Land Acquisitions Manager — Energy Infrastructure & Negotiations

TransAlta Corporation; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual & long-term incentives

401(k) plan with employer matching

Medical, dental, vision, life ins.

Vacation & personal days

Learning & development programs

Employee recognition & rewards

Annual wellness allowance

Job summary

TransAlta Corporation is seeking a Manager, Land Acquisitions in Denver to lead strategic land strategies for energy infrastructure across the U.S. and Canada.

You will guide site selection, title diligence, and negotiations, coordinating with Legal, Engineering, and Finance to secure land rights and manage risk. The role requires 10+ years in land acquisition, strong contract analysis and stakeholder management, and a track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Land Management, Real Estate, Business, Natural Resources, Energy Management, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in land acquisition, real estate, project development, or related commercial functions within the energy or infrastructure sector.
• Demonstrated experience securing land rights for utility-scale energy, transmission, pipeline, industrial, or infrastructure projects.
• Strong understanding of land acquisition practices, title systems, due diligence processes, contract negotiation, and property law across Canada and/or the United States.
• Demonstrated ability to lead negotiations, influence stakeholders, and manage complex commercial transactions.
• Proven ability to build and maintain positive, productive relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing employees, contractors, consultants, and cross-functional project teams.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in a fast-paced development environment.
• U.S.-based candidates are preferred, with a strong preference for those located in Denver.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute land strategies supporting greenfield and brownfield development, acquisitions, divestitures and operational projects.
• Identify, evaluate and secure sites for thermal, wind, solar, energy storage, transmission, pipeline and other energy infrastructure.
• Advise project teams on site selection, title, zoning, access, competing land uses and land-related risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead negotiations for complex land agreements, including purchases, options, leases, easements, rights-of-way, access and surface use agreements.
• Establish commercial terms that balance project economics, landowner expectations and business requirements, partnering with Legal to structure and finalise agreements.
• Present negotiation strategies, commercial risks and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Oversee title, ownership verification, due diligence and curative activities, identifying and mitigating risks related to ownership, access, encumbrances, mineral rights and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with legal counsel, surveyors, title companies and external consultants, and support land-related due diligence for acquisitions, financing and divestitures.
• Secure easements, rights-of-way, access and infrastructure corridors required for project development, construction and operations.
• Negotiate with government agencies and public landowners to secure land use agreements, access rights and approvals, while supporting permitting and regulatory requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with landowners, government representatives, developers, brokers, legal counsel and community stakeholders.
• Lead the resolution of landowner concerns, access disputes, compensation matters and other land-related issues while supporting positive long-term relationships.
• Lead and develop the land team through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, workload management and resource allocation.
• Manage external land service providers and establish consistent processes, documentation, reporting practices and standards across projects and regions.
• Evaluate land values, compensation structures, lease economics and acquisition alternatives to support project and investment decisions.
• Develop and manage land budgets, forecasts and payment obligations, including consultant costs, landowner compensation and other land-related expenditures.
• Oversee land agreement administration, ensuring contractual obligations, key dates, payments and records are accurately tracked and maintained.
• Provide senior leadership with updates and recommendations on acquisition progress, project milestones, commercial risks and key land issues.
• Partner across Origination, Development, M&A, Engineering, Environmental, Construction, Operations, Regulatory, Finance and Legal to resolve land-related project challenges.

Skills

Contract analysis

Organizational skills

Attention to detail

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Land Management, Real Estate, Business, Natural Resources, Energy Management

Job description

TransAlta Corporation is seeking a Manager, Land Acquisitions in Denver to lead strategic land strategies for energy infrastructure across the U.S. and Canada.

You will guide site selection, title diligence, and negotiations, coordinating with Legal, Engineering, and Finance to secure land rights and manage risk. The role requires 10+ years in land acquisition, strong contract analysis and stakeholder management, and a track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment.