Agent – Right of Way – Term Agreements

Kinder Morgan, Inc.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kinder Morgan is seeking a ROW/Real Estate professional based in Houston, TX to manage land rights, negotiate acquisitions, and coordinate with internal teams and external partners. The role emphasizes title review, cost forecasting, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Candidates should have experience in pipeline ROW, strong negotiation and communication skills, and proficiency with GIS and Microsoft Office. Occasional travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred; 2 years college minimum and industry experience acceptable.
• Experience in land/right-of-way for pipeline projects; knowledge of regulatory context is required.
• Strong reading of land contracts, title opinions, and appraisals.
• Proven budgeting, forecasting, and cost-tracking for ROW activities.
• Proficient in GIS systems and Microsoft Office tools.

Responsibilities

• Identify land ownership from company/public records and verify contact information.
• Research and analyze land titles, defects, and curative actions.
• Negotiate ROW and property interests to support construction and operations.
• Prepare ROW cost estimates and manage surveys/appraisals.
• Review and interpret land/ROW agreements, deeds, leases, licenses, and permits.
• Collaborate with internal departments and external entities to facilitate ROW tasks.
• Lead or participate in approvals for new term agreements and manage contractors.

Skills

Land rights

Negotiation

Reading title opinions

GIS data familiarity

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

High school diploma or two years college

Tools

ESRI GIS

Excel

Outlook/Word/PowerPoint

Job description

What We Are Looking For

This position performs all aspects of right-of-way and real estate related activities necessary to maintain and protect company's property rights, while negotiating favorable terms to various land and right-of-way related agreements secured on behalf of the company, including the acquisition, relinquishment and modification of easements, fee land purchases, franchise & permit rights, encroachments resolution and the settlements of damage claims. The selected candidate will be based in Houston, TX.

What You Will Do

• Identifies land ownership from both company and public records, including current contact information.
• Researches, reviews, and analyzes land title; identify defects and outlines curative: ability to read title opinions and appraisals.
• Understands and interprets property legal descriptions and is able to find properties based on GIS data.
• Ensures existing land obligations in the assigned area are paid and forecasted on time. Ensures existing land obligation renewals are completed, by negotiating, forecasting, documenting, and paying on time (or early).
• Negotiates the acquisition of right-of-way and other property interests, as necessary to accommodate the construction, operation, and maintenance of company facilities, in such a manner to minimize litigation.
• Analyzes and negotiates agreements with local entities to accommodate the construction, operation and maintenance of company facilities and works with our internal finance group to ensure payments are completed on time.
• Prepares right-of-way related cost estimates associated with land and right-of-way project acquisition including contractor costs.
• Responsible for obtaining estimates and managing work for survey, appraisals, etc. necessary and/or required to renew term agreements/licenses/permits.
• Reviews, prepares, analyzes, and interprets all Land and Right-of-Way related agreements, deeds, easements, leases, franchises, permits & licenses, title certificates, contracts, etc.
• Serves as liaison between internal departments, developers, cities, counties, states, and other entities, in support of right-of-way activities.
• Resolves encroachments, damage claims, landowner complaints and inquiries keeping costs to a minimum for the company.
• Collaborating with the ROW Finance team to understand and analyze the impact to monthly and annual forecasts.
• Providing input for the Long Range Outlook (5-year plan)
• Adheres to all company reporting and requirement standards as requested or as company policy and departmental expectations.
• Creating strong landowner relationships and understanding of your geographical area to better accommodate requests from stakeholders (internal and external).
• Leading or participating in internal presentations seeking approvals for new term agreements.
• Managing contractors in performing such Land & Right of way task as described above.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You Need

Position Requirements:

• High school diploma, at least two years of college, or equivalent industry related right-of-way work experience. Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• Must have a minimum of 2 years of experience in performing all aspects of land and right-of-way, with direct experience in the pipeline industry supporting operational and sustaining capital projects and FERC regulated and non-regulated projects; and having work experience with federal agencies, tribes, and/or railroad entities.
• Knowledgeable in all aspects of right-of-way, including project management, acquisition, title, property legal descriptions, permitting, budgeting, cost forecasting, operation, due diligence, public relations, community outreach and solid understanding of general regulatory and legal issues.
• A satisfactory driving record as determined by the Company and a current, valid State driver's license are mandatory.
• Must have demonstrable experience reading and interpreting land contracts and documents, including payment terms, to develop renewal strategies and plans.
• Must have organizational skills and the ability to prioritize tasks and manage workload and reporting.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Self-starting individual who follows directions and procedures, adheres to a work schedule and can focus on details.
• Interpersonal (people) skills.
• Must be flexible and able to work effectively in a team environment and consistently maintain a professional and respectful demeanor / attitude with co-workers, clients, vendors, and outside contacts and regulatory agencies.
• Possess analytical and reconciliation skills, necessary for problem solving and decision making.
• Be able to successfully perform multiple tasks with abbreviated deadlines.
• Must be able to understand financial impacts of decisions and courses of action, results oriented.
• Strong computer skills desired due to use of various Microsoft Applications, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint; and other internal software and database daily usage, as well as familiarity with ESRI based GIS systems and the ability to utilize them for ROW related tasks pertinent to this job.
• Excellent oral / written communication and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across all levels in the organization
• High degree of initiative and ability to perform responsibilities with minimal supervision
• Job level will be commensurate with experience and skill-set.

Working Conditions

• This positon may require flexibility in work hours, including frequent extended work hours based upon departmental workload.
• Fast paced and fluid work environment.
• Coordination with other support functions (i.e. regulatory, outreach, engineering, operations, legal, third party contractors, construction and environmental) to ensure successful and timely completion of project objectives.
• The successful candidate will be required to clear a drug screen and a complete background check, after an offer has been extended and prior to being employed.

Supervisory Responsibility

• The ROW Agent will not directly supervise others, but internally but will provide leadership and guidance to third party contract right-of-way agents to ensure compliance with company policies and procedures as appropriate.

Working Conditions

• Anticipate approximately 30% - 40% travel required to perform duties for this position.

Why Join Kinder Morgan

Kinder Morgan is a large energy infrastructure company operating in North America. Access to reliable, affordable energy is a critical component for improving lives around the world. We are committed to providing energy transportation and storage services in a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible manner for the benefit of the people, communities, and businesses we serve.

Kinder Morgan provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, family status, status as an individual authorized to work in the U.S., or any other status protected by law.

For more information about Kinder Morgan, our culture, opportunities available, and to join our Talent Community, please visit our careers site at www.kindermorgan.com.