Lead Right of Way Agent

Contract Land Staff; Kentucky; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Contract Land Staff is seeking an experienced Lead Right of Way Agent to support field investigations for land rights acquisitions in Ohio. You will coordinate with property owners, attorneys, and clients to gather property data, appraisals, and regulatory information necessary for project advancement.

The role requires a strong background in ROW processes, negotiation skills, and the ability to work independently while supervising junior staff as needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of Right of Way experience.
• Willing to travel as needed.
• Bachelor’s degree from four-year college or university or equivalent.
• Valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Contact property owners to negotiate acquisitions and rights.
• Prepare settlement and claim documents for clients.
• Represent client in complex negotiations with owners and attorneys.
• Recommend settlement or condemnation action based on negotiations.
• Supervise and guide junior ROW staff as needed.

Skills

Right of Way experience

Communication skills

Driver’s license

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

MS Office

Job description

CLS is looking for experienced Lead Right of Way Agents willing to work in OH. This position is responsible for the field level investigations to obtain all information needed for land values, agencies requiring permits, crop data, potential areas of concern along the route, etc. This person is an experienced agent, able to perform a variety of duties independently. May be responsible for making recommendations as to the hiring, firing, advancement, promotion, or any other change of status of project personnel.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

include but are not limited to:

• Contact the owners of interests in land regarding the acquisition of real property rights, amendments of rights, notifications of entry, settlement of claims and other matters.
• Must have extensive background in the ROW industry and must have demonstrated superior ability.
• Responsible for purchasing property by negotiating with the property owners, analyzing property appraisals, and making recommendations to the client using real estate practices, legal concepts, governmental standards, and regulations.
• Represent the client in complex negotiations with property owners and attorneys.
• Responsible for recommending to the client whether a reasonable compromise is likely and further negotiations should be pursued or whether to pursue condemnation litigation.
• Responsible for recommending payment increases to the client if the property owner has a legitimate basis for seeking a substantially higher amount.
• Responsible for preparing lawsuit packages for condemnation proceedings, assisting the client’s attorney, and serving as an expert witness in mediation or trial if the negotiation process fails.
• Capable of working unsupervised in a variety of roles.
• Must have supervisory abilities to guide the activities of less experienced agents.
• Well qualified in a specialized area such as regulatory matters or acquisition that they are selected to work only in this area of special expertise.

Accountability

• This position is responsible for working with all office staff, ensuring a healthy work environment and the satisfaction of all staff.
• Must be able to work effectively and professionally with office staff, the client, and landowners.

Qualification Requirements (minimum and preferred requirements)

• Must have 5-9+ years of Right of Way experience.
• Must be willing to travel as needed.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree from four-year college or university and three or more years of Right-of-Way experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Experience in interpretation of documents and in the use of all of the tools required in the Right-of-Way field.
• Broad array of knowledge in all phases of Right-of-Way.
• Understanding of environmental issues.

Licensing

• Must have valid driver’s license.
• Must maintain minimum automobile liability insurance in the amount of $100,000/$300,000/$100,000.

Language Skills

• Requires excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills.
• Must be able to write clearly and concisely to prepare reports, specifications and correspondence.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, percentages, and decimals.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several variables in standardized situations.

Other Skills and Abilities

• Intermediate computer skills and familiarity with general PC operation.
• Intermediate software skills with all Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to learn new computer programs rapidly.
• Ability and willingness to move rapidly from place to place and meet timeline constraints.
• Capacity to be flexible, multi-task and maintain a great attitude.