Job title: Field Technician – Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Locate & Mark; Field Mapping & Gas Leak Survey
Work Location: Various locations across PG&E Power Generation / Hydro (“811 Hydro”) service territory – e.g., Drum / I-80 corridor, Shasta–Hat Creek, and San Joaquin – and other PG&E gas service areas as assigned. Work is frequently remote, rural, and off-road.
Variable Hour/On Call. Non-exempt
Employment Status: Hourly, Variable Hours/On Call, Non-exempt
Training & Non-Union Work Pay Rate: $22.00 per hour
Union Pay (IBEW 1245 Gas Utility Worker), If Assigned and Approved by Client: $51.78 per hour through 5/31/27
In Lieu of Benefits (ILB): +$25.43 per hour
Subsistence: $50.00 per day
Prevailing IBEW 1245 Rate & ILB – Labor Classification: Gas Utility Worker (Locate & Mark). Applicable classification and rate assigned per task and subject to client approval.
Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities
Alisto Engineering Group is a utility services firm with more than 30 years of field-services experience for California utilities, including locate and mark, gas leak survey, and cathodic protection. We are standing up a ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) locating program for PG&E’s Power Generation (Hydro) “811” work, and we are looking for a field technician to run the radar day to day and grow into our GPR lead on this account and is proficient enough to train other technicians on it.
The core of the job is GPR locating and mark-and-locate (M&L) of buried utilities and PG&E facilities, backed by GPS/RTK field mapping. Because the hydro 811 workload on its own is light, the role is rounded out with PG&E gas mark-and-locate and gas leak survey, so the schedule stays full and the position is steady year-round. A good deal of the GPR/M&L work is in remote, rural, and off-road parts of PG&E’s hydroelectric system, around streams, canals, flumes, penstocks, and powerhouses, in country like the Drum/I-80 corridor, Shasta–Hat Creek, and the San Joaquin watershed, so being comfortable outdoors in rough terrain, and willing to travel and hike to a site, matters as much as the technical skill. The schedule is typically Monday through Friday, day shift, with opportunities for overtime and occasional on call.
What you’ll do:
Ground-penetrating radar locating and mark & locate
- Run the GPR to find, identify, and mark both metallic and non-metallic utilities – reading the data in real time, recognizing target hyperbolas, estimating depth, and choosing the right antenna frequency and cart-or-tow setup for the ground in front of you.
- Confirm and trace targets by pairing GPR with an electromagnetic (EM) pipe-and-cable locator, check USA/811 markings against the maps, and call for re-marks where the field and the ticket don’t agree.
- Mark and locate to satisfy USA ticket requirements and confirm safe exposure – hand-dig or vacuum – before anyone breaks ground.
- Account for how wet, clay-heavy, or saturated ground near water can sharply cut GPR depth; adjust the frequency and setup and verify with EM locating or potholing rather than trusting a weak return.
- Trains others on GPR – operation, interpretation, and L&M method. This is a core expectation of the role, not a bonus.
- Keep clean field records: ticket numbers, locations, photos, sketches, job-site safety analyses and tailboards, and time.
Mapping and data
- Capture utility positions with survey-grade RTK GNSS for location and verification, working off an RTK correction network or a base/rover setup.
- Hand clean GPS data and metadata to PG&E, post-processing and exporting deliverables – Google Earth (KMZ), CAD (DXF), and CSV – in EKKO_Project, RADAN, or comparable software.
Gas leak survey, patrol, and corrosion
- Survey gas facilities for leaks on foot and by instrument, pinpoint and grade what you find, patrol pipelines, and inspect for atmospheric corrosion – all to PG&E procedure and applicable industry standard.
- Operate, calibrate, and maintain the leak-detection instruments, and record field data accurately.
Potholing and daylighting – subcontracted
- Potholing and daylighting (vacuum / hydro excavation) are performed by subcontractors. You coordinate that work: scheduling the crews, directing them to the conflict points, confirming the exposure, and verifying depth and position before sign-off.
- Report any damaged or abnormal PG&E facility to PG&E immediately.
- Keep your OQs, training, and equipment/locator calibrations current, and carry the required tools and communications.
- Support occasional after-hours and emergency response, travel as assigned, and represent Alisto professionally with PG&E, contractors, and the public.
- Duties may be supplemented or revised by Alisto at its discretion or as directed by the client.
- This is an IBEW Local 1245–represented position.
Equipment
Alisto is equipping this program with a Sensors & Software Noggin GPR system – a configurable platform (100 to 1000 MHz antennas, with 250 MHz the workhorse for utility locating) that moves between cart and tow setups for smooth or rough ground and integrates external GNSS/RTK for mapping. The successful candidate will become highly proficient on the Noggin and, in time, the person who trains others on it.
Familiarity with the wider toolset is a strong plus, though we don’t expect mastery of every brand on day one – we expect a technician who understands locating and can pick up specific instruments quickly. In the field, GPR is normally paired with an electromagnetic pipe-and-cable locator (Radiodetection, Vivax-Metrotech, or Schonstedt) and a survey-grade RTK GNSS receiver (Emlid, Leica, or Trimble) for mapping; comparable GPR systems you may encounter include GSSI’s UtilityScan line and Leica’s DSX. The leak-survey side uses portable methane / leak-detection instruments and standard atmospheric-corrosion inspection tools.
Education, Certificates, and Work Experience
- High school diploma or equivalent required; an AA in a technical or engineering subject is a plus.
- Utility locating, GPR, and/or mark-and-locate experience is strongly preferred, and gas leak survey experience is a plus. Either way, the aptitude and willingness to become proficient on GPR – and to train others – is required.
- Comfortable with basic data entry, reading and identifying locations from maps, and using a smartphone or tablet and its field applications.
- Good written and verbal communication.
- Must complete the OSHA 10-hour General Industry certification through Alisto’s training provider.
- Valid driver’s license and a clean driving record.
- You will use your own vehicle, in good working order and suitable for travel to remote and unpaved sites, carrying at least 100K/300K/100K auto liability insurance – verified at hire and annually. Per PG&E’s terms for this work, business use of your vehicle is reimbursed at the IRS standard mileage rate (mileage applied after the first 50 miles from portal / report location).
- Must pass a pre-employment drug test, physical, and background check, and is subject to all U.S. DOT / PHMSA Drug and Alcohol regulations, including ongoing random testing.
- Must follow Alisto and client safety plans and procedures at all times.
Operator Qualifications & Union Membership
This is an IBEW Local 1245 position. The successful candidate must join and maintain membership in Local 1245 for the duration of union-covered work, and must hold – or be able to obtain – the PG&E Operator Qualifications (OQs) for the covered tasks performed. PG&E assigns the exact OQ task numbers, evaluation methods, and re-qualification intervals from its current covered-task list and updates them periodically, so the qualifications below are described by task; PG&E’s Gas Qualifications group confirms the specific OQ numbers for the actual work.
Locate and mark / locating
o Locating and marking facilities to satisfy USA / 811 ticket requirements (PG&E OQ 05-01).
o Locating facilities for maintenance – leak repair, inspection, and similar (PG&E OQ 05-04).
o Locating facilities without tracer wire.
Gas leak survey, patrol, and corrosion
Leak-survey assignments require PG&E OQ 03-04, OQ 04-03, and OQ 09-01 (plus any additional leak-survey OQ PG&E specifies), covering:
o Conducting a gas leakage survey (walking and instrument / mobile survey).
o Outside leakage investigation, pinpointing, and grading.
o Patrolling pipelines.
o Inspecting for atmospheric corrosion.
o Measuring pipe-to-soil potential / cathodic-protection reads (PG&E OQ 03-06).
- OQ prerequisites may apply; if a prerequisite lapses, the dependent OQ suspends until the technician requalifies. OQ records must stay current and be available on request.
NOTE: Obtaining the required Operator Qualifications and the OSHA 10-hour General Industry certification is the applicant’s responsibility, on their own time and at their own expense. Alisto may, at its discretion, cover the training and evaluation fee for selected applicants.
Physical and Mental Requirements
- Able to work outdoors in varied weather, including remote and rural terrain.
- Able to do the following: regular use of the hands and fingers to operate specialized equipment and tools; reaching overhead and horizontally; bending at the waist; standing and walking for extended periods, often over uneven, unpaved ground; hearing and speaking to exchange information; carrying 3–5 lbs of electronic locating equipment for extended periods; occasionally lifting 50 lbs with a tool aid and frequently carrying up to 30 lbs.
- Able to push, pull, and maneuver a wheeled GPR cart (roughly 30–40 lbs) over rough, unpaved ground, and to lift and load equipment into a vehicle.
- Able to walk or hike to remote sites over uneven terrain and near water and steep slopes while carrying equipment and supplies.
- Able to ascend and descend ladders, stairs, and ramps, and to kneel, squat, and crawl in various environments, including tight spaces.
- As assigned, able to operate a portable drill / roto-hammer (10+ lbs).
- Able to wear personal protective gear correctly, as required.
Applicant must pass DOT Drug test and Physical Exam
Wage and In Lieu of Benefits (ILB) reflect the IBEW Local 1245 / Alisto Engineering Group Letter of Understanding effective June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027 (Gas Utility Worker classification). Labor classification and applicable rate are assigned per task and subject to client approval. Equipment names are listed as representative industry standards; the specific units used are assigned by Alisto.
Pay: $51.78 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
