GIS Specialist at Westwood Professional Services in Baxter, MN

Westwood Professional Services, Inc. is seeking a GIS Specialist to join our Renewables team. Westwood is a leading renewables, power, public infrastructure, and land development consulting firm dedicated to creating a better world for people though our work. Our core values – Relationships, Innovation, Dedication, Initiative, and Growth – are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in creating strong partnerships, fostering innovative solutions, committing passionately to our work, taking proactive steps towards progress, and nurturing personal and professional development.

The GIS Specialist position will play a crucial role in our team, supporting our renewable energy projects with their technical expertise and innovative approaches to GIS. We are looking for a dynamic GIS Specialist to enhance our team with their expertise in spatial analysis, cartography, and data management. If you're passionate about GIS and ready to contribute to groundbreaking projects, we want to hear from you!

Duties and Responsibilities:

•Spatial Analysis & Cartography: Create, manage, analyze, and display spatial data using GIS software.

•Data Interpretation & Management: Independently interpret data while maintaining comprehensive documentation. Manage and update existing GIS datasets, ensuring their relevance and accuracy.

•Project Support: Contribute to the design and improvement of GIS methodologies for project efficiency. Anticipate the informational needs of the project team, delivering tailored data and graphics solutions.

•Technical Troubleshooting: Craft detailed and technically proficient solutions with limited supervision. Solve technical problems utilizing the data and process given.

•Collaborative Projects: Engage in diverse energy projects, collaborating with multiple service teams to provide GIS support and insights.

•Flexibility to work on new project requests or custom map additions

You will be expected to:

• Generate comprehensive PDF reports by analyzing varied quality field-collected data, ensuring accuracy in the findings
• Create ArcGIS Online Field Maps for field crews, facilitating efficient data collection and enhancing real-time project management in the field.
• Undertake additional responsibilities that extend beyond the standard workload, demonstrating adaptability and a commitment to supporting team objectives.
• Acquire fundamental knowledge of AutoCAD to support data quality assurance
• Challenge current processes to develop new and more efficient processes
• Create tools and scripts to streamline frequently performed tasks.
• Work with end users, create mapping products, and perform complex GIS analyses using the ArcGIS Platform Produce technically skilled and detailed solutions by preparing clear, complete, and accurate representations of spatial data using hardcopy and/or electronic media.
• Develop and maintain geospatial data integrity on desktop and mobile applications. Ensure data meets appropriate data accuracy and content standards for quality control.

Required Qualifications

•Must have a degree in GIS, geography, or related field with demonstrated capabilities in GIS.

•Proficiency in ArcGIS software and geospatial analysis techniques.

•Demonstrated ability to work with standard GIS datasets, deliverables, and software.

•Experience working with different coordinate systems, map projections, and datums.

•Strong understanding of standard cartographic methods, GIS principles, and spatial data management.

•Capacity to manage multiple tasks independently and prioritize effectively.

•Ability to solve complex problems related to GIS development and mapping.

•Must have strong attention to detail and be able to work under pressure to meet deadlines.

•Effective communication and collaboration skills.

•General understanding of the PLSS system.

Preferred qualifications

•Previous work in/familiarity with land surveying or subsurface utility engineering/discovery.

•Experience using Esri suite of software and programs.

•Previous experience working on energy projects, such as transmission, solar or wind projects.

•Experience with remote sensing, GPS technology, and web mapping tools.

•Experience using AutoCAD and DWG files.

•Experience using Google Earth and KMZ files.

•Familiar with LiDAR datasets and usage.

•Experience using Arcade expressions, Python, ModelBuilder, or another common GIS scripting language, as job duties will include creating scripts to streamline frequently performed tasks.

•Experience utilizing map series for PDF creation.

About Westwood Professional Services, Inc. (Westwood)

At Westwood, our purpose is to create a better world for people through our work. We transform the energy grid, design resilient infrastructure, and develop communities that will flourish today and for future generations. With over 50 years of experience and a legacy of innovation, we stand at the forefront of our industry, dedicated to understanding the unique needs of the markets we serve.

Our approach revolves around people. We are committed to building a culture that attracts, retains, and develops high performers. Our team values relationships, innovation, dedication, initiative, and growth. We believe fostering a collaborative “One Team” mentality yields superior outcomes in everything we do.

We customize our technical capabilities and geographic reach to meet our clients where they are and help them realize their vision. We are partners in our clients’ success, driving to provide solutions that make a lasting difference. Safety, sustainability, and operational excellence are not just facets of our work; they are intrinsic to our identity, guiding every decision we make.

We are deeply invested in the communities we serve. Through our projects and giving-back initiatives, we enrich the lives of those we serve, engage others within our industry, and create a lasting impact on communities around the world. To us, success transcends the completion of projects; it is reflected in the lives we have positively impacted by our work.

Join us in creating a better world.

In 2025, Westwood was recognized as #77 on the ENR Top 500 Design Firms. Additionally, Westwood was ranked #5 for ENR's Top Design Firm for Solar, #6 for Battery Storage, and #3 for Wind (2025). The firm consistently ranks on the industry's top 25 lists and receives recognition for its involvement in award-winning projects nationwide.

Westwood provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We believe that diverse backgrounds strengthen our business. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.