Cartography Manager Job Description

Salary Range

Varies by employer

Experience

Mid-career to senior

Work Environment

Map production office

What Does a Cartography Manager Do?

Proof sheets of a new county map, covered in notes about labels and line weights, have to pass a cartography manager's review before anything is released. The job is to run a map production unit at a government agency or mapping company: setting design standards, schedules and budgets, assigning work to cartographers and GIS staff and signing off on each finished map.

Also known as: Cartographic Shop Manager

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as CMC Director (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls Director), Compliance Director, Global RA Director (Global Regulatory Affairs Director), Global RA Manager (Global Regulatory Affairs Manager), RA Director (Regulatory Affairs Director), RA Manager (Regulatory Affairs Manager), RA QA Director (Regulatory Affairs Quality Assurance Director), RA VP (Regulatory Affairs Vice President).

Cartography Manager Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a cartography manager include:

• Plan map production schedules and assign projects to cartographers and GIS technicians.
• Set design and data standards so every map from the unit looks and reads the same.
• Review finished maps for accuracy, clarity and style before release.
• Prepare budgets and cost estimates for map projects and outside clients.
• Hire, train and evaluate cartographers, GIS analysts and student staff.
• Manage software licenses, plotters and map servers with the IT department.
• Negotiate data sharing and licensing agreements with agencies and vendors.
• Meet clients to define map requirements, deadlines and delivery formats.
• Oversee printing, including proofs and color checks with outside printers.
• Report on project status, backlog and revenue to senior leaders.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a cartography manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Deep GIS and cartography experience
• Esri ArcGIS Enterprise administration
• Staff supervision and scheduling
• Budgeting and client billing
• Map design and editorial judgment
• Print production and color proofing
• Data licensing and copyright basics
• Project tools such as Smartsheet or Microsoft Project

Education and Training

With experience, you could progress from cartographer to lead cartographer and then manager of a map unit. Most managers hold a bachelor's degree in geography or GIS, which matches the typical entry education BLS lists for the group. Some add a GISP certification.

Salary and Job Outlook

BLS files this job under managers, all other, a catch-all group it projects to grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035. That group is broad, with roughly 100,900 openings a year across every kind of organization. Its pay figures cover many kinds of managers, so they are only a loose guide for a map unit, where pay tends to follow the size of the agency or company.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Managers, all other.

Cartography Manager Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Cartography Managers

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Massachusetts ($182,950), District of Columbia ($175,720), California ($174,560), Colorado ($171,140), Delaware ($168,060). Pay is lowest in Tennessee ($99,430), Arkansas ($87,520), Indiana ($79,900).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as managers, all other about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 100% use email every day
• 100% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 95% spend more than half the workday sitting
• 87% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 74% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 64% are on the phone every day
• 61% usually work more than 40 hours a week

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Cartography Managers Use

Tools and equipment

• Computer laser printers
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• Laser facsimile machines
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Personal computers
• Photocopying equipment

Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Adobe Acrobat
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Project
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Microsoft Visio
• Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Word
• SAP software

Is This Job a Good Fit for You?

People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.

Skills O*NET rates most important: Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.

Knowledge areas used most: English Language, Law and Government, Administration and Management, Biology, Education and Training.

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Applying for a Cartography Manager Job

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