GIS Lead Supervisor

About Us

At American Engineering Testing (AET), we believe that people are the heart of innovation. We create an environment that values teamwork, curiosity, and continuous improvement while delivering innovative engineering and consulting solutions. As a 100% employee-owned firm, we deliver comprehensive testing, analysis, and design to reduce uncertainty in construction projects and offer rewarding work, exceptional training, and career development opportunities.

Job Summary

The GIS Lead Supervisor is a senior strategic role responsible for designing, directing, and scaling the enterprise-wide GIS vision at AET. In a growing GIS program, this role balances hands-on technical leadership with the development of scalable systems, standards, and talent. The GIS Lead serves as the senior technical authority for complex GIS work while building the structure, workflows, and team capabilities needed to support AET’s long-term growth and evolving service offerings.

Operating at the intersection of technology, operations, and business strategy, the GIS Lead Supervisor evaluates emerging technologies, drives cross-functional integration of GIS across disciplines, and mentors the GIS team to align daily execution with high-level enterprise goals. This position reports directly to the Environmental Department Manager and serves as a key thought partner for executive, service line leaders, and project delivery teams.

Essential duties and responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations or workable solutions may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Define and drive the GIS strategy across all service lines, ensuring alignment with AET’s Vision 2030, enterprise digital transformation, and client-facing value.
• Establish the long-term roadmap for GIS capabilities, including system enhancements, field integration, automation, and client deliverable innovation.
• Evaluate, pilot, and recommend emerging technologies such as GPS, UAV/drone platforms, reality capture, AR/VR, AI, and sensor integrations for civil, environmental, and materials applications.
• Advise executives and directors on GIS implications for operational expansion, margin strategy, and delivery model evolution.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives integrating GIS into core service workflows, such as construction monitoring, laboratory traceability, environmental site modeling, or structural assessment.
• Serve as the final technical authority for complex, high-impact GIS deliverables, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with organizational standards.
• Personally lead, review, and approve high-complexity spatial analyses, non-standard workflows, and advanced GIS solutions prior to delivery.
• Act as the primary technical escalation point for GIS staff providing guidance on complex analytical challenges, data issues, and system limitations.
• Establish, enforce, and continuously refine GIS QA/QC standards through direct review of deliverables, coaching, and corrective guidance.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership to support advanced GIS workflows while mentoring team members to strengthen technical proficiency and problem-solving skills.
• Collaborate with ERP, QA, BIM, and IT teams to ensure GIS tools are embedded within enterprise systems and not siloed.
• Partner with service line leaders to align spatial data infrastructure with field execution and lab reporting standards.
• Oversee GIS data governance strategy, ensuring proper standards, permissions, versioning, and scalability.
• Report on GIS program performance, risk, and growth opportunities to the Environmental Manager and other executive leaders.
• Develop annual GIS goals, KPIs, and budget recommendations, with a focus on high-impact deliverables and internal adoption.
• Identify ROI and business cases for investments in GIS staffing, software, drones, hardware, or process automation.

Supervisory Responsibility

• Directly manages the GIS team, including hiring, training, performance management, and professional development.
• Serves as a technical advisor for project teams requiring GIS expertise.

Required Qualifications and Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in GIS, Geography, Geospatial Science, Engineering, or related discipline.
• Strong skills with Arc GIS Pro and working knowledge or better with Pix4D and AGOL tools.
• 8+ years of progressive GIS experience, including enterprise program design and cross-functional tool integration.
• Demonstrated experience leading GIS innovation projects across multiple departments or business lines.
• Strong understanding of emerging geospatial technologies and their practical application within engineering, field services, or lab environments.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex geospatial topics into business-aligned strategies.

Preferred Skills

• Master’s degree or professional certification in GIS, Data Strategy, or Leadership.
• CAD experience.
• Experience advising C-level or executive stakeholders on technology roadmaps or system architecture.
• Proven experience developing and mentoring GIS teams.
• Familiarity with multi-system integration (e.g., ERP, QA, remote sensing, BIM, machine learning pipelines).
• Experience working within a civil engineering or environmental consulting context.

Pay Transparency

Base compensation is expected to be in the range of $100,000 to $130,000 per year based on skill set and experience. AET offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health benefits, insurance, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), long-term savings, paid time off, and professional development opportunities. The selected candidate must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. without requiring visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Work Environment

This position primarily operates in a professional office setting and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, printers, and filing systems. Occasional work in a field environment may be required, depending on project needs. The role offers a hybrid work schedule in accordance with AET’s hybrid work policy, provided that daily responsibilities do not require onsite presence.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or listen. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands or finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50-100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Third Party Disclosure

Notice to Third Party Agencies: AET does not accept unsolicited resumes from third party recruiting firms. Absent a signed Service Agreement by AET’s Chief People Officer (CPO), AET reserves the right to pursue and hire these candidates without financial obligation to recruiters or agencies.