What are the responsibilities and job description for the Texas Survey Regional Leader position at T. Baker Smith?
Texas Survey Regional Leader
Your Opportunity
T. Baker Smith (TBS) is seeking an accomplished Texas Survey Regional Leader to lead, strengthen, and grow our Survey operations across Texas.
This is not a traditional Survey management position. It is an opportunity for an established leader to take responsibility for an existing Texas platform while building the people, client relationships, capabilities, and geographic presence needed for its next stage of growth.
Reporting to the Survey Discipline Leader, this leader will be accountable for Texas Survey operations, including our existing presence in the Houston/Stafford and Corpus Christi markets and future Texas locations and operating groups. The position will directly lead and develop the Lead Professionals and Group Leaders responsible for these operations.
The right candidate will be a respected Texas RPLS who brings together strong people leadership, operational expertise, client development, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
What You’ll Do
Lead Texas Survey Operations
- Lead, manage, and hold accountable the Lead Professionals and Group Leaders responsible for Texas Survey offices, operating groups, and teams.
- Lead, mentor, and develop Lead Professionals and Group Leaders responsible for individual Texas offices, operating groups, and teams.
- Establish expectations for performance, project delivery, professional development, and client service.
- Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing Survey professionals and future leaders.
- Participate in hiring, compensation, promotion, succession, and other people decisions affecting Texas Survey operations.
- Provide leadership on complex staffing, client, operational, and project-related matters.
Build & Grow Our Texas Survey Business
- Develop and execute, in coordination with the Survey Discipline Leader and Chief Growth Officer, the strategy for profitable Survey growth across Texas.
- Develop and strengthen strategic client relationships.
- Identify opportunities to expand into new Texas markets, locations, specialty practices, and service areas.
- Drive sustainable growth in strategic-client relationships, backlog, revenue, regional profitability, and long-term performance.
- Recruit the leadership and technical talent needed to support continued expansion.
- Strengthen collaboration between Survey and TBS Engineering, Environmental, and other professional services.
- Represent TBS within the Texas Survey community and help strengthen our presence in the market.
- Provide Texas market intelligence and support the evaluation and integration of strategic growth opportunities.
Drive Project & Operational Performance
- Ensure Survey projects are successfully delivered in accordance with scope, schedule, budget, and client expectations.
- Hold leaders accountable for project profitability, utilization, financial performance, and effective project management.
- Support Project Managers and Survey leaders with major project and client challenges.
- Participate in fee development, contract negotiations, and significant project agreements.
- Promote effective resource planning and collaboration across Texas offices and teams.
Champion Quality & Technical Excellence
- Ensure appropriate QA/QC and professional standards of care are consistently applied.
- Promote consistency in Survey practices, standards, technology, and project delivery.
- Ensure teams have the training, technology, equipment, people, and resources needed to perform at a high level.
- Encourage professional development, certifications, continuing education, and mentoring.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for a leader who understands how to build a successful Survey organization—not simply manage one.
Desired Qualifications:
- Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS).
- Fifteen or more years of progressive Survey experience preferred; exceptional candidates with demonstrated regional leadership capabilities will also be considered.
- Demonstrated experience leading multiple teams, offices, practices, or operating groups.
- Proven success leading and developing managers and technical professionals.
- Strong knowledge of the Texas Survey market and applicable professional and regulatory requirements.
- Experience managing project profitability, utilization, resource planning, and operational performance.
- Demonstrated success developing strategic-client relationships and producing measurable business, backlog, and revenue growth.
- Strong business judgment with the ability to balance people, clients, operations, quality, and financial performance.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
- Active involvement in professional and industry organizations is strongly valued.
The right candidate will identify strongly with the TBS WAY and our expectations for leaders: growth-oriented, trustworthy, responsive, works hard, smart, and safe, builds a positive team and family spirit, and is enthusiastic and energetic.
Why T. Baker Smith?
Founded in 1913, TBS is a full service engineering, environmental, and surveying firm with approximately 400 associates across 11 offices from Mobile to Corpus Christi. Our Texas expansion is an important part of our long-term strategy, and this leader will have the organizational support to help build a significant regional Survey operation.
At TBS, leadership means more than managing work. It means developing people, serving clients, strengthening our communities, and building an organization positioned to succeed for generations.
As our Texas presence continues to grow, this leader will have the opportunity to directly influence how TBS Survey develops across the state—including our people, clients, capabilities, locations, and future leadership.
If you’re an established Texas Survey leader ready to lead an operation, develop outstanding people, and help shape the future of Survey at T. Baker Smith, we’d like to hear from you.
Location: The position will be based in a TBS Texas office, with Houston/Stafford or Corpus Christi preferred. Other Texas locations may be considered for an exceptional candidate aligned with TBS's office-first culture and regional growth plans.
Travel: Regular travel among Texas offices, client locations, and project sites is required.
Experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable – and passion goes a long way. Here at TBS, we are in the business of cultivating people, and you are set up to succeed if you identify strongly with these values / behaviors; Growth oriented, Trustworthy, Responsive, Works hard, smart, & safe, Builds a positive team & family spirit, and are Enthusiastic & energetic.
We also know that diversity of background and thought can enhance problem-solving and encourage more creative thinking, which is why we are dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team.
Our purpose is investing in people to enhance communities and that commitment has endured for over 100 years. We pride ourselves in doing this by recruiting, hiring, and retaining diverse, passionate, and forward-thinking talent. T. Baker Smith is an equal opportunity employer, and we are dedicated to providing an inclusive and diverse environment for all associates.
Job Requirements:
Updated 07.21.2023
Page 1 of 2
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position Title
Lead Professional
Accountable To
Discipline Leader
Target Ratio
Direct (billable) hours / Total hours worked: 45-65%
Position Purpose
Primarily responsible for 1) leadership, management, and accountability of direct reports, 2) overseeing successful
project delivery by project managers/teams and 3) ensuring that the appropriate standard of care (quality
assurance/quality control) is provided on all project work. The position lies within a specific discipline and has
responsibilities over either an office location or within a practice.
Accountability Chart Responsibilities
- Lead, Manage & Hold Accountable (LMA)
- Project delivery that builds client intimacy
- QA/QC & Standard of Care
- Enforce firm Policies & Procedures
- Resource Utilization
- Group Project Profitability, Engagement targets, Group Utilization Goals
Lead, Manage & Hold Accountable (LMA)
- Provide clear direction using the TBS COMPASS.
- Cultivate associates using Associate Development Plan (ADP) Process.
- Consider promotions and salary adjustments.
- Provide the necessary tools: Resources, Training, Technology, People, & Time and Attention.
- Delegate and communicate effectively.
- Conduct regular and effective team meetings.
- Conducts quarterly conversations.
- Reward and recognize direct reports.
- Provide strong HSE leadership.
- Ensure Project Managers deliver profitable projects in accordance with TBS Project Management Best
- Ensure Project Managers understand their part within the TBS Strategic Client Development Process.
- Assist in fee development and negotiation to result in a profitable project.
- Review and approve contracts; ensure solid contracts are executed on all projects within the group.
- Provide thorough review and approval of TBS Project Management Plans (PMPs).
- Ensure Project Managers are reviewing and updating their projects reports weekly.
- Ensure Project Managers deliver projects in accordance with scope, schedule, and budget.
- Ensure Project Managers are collecting fees in a timely manner from their clients.
Page 2 of 2
QA/QC & Standard of Care
- Ensure quality assurance/quality control and professional standard of care on all project work.
- Ensure the firm’s Policies & Procedures are implemented within the group.
- Allocate people and equipment effectively within and between groups.
- Engagement score as per GallupQ12
- Group project profitability
- Group utilization
- Must be 100% on the same page with the TBS COMPASS.
- Meet or exceed the bar on the TBS People Analyzer.
- Adhere to the TBS Policies and Practices and TBS Safety Best Practices and Guidelines.
- Perform duties, as assigned or as apparent, to add value to projects and exceed client expectations.
- Meet or exceed personal target utilization rate.
Directly supervises and mentors project managers, project professionals, project technicians, project
assistants and field associates.
Physical Requirements
The associate is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to operate and maneuver, objects, tools, or
controls; reach with hands and arms; use manual dexterity to operate keyboard, calculator, and telephone; talk
and hear; climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel and lift up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required include
close, distance, color, and peripheral vision; depth perception; ability to adjust focus.
Minimum Requirements
- College course work or technical training plus five years related technical work experience, or any
- Professional certification or licensing in work specialization.
- Actively involved in career-geared professional organizations.
- Actively participate in leadership training (i.e., ACEC Leadership Pipeline).
- Actively use effective communications skills (Written, Verbal, and Non-verbal).
The associate works in an office and outside, potentially exposed to a variety of environmental conditions.
Hours of Work and Travel
Position requires 40 hours per week. Travel to visit clients, tour project sites, and other office locations on a
regular basis is required. Nights away from home, and weekend commitments to the firm, its associates and
clients are required.
Salary : $51,901 - $79,990