Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor

Apply Your Land Surveying Expertise and Leadership Skills

Apply your land surveying expertise and leadership skills at the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) as their next Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor.

Please note:

applicants are required to possess current registration as a Professional Land Surveyor by the State of California.

• Direct and manage survey activities supporting capital project engineering and general agency operations.
• Provide subject matter expertise and support on land surveying principles and practices.
• Represent Sonoma Water before official bodies, regulatory agencies, subcontractors, developers, and the public in survey matters.
• Manage, direct, and coordinate work within the Survey Section and develop policies and procedures affecting its operation.
• Coordinating project tasks, strategies, and priorities for the Section and in consultation with the Licensed Land Surveyor.
• Ensure quality control and assurance practices for work performed within the Section.
• Coordinate with the Water Agency’s Sanitation Engineer and review and approve easement agreements, legal descriptions, and exhibits concerning sewer applications.
• Develop, mentor, and supervise staff, including team building, providing feedback, and performance evaluation.
• Create timeline and budget estimates for services and work products.
• Develop budgets, monitor and approve expenditures related to the Survey section.
• Communicate and report staffing, equipment, vehicles, and resource needs to management; procure software, vehicles, and equipment.
• Track status and ensure cost‑effective and timely delivery of services and deliverables.
• Procure outside professional services when needed and manage professional services agreements and deliverables.

• Thorough knowledge of land‑surveying principles, state laws and local ordinances, and real property matters.
• Effective communication, organizational, and collaborative leadership skills.
• Exceptional analytical and reasoning skills with the ability to implement creative solutions.
• Experience with water transmission, storage, diversion, treatment systems, and hydrological quantification/measurement.
• Understanding of geodetic measurement, reference frames, datums, and projections.
• Knowledge of modern measuring, sensing, and data‑collection instrumentation and software platforms.
• Experience performing title research in Sonoma County.
• Experience with public infrastructure projects related to water transmission, wastewater treatment and collection, flood control, and ecosystem restoration.
• Familiarity with property boundary determination and title transactions.
• Implementation of quality control and assurance methods in service delivery.
• Proficiency with Auto Desk Civil, Trimble Access and Business Center, ESRI products, and Microsoft Office.

Sonoma Water is a special district formed by the California State Legislature in 1949 responsible for a safe and reliable water supply to Sonoma and Marin counties, maintaining 75 miles of flood control channels and providing sanitation services. The agency employs approximately 250 employees and focuses on environmental sustainability, renewable power, and water‑use efficiency.

• Hybrid telework flexibility where available.
• Salary advancement after 1,040 hours (6 months full‑time) and annual increases based on performance.
• Competitive paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, 12 paid holidays, and 8 floating holiday hours per year.
• Staff development and wellness pay of up to $2,000 annually.
• County‑paid health premium contributions and post‑retirement health reimbursement.
• Full pension integrated with Social Security.
• Retirement savings and voluntary deferred compensation plans with county contributions.
• Paid parental leave up to 8 weeks after 12 months of employment.
• Student loan debt relief eligibility through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
• Salary negotiable within the established range; benefits are subject to change.

This recruitment is conducted to fill a full‑time Water Agency Principal Land Surveyor position. Qualified County employees may apply for future…