Job Specification

Purpose :

To plan, procure, supervise and direct the production of engineering, control and legal surveys, plans, documents, Geographic Information System (GIS) and other products and services required for the planning, design, construction and management of transportation facilities.
To provide technical expertise and guidance in the development and implementation of spatial data collection and management solutions.

Key Responsibilities :

Under the general direction of Head, Geomatics:
1. Project Management
- Schedules, acquires and manages consultant services; participates as the survey Geomatics Total Project Management (TPM) teams by preparing terms of reference and consultant acquisition documents; prepares and evaluates Expression of Interest (EOI), Request for Proposal/Quotation (RFPs/RFQs) to ensure the availability of engineering surveys and geomatics products to support the multi-year capital construction program.
- Negotiates completion dates, costs and acceptability of deliverables for consultant assignments.
- Reviews survey requests for accuracy and completion; ensures performance of all necessary work; produces, reviews and accepts engineering and legal surveys.
- Plans and chairs/attends start-up and progress meetings; oversees acceptance testing of deliverables for compliance with Ministry standards.
2. Technical Advice
- Provides technical guidance and instruction to Ministry staff and consultants. Provides technical expertise and guidance to Ministry functional groups. Delivers technical training sessions.
- Promotes new geomatics techniques and technology.
- Assess and resolves complex or unusual survey problems referred by Ministry staff and consultants.
- Participates on Ministry committees and task forces to develop Ministry survey standards, procedures and guidelines.
3. Planning:
- Initiates aerial mapping, control and other survey projects to ensure plans and survey data are available for multi-year capital construction program. Estimates time, resources and engineering and legal information required to perform survey projects.
- Performs field investigations and researches the internal and external information sources to compile data necessary for survey projects. Organizes, manages and compiles data and information required to acquire, designate, transfer or dispose of lands within a proposed or existing highway corridor.
- Coordinates staff activities to ensure productivity and efficiency and plan deliverables; prepares consultant appraisals; approves payment of consultant invoices.
4. Administration
- Coordinates technical aspects of staff and consultant work to ensure compliance with Ministry standards, relevant statutes and regulations, and completeness and accuracy of survey data and plans.
- Performs human resource management functions by approving time sheets, expense accounts, equipment time sheets and cost reports; prepares and makes recommendations on staff appraisals; participates on competition panels. Makes recommendations to resolve human resources and Occupational Health and Safety issues; ensures work is in compliance with Collective Agreements and Ministry policies. Manages data for consultant submissions, project files, databases and spreadsheets. Makes recommendations on time sheets, expense accounts, equipment time sheets, cost reports and staff appraisals; participates on competition panels.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- Theories, principles, practises and production of engineering surveys and plans, Ministry standards, specifications and administrative policies.
- Theories, principles and production of legal surveys and plans, federal and provincial statutes and regulations, and Ministry standards.
- Ministry policies, procedures, standards and statutes and regulations related to highway jurisdiction, land registration, expropriation, acquisition and disposal of property.
- Pre-contract engineering process, the role and structure of regional offices, Ministry organization, relevant policies and procedures, including Ministry consultant acquisition process and contract law.
- Coordinate geometry, coordinate systems and datums, theory of least squares, horizontal and vertical project control and the survey requirements for the planning, design and construction of transportation facilities.
- Survey equipment such as total stations, data collectors, global positioning receivers, theodolites and levels.
- Computer surveys application software such as computer aided drafting (CAD), ground modelling, and coordinate geometry, global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology.
- Occupational Health and Safety Act, regulations and the safety policies and procedures as they apply to Ministry staff and consultant crews.
- Current and emerging industry standards, procedures, equipment and software to promote the implementation of new survey techniques.
- Project management theories, principles and techniques.
- A valid Ontario Class “G” driver's licence.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

- Negotiation skills to lead consultations with internal/external stakeholders with opposing needs and positions regarding geomatics, completion dates, costs and acceptability of deliverables.
- Leadership skills to plan and direct the work of staff and consultants.
- Communication and presentation skills to manage projects, convey technical information, explain complex issues and strategies and establish effective working relationships with Ministry staff, consultants and general public.
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Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analyzing and problem solving skills required to:
- Establish and adjust survey and plan preparation schedules; evaluate survey requests to ensure adequate requirements; recommend and determine extent of work required for surveys and methods to be used.
- Research, assess and acquire required data for land acquisition, designation, transfer or disposal of land within highway corridors.
- Assess and evaluate staff and consultant performance and survey work for adherence to Ministry standards, policies and procedures.
- Assess and resolve complex survey problems and evaluate survey new methodologies and equipment.
- Assess and resolve complex survey problems.
- Evaluate new methodologies and equipment and implement where appropriate.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- The management of survey related projects in a cost effective manner, including participation on a TPM team, defining terms of reference, estimating, scheduling and appraising.
- The accuracy, completeness and acceptance of engineering survey information and plans used in the planning, design and construction of transportation facilities.
- The accuracy, completeness and acceptance of legal survey information, plans and associated documents used by the Ministry in the acquisition, expropriation and disposal of lands, and for the assumption, transfer and closing of highways in consultation with the Senior Surveyor or Section Head.
- Procuring services required to ensure timely delivery of geomatics related services.
- Supervision of technical and field staff; providing sound surveying, technical, administrative, policy direction and advice to survey staff and consultants; consultant and staff appraisals.
Has latitude to:
Recommend payment of consultant invoices, expense reports and the purchase of field supplies and equipment; approve consultant invoices; approve travel expense accounts and purchase of field supplies and equipment; Determine the extent of work required for surveys; recommends methods to be used to optimize production and minimize costs to ensure value for services rendered are received; decisions are guided by: OPS/Ministry policies, procedures and standards, real property law, case law, provincial and federal legislation.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

- Professional engineering and legal survey consultant firms to acquire services to complete survey projects.
- Ministry Regional and Head Office staff, committees and working groups to share information/make recommendations, determine survey requirements, implement new technologies and provide input into geomatic issues.
- Other Ministries, municipalities and external agencies (i.e. Land Registry Office) to share information and resolve survey problems.
- Utility companies, to acquire utility locates and plans.
- Members of the public to gain permission to enter private property and make them aware of survey work.

Guidance / Supervision :

- Provides leadership, guidance and technical training to technical and field staff to ensure staff are current with technological advances and the project is completed to Ministry standards.
- Provides project leadership, technical advice and guidance to consultants ensure timelines and project requirements are met and project is completed to Ministry standards.
- Provides supervision, training, assigns work assignments and hires summer and co-op students to ensure project direction, requirements and time lines are met.
- Provides survey expertise and guidance to Ministry leads, functional groups and committees to ensure survey requirements are met.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

- Frequent conflicting work demands and priorities, limited control over the pace of work and tight time pressures due to multiple requests from business areas, ministry managers, Minister's Office and members of the public for survey data/products and emergency survey work.
- Occasional requirement for overnight trips and travel to attend training, participate on committees, visit project sites and supervise field crew.

Mental / Sensory :

- Frequent requirement to concentrate when establishing and adjusting survey and plan preparation schedules, evaluating engineering survey requests, recommending and determining the extent of work required for surveys and resolving survey problems referred by Ministry staff and consultants and participating on committees, working groups and meetings; when evaluating and assessing consultant proposals, product deliverables.
- Occasional requirement to observe and give instructions when providing technical direction and advice to Ministry staff and consultants.

Conditions / Environment :

- Occasional requirement to work outdoors, exposed to prevailing weather conditions, close proximity to travelled lanes of highways, insects, noise, water hazards at creeks for supervisory/investigation purposes.
- Occasional requirement to walk on un-even terrain to reach work sites.