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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underground Surveyor

💰 $65,000 - $120,000

MiningSurveyingConstructionCivil EngineeringGeomatics

🎯 Role Definition

The Underground Surveyor is a geospatial professional responsible for establishing, maintaining, and verifying underground control networks, conducting as-built and advance surveys for tunnels, shafts and mine workings, and delivering accurate survey data for engineering, production, safety and regulatory compliance. This role combines field measurement, instrumentation (total stations, GNSS where applicable, laser scanners), point-cloud processing, CAD deliverables, and cross-disciplinary coordination with engineering, operations, geology and safety teams to enable safe, efficient subsurface construction and extraction activities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Survey Technician / Junior Surveyor (surface or underground)
  • Field Surveyor with experience in construction or utilities
  • Graduate Diploma / Bachelor in Geomatics, Surveying or Mining Engineering

Advancement To:

  • Senior Underground Surveyor / Lead Surveyor
  • Survey Supervisor / Survey Team Lead
  • Mine Survey Manager / Geomatics Manager
  • Underground Engineering or Technical Superintendent

Lateral Moves:

  • Geomatics Specialist (LiDAR/Point Cloud Processing)
  • Mine Planning or Mine Engineering roles
  • Civil/Tunnel Surveyor for infrastructure projects

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Establish, verify and maintain precise underground control networks (fixed and moving control) using total stations, theodolites, precision levels and laser scanners, ensuring survey control integrity for all underground development and production works.
  • Conduct advance surveys and face surveys for tunnel headings and longhole drill drives, providing timely and accurate alignment, grade and positional data to drill crews and tunnelling teams to meet design tolerances and production targets.
  • Perform routine as-built and dimensional surveys for stopes, raises, decline workings, shafts and underground infrastructure, producing detailed map sheets, cross sections and coordinate reports for engineering and regulatory submissions.
  • Operate and maintain survey instruments and accessories (Trimble, Leica, Topcon, Sokkia, prisms, reflectors, total stations, laser scanners, GNSS units where applicable), performing daily calibration, field checks and preventive maintenance to ensure measurement accuracy.
  • Process raw survey observations, traverse data, level runs and laser scan captures using surveying and CAD software (AutoCAD Civil 3D, Carlson Survey, Surpac, Maptek, Leica Cyclone, Trimble Business Center), generating deliverables such as plans, profiles, point clouds and volume calculations.
  • Perform point cloud registration, geo-referencing and cleaning of LiDAR and terrestrial laser scanning datasets, extracting features, creating sections and generating high-accuracy as-built models for geological and design teams.
  • Establish and maintain datum, coordinate systems and transformation procedures for the underground site, ensuring consistency between mine grid, local control and corporate GIS/asset systems.
  • Prepare and deliver timely, formatted survey reports, daily production surveys, cut-and-fill calculations, and end-of-shift stakeout instructions to production and engineering teams, maintaining clear documentation and traceability.
  • Provide survey support for shotcrete, bolting, grouting, and other ground support activities by providing accurate layout, centerline and reference points to installation crews.
  • Conduct floor and volume surveys for stockpiles, waste dumps and ore inventory reconciliation, applying best-practice surveying methods to support resource accounting and mine planning.
  • Implement and maintain survey quality control procedures, perform network adjustments, error propagation analysis and tolerance checks to identify and rectify survey discrepancies proactively.
  • Coordinate with geology and resource teams to integrate geological mapping data with survey controls, supporting reconciliation, geotechnical modelling and drillhole positioning.
  • Support ventilation, services and utility layout underground by providing accurate as-built location information for piping, conveyor systems, electrical infrastructure and communication cabling.
  • Carry out tunnel convergence monitoring and deformation surveys, installing and reading survey targets, extensometers and prisms and reporting deviations to engineering and safety teams for remedial action.
  • Supervise or mentor junior surveyors and technicians in underground surveying techniques, safety protocols, data processing workflows and instrument use, ensuring team competency and continuous improvement.
  • Liaise with mine operations, planning and maintenance to schedule survey activities around production, minimizing downtime and ensuring safe access and effective data collection.
  • Perform stakeout and setting out for development drives, boxcuts, raises and services, translating design plans into precise underground physical references for construction crews.
  • Ensure compliance with mining regulations, company safety policies and confined-space procedures during all underground survey activities, participating in risk assessments and permit-to-work processes.
  • Maintain, archive and distribute survey data in standardized formats for GIS, mine planning and compliance reporting, ensuring data security, version control and accessibility to stakeholders.
  • Troubleshoot field issues such as instrument misalignment, control loss and datum inconsistencies, applying sound measurement theory and practical solutions to restore survey functionality rapidly.
  • Conduct topo and structural mapping of underground faces and excavations, capturing joint sets, geological features and geotechnical observations to support ground control decisions and hazard assessments.
  • Provide pre-shift briefings and post-survey debriefs highlighting findings, data quality, measurement uncertainties and recommended follow-up actions to operations and engineering leadership.

Secondary Functions

  • Support GIS and mine planning teams by preparing and validating deliverables for long-term mine model updates and reconciliation cycles.
  • Assist with equipment procurement specifications, vendor evaluations and trialing of new survey technologies (mobile LiDAR, inertial systems, underground GNSS repeaters).
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by documenting best practices, SOPs and training materials for underground surveying workflows.
  • Participate in safety committees and incident investigations, offering technical insight into survey-related events and preventative measures.
  • Provide ad-hoc topographic or cadastral survey assistance for surface infrastructure ties, office layout, site access roads and portal construction.
  • Help coordinate third-party surveyors and contractors, reviewing submittals and ensuring outsourced survey work meets site standards and tolerances.
  • Maintain calibration logs, spare parts inventories and tool control procedures to minimize downtime of critical survey assets.
  • Support emergency response by providing rapid location, mapping and layout assistance during underground incidents or recovery operations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced operation and field calibration of total stations, digital theodolites and precision levels (Trimble, Leica, Topcon experience desirable).
  • Terrestrial laser scanning and LiDAR capture, registration and point cloud processing (Leica Cyclone, Faro Scene, Trimble RealWorks).
  • Survey data processing and CAD deliverable production (AutoCAD Civil 3D, Carlson Survey, Surpac, Maptek, MicroStation).
  • Underground control network design, traverse adjustment, least squares computations and geodetic datum management.
  • GNSS/GPS fundamentals and integration for surface control and tie-ins, including RTK workflows where surface-undersurface coordination is required.
  • Stakeout, as-built surveys and dimensional control for tunnels, shafts, raises, and underground infrastructure.
  • Point cloud to BIM/model extraction and deliverable creation for engineering and geological modelling workflows.
  • Volume calculations, stockpile surveys and tonnage reconciliations using surveying and modelling tools.
  • Proficiency in survey instrument troubleshooting, preventive maintenance and field calibration procedures.
  • Data management skills including coordinate transforms, metadata documentation, version control and secure archival systems.
  • Basic programming or scripting for data automation (Python, SQL or surveying software macros) is an advantage.
  • Familiarity with health, safety and environmental standards specific to underground mining and tunnelling operations, including confined space and blasting protocols.

Soft Skills

  • Strong attention to detail with a rigorous approach to measurement accuracy and data quality assurance.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for clear reporting, instruction and cross-discipline coordination.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to troubleshoot field measurement issues under time pressure.
  • Team player who can work collaboratively with operations, engineering, geology and maintenance teams.
  • Ability to work independently underground with sound judgment, situational awareness and adherence to safety protocols.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to balance routine surveys with urgent production requests.
  • Mentoring and leadership skills to train and develop junior surveyors and contractors.
  • Adaptability to changing site conditions, production schedules and new technology adoption.
  • Strong organizational skills for record keeping, equipment maintenance schedules and data archiving.
  • Cultural and stakeholder sensitivity to liaise with external auditors, regulators and multidisciplinary teams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent with technical trade certification; recognized Survey Technician certificate or Diploma in Surveying / Geomatics.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Geomatics, Surveying, Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering or related discipline.
  • Professional licensure or certification where applicable (Licensed Surveyor, Cadastral/Registered Surveyor, SME affiliations).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Geomatics / Surveying
  • Mining Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Applied Mathematics / Measurement Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–10+ years of combined surface and underground surveying experience; most roles prefer 3–7 years of direct underground surveying in mining or tunnelling environments.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of proven underground surveying experience in hard-rock or soft-ground mining/tunnelling, including management of control networks, laser scanning projects and survey deliverables for production and engineering.
  • Demonstrated experience with industry-standard equipment (Trimble, Leica, Topcon) and software (AutoCAD Civil 3D, Carlson, Surpac, Leica Cyclone).
  • Experience working to site safety systems, confined space permits, and familiarity with mine/site regulatory reporting and compliance.
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