Consulting Associate, Land & Right of Way

Environmental Resources Management (ERM); Rolling Meadows (IL); On-site; USD 68,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Parental leave

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life

Disability

AD&D insurance

401(k)

Job summary

ERM is seeking a Consulting Associate, Land & Right of Way, based in the Upper Midwest to support electric transmission and related infrastructure projects. You will work with experienced professionals to advance land acquisition, manage stakeholders, and ensure project objectives including schedule, budget, and quality.

Responsibilities include supporting landowner outreach, title research, document preparation, and coordination with project managers and clients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or Master's preferred; in lieu of a degree, related experience will be considered.
• Recent graduate to 1 year of professional experience.
• Ability to manage changing priorities and multiple assignments within a cohesive team.
• Ability to work independently and with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong communication, organization, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Support project delivery activities across multiple client engagements.
• Facilitate landowner outreach, negotiations, and agreement execution efforts.
• Assist with title research, land rights documentation, and project reporting.
• Coordinate with project managers, clients, landowners, and regulatory stakeholders.
• Monitor project budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
• Contribute to business development and proposal preparation efforts.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Project coordination

Land rights research

Negotiation

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Job description

Launch Your Career in Land & Right of Way Consulting

ERM is seeking a motivated Consulting Associate, Land & Right of Way based in the Upper Midwest to support projects primarily within the electric transmission and distribution industry. In this role, you will work alongside experienced professionals to help deliver critical infrastructure projects, support land acquisition activities, and facilitate successful outcomes for clients across a wide range of industry sectors. This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career professional to build valuable technical, project, and stakeholder management experience while contributing to projects that enable the development and maintenance of essential energy infrastructure.

Why This Role Matters?

As a Consulting Associate, you will help support the planning, development, and execution of land and right-of-way activities that are critical to infrastructure and energy projects. Your work will help clients secure necessary land rights, maintain positive landowner relationships, and meet project objectives related to schedule, budget, and quality.

What Your Impact Is:

• Work on multiple projects to help ensure deliverables meet client expectations for scope, budget, schedule, and quality.
• Negotiate and secure legal land agreements (rights-of-way, leases, grants, fee purchases, etc.) on behalf of clients from affected landowners, corporations, and government agencies to facilitate construction, operations, asset transfers, and related activities.
• Assist with performing, overseeing, or reviewing deed and title research and investigations.
• Review title searches for accuracy and support the abstraction of rights for summary and reporting purposes.
• Serve as a liaison between affected property owners and clients.
• Assist in performing, overseeing, or reviewing land valuation studies or equivalent analyses, excluding appraisals.
• Support the preparation and submission of applications for permits, licenses, bonds, roadway crossings, railroad crossings, driveway permits, building permits, heavy haul permits, and related approvals.
• Assist with investigating damage claims, damage assessments, and settlement negotiations.
• Help develop proposals, budgets, project plans, schedules, progress reports, scopes of work, and other bid documentation.
• Track project land budgets and prepare regular financial progress reports.

What You’ll Bring:

• Required Bachelor's degree and/or Master's degree preferred but not required; in lieu of a degree, candidates with applicable related experience will be considered, or equivalent experience.
• Recent graduate to 1 year of professional experience.
• Ability to manage changing priorities and multiple assignments while contributing to a cohesive team environment and meeting concurrent project deadlines.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and subject matter experts.
• Basic understanding of project accounting, cost tracking, invoicing, or experience supporting project administration or task management functions.
• Strong communication, organization, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.
• Preferred IRWA certification, registration, or similar professional designation.
• Exposure to land and right-of-way projects supporting power generation, electric transmission, renewable energy, mining, oil and gas, technology, or related infrastructure sectors.
• Familiarity with land acquisition, title review, permitting, or utility infrastructure development projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support project delivery activities across multiple client engagements.
• Facilitate landowner outreach, negotiations, and agreement execution efforts.
• Assist with title research, land rights documentation, and project reporting.
• Coordinate with project managers, clients, landowners, and regulatory stakeholders.
• Monitor project budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
• Contribute to business development and proposal preparation efforts.

For the Consulting Associate, Land & Right of Way position, the anticipated annual base pay is $68,100–$79,900 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus pay subject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible).

Benefits:

• paid time off (vacation, sick, and floating holidays)
• parental leave
• medical
• dental
• vision
• life
• disability
• AD&D insurance
• 401(k)
• other applicable benefits to eligible employees

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world‑class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues. We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

At ERM, sustainability is our business. We are the world’s largest advisory firm focused solely on sustainability, offering unparalleled expertise across business and finance. ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, through our unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. Our diverse global team of experts works with the world’s leading organizations to help them set clear sustainability targets, measure progress and operationalize strategy through deep implementation and business transformation. With more than 50 years of experience, our ability to integrate sustainability solutions and our depth and breadth of technical knowledge are why organizations choose to partner with us as their trusted advisor. Every one of us firmly believes in the potential to create value for our clients through an integrated approach to sustainability (because we have personally seen it and professionally achieved it). Our team members are passionate about client service. We work closely with our clients to help them operationalize their sustainability goals and meet their environmental, health and safety objectives while advancing ERM’s purpose through delivering tangible progress in what the United Nations coined The Decade of Action. Organizing our people across globally integrated communities of technical and strategic talent positions ERM to be a “boots to boardroom” leader in bringing that value creation to our clients, partners, and the world. We recruit exceptional professionals with a personal and professional passion for sustainability and nurture them to even greater success as specialists. We prepare our consultants to bring integrated, innovative and sustainable solutions to our clients and provide opportunities for ongoing development across a variety of subject areas related to technical, business, and personal growth. At ERM, effort pays off and becomes career defining work that leaves a positive imprint on our planet.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.