If you're passionate about the design and function of the built environment, find beauty in and want to protect the natural environment, and want to work with others that feel the same, join our team! LaBella’s multi-disciplinary team of architects, designers, engineers, managers, and environmental scientists work every day to make our world more functional, beautiful, and safe.

LaBella is an employee-owned firm with annual accolades for workplace culture, growth, ethics, and philanthropy.  We cultivate each employee’s growth, expand our expertise, and bring out the best in every client project.  

We are seeking a Reality Capture Manager to lead and scale our reality capture capabilities in our Rochester, Poughkeepsie, or Albany, NY offices. This is a unique opportunity to build and manage a forward-looking program that integrates drone operations, terrestrial scanning, and advanced spatial data workflows into high-impact projects.

In this role, you will drive the strategy, standards, and day-to-day operations of our remote sensing program, working at the intersection of technology, data, and project delivery. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams across geospatial, geomatics, GIS, BIM, and engineering to deliver innovative, safe, and efficient data capture solutions.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Program Leadership and Strategy

• Define, build and lead a comprehensive drone and remote sensing program from the ground up
• Establish standards, workflows, and governance to support scalable, high-quality data capture
• Align program capabilities with business goals and project delivery needs
• Partner with leadership to identify growth opportunities and expand service offerings
• Coordinate with IT, Operations, and Divisions to ensure alignment of tools, workflows, and priorities
• Maintain collaboration with geospatial, geomatics, GIS, BIM, and project teams
• Monitor utilization, performance and costs to support effective resource planning and allocation of assets
• Support project teams in meeting client, contractual, and regulatory requirements related to remote sensing and data capture

Drone Operations & Compliance

• Oversee all drone operations, including pilot management, certifications, inventory, flight planning, and mission execution
• Ensure compliance with FAA Part 107 regulations and all applicable federal, state, and local requirements
• Manage certifications, waivers, insurance, and operational risk
• Maintain visibility into equipment, workflows, and data systems across the firm
• Support consistent use and deployment across offices
• Track utilization, performance, and allocation of assets

Reality Capture & Field Technologies

• Oversee processing workflows including photogrammetry and LiDAR data pipelines
• Support integration of reality capture data into GIS, BIM, and digital twin environments
• Collaborate with IT and technology teams to manage storage, access, and data lifecycle
• Ensure alignment and interoperability across geospatial, BIM, and enterprise systems

Training and Enablement

• Develop and deliver training programs for pilots and internal teams
• Create standards, best practices, and user guidance materials
• Serve as a subject matter expert and mentor across the organization
• Promote safe, consistent, and effective adoption of technologies
• Support coordination across Practice Technology & Geospatial leadership

Innovation & Growth

• Evaluate emerging technologies, platforms, and workflows
• Recommend and implement tools to enhance capabilities and competitiveness
• Stay current on industry trends and advancements in reality capture
• Support procurement and standardization decisions

Salary Range: $120,000 - $150,000 per year

The specific salary offered may be influenced by a variety of factors including but not limited to the candidate's relevant experience, education, and work location.

• Experience in drone operations, remote sensing, or geospatial technologies
• FAA Part 107 certification (or ability to obtain quickly)
• Strong understanding of photogrammetry, LiDAR, and reality capture workflows
• Experience managing programs, operations, or technical teams
• Excellent communication, organization, and problem-solving skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in AEC, infrastructure, or geospatial sectors
• Familiarity with tools such as Pix4D, DroneDeploy, RealityCapture, ReCap, or similar
• Experience integrating data into GIS, BIM, or digital twin platforms
• Background in building standards, workflows, or enterprise technology programs
• Experience leading programs, teams, or technical initiatives
• Ability to operate both strategically and tactically in a fast-growing environment
• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills

Body, mind, and wallet—LaBella’s benefits support a holistic approach to your health and wellness, creating the foundation for physical, mental, and financial well-being. Our benefit offerings cover the must-haves (healthcare and retirement), the just-in-cases (insurances and employee assistance programs), and the cherry-on-tops (fitness reimbursements, year-end incentive pay, and tuition assistance). Visit our website for more details on benefits listed below.

• Flexible Work Schedule
• Health/Dental Insurance
• 401k Plan with Employer Match
• Paid Parental Leave
• Short & Long Term Disability
• Profit Sharing
• Paid Time Off
• Leadership Development Program
• Fitness Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Referral Bonus Program
• Wellness Program
• Team Building Events
• Community Service Events

LaBella is committed to facilitating a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion are respected, valued, and celebrated by implementing thoughtful, practical, and innovative strategies that support our employees and serve the communities in which we reside. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws.

LaBella Associates does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiting professionals or agencies, nor do we accept resumes from any source that does not reference a specific, open position. LaBella Associates will not be responsible for any fees arising from the use of resume submitted by recruiting professionals or agencies that do not have a current placement fee agreement with LaBella Associates. All initial communication with recruiting professionals or agencies must go through human resources.