Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underground Utility Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires an experienced Underground Utility Analyst to identify, map, validate, and manage underground utility assets to support design, construction, and asset-management teams. The Underground Utility Analyst uses GIS, CAD, subsurface utility engineering (SUE) techniques, field verification (including potholing/vacuum excavation and ground-penetrating radar), utility coordination, and data QA/QC to reduce risk, prevent utility strikes, and deliver accurate as-built and existing-conditions utility datasets for civil, transportation, and infrastructure projects.

Key keywords: underground utility analyst, utility mapping, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), utility locating, GIS, CAD, as-built records, vacuum excavation, potholing, ground penetrating radar (GPR), utility coordination, asset management, construction support.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

GIS Technician or Junior GIS Analyst with exposure to utility datasets and CAD.
Field Utility Locator or Utility Coordinator with hands-on locating and coordination experience.
Civil Engineering Technician with experience in site plans, as-builts, and construction support.

Advancement To:

Senior Underground Utility Analyst / Lead SUE Analyst
Utilities Project Manager or Utility Coordination Manager
Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) Program Manager / Asset Management Lead

Lateral Moves:

GIS Project Manager
Construction Risk Analyst
Survey Technician / Survey Project Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive desktop utility investigations by compiling, evaluating and reconciling utility records, as-built plans, GIS datasets, utility company drawings, and historical documents to establish probable and known utility locations for design and construction risk assessments.
Plan, schedule and coordinate field locate operations, including non-destructive locating, ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic locating, and vacuum excavation/potholing, ensuring compliance with local one-call/811 processes and safety regulations.
Produce accurate, scalable utility maps and deliverables in GIS and CAD formats (ESRI ArcGIS, QGIS, AutoCAD/Civil 3D) that integrate attribute-rich utility layers (water, sewer, storm, gas, electric, communications, fiber) for use by designers and contractors.
Perform Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) level assessments (Quality Levels D, C, B, and A) and document the rationale, methods, and findings to support design decisions and reduce utility conflict risk.
Coordinate directly with utility owners, municipalities, and third-party contractors to obtain field verification, utility as-built drawings, and conflict resolution, and maintain a clear audit trail of contacts and information exchanges.
Conduct site visits and field verification to validate desktop findings, measure offsets, capture GPS/GNSS control points, and collect photographic evidence and field notes that support spatial accuracy and asset condition assessment.
Create and maintain geospatial databases and metadata standards for underground utilities, ensuring datasets are version-controlled, attributed consistently, and compliant with organizational data governance practices.
Identify, analyze and prioritize utility conflicts and constructability issues early in the design lifecycle using clash detection tools, hydraulic/modeling inputs, and coordination meetings to minimize RFIs and change orders during construction.
Prepare technical reports, utility investigation summaries, SUE deliverables, and construction support documentation that clearly explain findings, recommended mitigation, and next steps for engineers, contractors and stakeholders.
Support design teams by producing proposed utility relocation plans, temporary utility plans, and utility protection strategies, including cost and schedule implications for planning and permitting activities.
Maintain and improve workflows for integrating survey control, LiDAR, mobile mapping, and photogrammetry data with utility mapping to increase spatial accuracy and accelerate delivery of as-built datasets.
Perform quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) on incoming as-built records, contractor submittals, and field data to verify completeness, accuracy, and conformance with project standards and regulatory requirements.
Populate and manage asset management systems and CMMS inputs with validated underground utility data to support lifecycle planning, preventive maintenance, and capital improvement programs.
Assist in permitting and right-of-way exhibits by providing precise utility conflict maps, coordinate lists, and recommendations for utility avoidance or relocation to expedite approvals.
Provide construction-phase support including on-call utility advice, verification of as-built conditions during excavation, oversight of vacuum excavation operations, and rapid response for unmarked or conflicting utilities to prevent strikes.
Develop and deliver training materials, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and best-practice guidelines for utility locating, data collection, and GIS/CAD data handling to strengthen cross-functional capabilities.
Use spatial analysis and data-driven risk assessment to quantify probabilities of utility conflict, inform contingency budgets, and recommend sequencing strategies for excavation, trenching, and tunneling operations.
Integrate third-party survey and geophysical deliverables (GPR, magnetometry, resistivity) into a consolidated utility model and specify tolerances, confidence metrics, and QA acceptance criteria for SUE deliverables.
Lead safety briefings and coordinate confined-space, traffic control, and excavation safety plans when field verification or potholing operations are required, ensuring compliance with OSHA and local safety codes.
Support claims avoidance and incident investigations by maintaining traceable documentation of utility records reviewed, field verification steps, contractor communications, and mitigation actions taken during projects.
Prepare billable statements of work (SOW), scopes, and cost estimates for utility investigation, SUE services, and vacuum excavation tasks, and assist business development with proposals and client presentations focused on utility risk mitigation.
Monitor emerging technologies and regulatory changes (e.g., mandatory mark-up standards, digital permitting, and advanced geophysics) and recommend process improvements or technology investments to increase efficiency and accuracy.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Prepare visualization dashboards and interactive maps for stakeholders to explore existing utility conflicts and planned relocations.
Assist in vendor selection, scoping and oversight for subcontracted locating, potholing and geophysical services to ensure deliverable quality and contractual compliance.
Maintain an up-to-date register of utility owner contacts, emergency response procedures, and service-level agreements relevant to projects.
Help develop corporate templates for utility reports, SUE deliverables, and GIS/CAD symbology to standardize outputs across projects and regions.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in GIS software (ESRI ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online) and spatial database management for mapping underground utilities and preparing geodatabases and metadata.
Strong CAD competency (AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation) to produce plan sets, utility tie sheets, piping isometrics and construction-ready drawings.
Hands-on knowledge of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) standards and experience delivering Quality Levels D–A with documented methodologies.
Field locating and geophysical skills including electromagnetic locating, ground penetrating radar (GPR), magnetics, and experience coordinating vacuum excavation/potholing operations.
Experience with GNSS/GPS survey data collection and post-processing to integrate control points and improve horizontal and vertical accuracy of utility features.
Data QA/QC and data validation skills, including attribute schema design, version control, error checking, and conformance to quality standards.
Familiarity with utility asset management systems and CMMS integration (e.g., Cityworks, Maximo), and exporting/importing utility data for lifecycle management.
Proficient in clash detection and spatial analysis tools, and comfortable performing hydraulic/flow checks or simple network tracing to assess potential impacts.
Experience preparing technical reports, SUE deliverables, and as-built certification packages with clear documentation for contractors and permitting authorities.
Ability to convert paper as-builts, scanned records, and legacy datasets into georeferenced digital assets using digitization and georectification tools.
Strong Microsoft Office skills (Excel for data manipulation, PowerPoint for stakeholder presentations) and familiarity with scripting or automation (Python, ModelBuilder) to streamline repetitive tasks.
Knowledge of local one-call/811 systems, excavation safety regulations, and permit processes relevant to utility identification and protection.

Soft Skills

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills to liaise with utility owners, contractors, engineers, and municipal staff.
Critical thinking and problem solving to evaluate conflicting data sources and recommend the most defensible utility location.
Attention to detail and a methodical approach for documentation that supports risk reduction and legal defensibility.
Project coordination and time management skills to oversee multiple investigations and meet tight design or construction deadlines.
Adaptability and continuous learning orientation to adopt new geophysical methods, software, and regulatory requirements.
Team collaboration skills for working closely with designers, surveyors, field crews and asset managers.
Client-facing presentation skills to explain technical findings and recommend mitigation in non-technical language.
Risk awareness and safety-first mindset when planning and executing fieldwork around live utilities.
Negotiation and conflict-resolution abilities for coordinating relocations and resolving ownership or record discrepancies.
Business acumen for scoping billable services, supporting proposals, and understanding cost implications of utility risks.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in Civil Engineering Technology, GIS, Surveying, Construction Management, or related technical field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Geomatics, Geospatial Science, Construction Management, or closely related engineering discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Civil Engineering / Civil Engineering Technology
Geomatics, Surveying, or GIS
Construction Management / Construction Technology
Geophysics or Applied Geoscience
Asset Management / Infrastructure Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of combined experience in utility mapping, utility coordination, SUE, or field locating services.

Preferred:

5+ years delivering subsurface utility engineering investigations and field verification on public works, transportation, or utility infrastructure projects.
Documented experience coordinating with multiple utility owners, performing vacuum excavation/potholing, and producing CAD/GIS SUE deliverables.
Certifications such as Certified GIS Professional (GISP), National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) or other relevant utility/locating certifications (e.g., QP/QC SUE training) are a plus.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel to project sites; OSHA 10/30 or confined-space training preferred.