying, Geomatics, Engineering, or a closely related field.

• None.

• Less than 36 semester (45 quarter) units in Surveying, Geomatics, Engineering, or a closely related field.

• Completion of a Certificate Program in Surveying, Geomatics, Engineering, or a closely related field.

• 36 or more semester (45 quarter) units, but less than 60 semester (90 quarter) in Surveying, Geomatics, Engineering, or a closely related field.

• Associate's Degree, or 60 semester (90 quarter) units or more, in Surveying, Geomatics, Engineering, or a closely related field.

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Surveying, Geomatics, Engineering, or a closely related field.

04

Select the one box that best describes the highest level of professional certification/license you possess.

• Professional Land Surveyor License from the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.

• Professional Land Surveyor License from another state.

• Land Surveyor-in-Training Certificate from the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.

• Land Surveyor-in-Training Certificate from another state.

• Other professional license/certificate related to land surveying.

• None.

05

If you qualify for this position using your education, you must have met the requirement by the final filing date listed on the announcement. Copies of your transcripts or diploma must be attached or emailed to our office or you may be disqualified.

Click here ( for more information.

• I have attached the documentation to my application.

• I will submit my documents by the final filing date via email.

• I am not using education to meet the minimum qualifications.

06

Select the one box that best describes how much surveying experience you have.

• None or less than one (1) year of experience.

• One (1) year but less than two (2) years of experience.

• Two (2) years but less than three (3) years of experience.

• Three (3) years but less than four (4) years of experience.

• Four (4) years but less than five (5) years of experience.

• Five (5) years or more of experience.

07

Select all the boxes that best describe the different types of surveying and/or engineering projects you have experience working with.

• Boundary.

• Construction staking.

• Highways & roads, bridges, sewer/storm and/or water systems.

• Project control.

• Topographical surveys.

• Other public works structures and projects.

• None of the above.

08

Select all the boxes that best describe the duties you have experience performing.

• Differential leveling.

• GPS/GNSS.

• Laser scanning.

• Making basic surveying and/or engineering calculations.

• Preparing field notes, drawings, maps, and reports resulting from surveys.

• Total station equipment.

• None of the above.

09

Select all the boxes that best describe the tasks you have experience performing on a regular basis.

• Determining appropriate field survey methods to complete projects in a timely and cost effective manner.

• Ensuring compliance with safety standards and safe work practices.

• Interpreting and evaluating legal descriptions of real property.

• Maintaining effective and cooperative working relationships with staff, the public, and other stakeholders.

• Performing field survey observations and computations to verify accuracy.

• Recovering boundary retracement evidence in the field.

• Reviewing and interpreting construction plans, maps, and other documents to accomplish the requirements of the survey project.

• None of the above.

10

Select the one box that best describes your experience leading a survey crew.

• None.

• Occasionally leading a survey crew.

• Regularly leading a survey crew.

11

Select all the boxes that best describe the tasks you performed as a lead over a survey crew.

• Participating in the interviewing and selection of survey staff.

• Training staff in a survey crew.

• Mentoring staff in a survey crew.

• Assisting in the scheduling of survey work on assigned projects.

• Coordinating and monitoring the work of a survey crew.

• Providing work direction, job instruction, and problem solving to staff in a survey crew.

• Evaluating the work of a survey crew.

• Reporting to supervisor regarding performance, progress, training and other needs of staff in a survey crew.

• Reporting and/or making recommendations to supervisor regarding staff disciplinary problems.

• Recommending improvements and modifications to work processes.

• None of the above.

12

Select all the boxes that best describe the software programs in which you are proficient. If selected for an interview, you may be asked to demonstrate your proficiency.

• Design and/or drafting software (e.g. AutoCAD).

• Microsoft Access or similar software.

• Microsoft Excel or similar software.

• Microsoft Outlook or similar software.

• Microsoft PowerPoint or similar software.

• Microsoft Word or similar software.

• Surveying data processing software (e.g. Trimble, Leica).

• None of the above.

13

Describe in detail your education, training, certifications and experience as it pertains to the position of Survey Party Chief with the County of Sacramento. For all experience listed, provide the following information if applicable:

• Your job title(s)

• Your employer (you may include more than one employer)

• The department/unit

• Dates of employment

• Primary duties and responsibilities to support and further clarify the experience selected in response to all prior supplemental questions, as well as, other applicable duties performed

If you have no relevant education, training, certifications or experience, please write "None".

14

The County of Sacramento is committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol free workplace. All persons selected for appointment must pass a drug test administered by the County and at no cost to the applicant.

I understand, if offered conditional employment, I will be subject to a drug test administered by the County as described in Sacramento County Personnel Ordinance Section 2.78.030.

• Yes.

• No.

15

I have read the License Requirement, Physical Requirements, and Work Schedule and Conditions as stated on the job announcement.

• Yes.

16

Select the one box that best describes whether you have attended a career fair and/or job event where you have interacted with representatives from Sacramento County.

• Attended in the last one (1) – three (3) months.

• Attended in the last four (4) – six (6) months.

• Attended in the last seven (7) months – one (1) year.

• Attended an event more than one (1) year ago.

• Have attended a career fair and/or job event but did not interact with Sacramento County representatives.

• Have not attended a career fair and/or job event.

17

List the following for the career fair and/or job event you attended:

• Name of event

• Location of event

• Month and year of event

If you have not attended an event where you interacted with representatives from Sacramento County, please write "None".

Required Question

Employer

County of Sacramento

Address

700 H Street, Room 4667 Sacramento, California, 95814

Phone

View phone number on click.appcast.io

Website

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