Principal Right of Way Officer

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART); Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 149,000 - 181,000; Full time

Job summary

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is seeking a strategic Principal Right of Way Officer within the Real Estate and Property Management Division. You will lead complex right-of-way activities for capital projects, coordinate negotiations, and manage consultant contracts to minimize risk and delay.

The role requires strong leadership, negotiation, and project-management skills, with experience in public sector real estate and interagency coordination.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, or closely related field.
• Desirable completion of IRWA or similar public sector real estate courses and designation.
• Four years of verifiable professional experience in acquisition, appraisal, disposal, or real property management.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate acquisition, relocation, and property management activities for public infrastructure projects.
• Negotiate real property dispositions and manage related consultant contracts.
• Represent the District before design review boards, planning commissions, and city councils.
• Develop relocation budgets, track leases, and prepare management reports.
• Oversee cross-functional teams and ensure timely property acquisition and clearance.
• Interpret legal descriptions, title reports, appraisals, maps, and real estate documents.
• Assist in policy development for district asset handling and procedures.

Skills

Negotiation

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/public administration

IRWA courses / Right of Way education

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Pay Rate

AFSCME Pay Grade A19

Step 1: $148,844.80/Annually - Step 5: $180,939.20/Annually

Note: The negotiable salary offer will be commensurate with education and experience.

Reports To

Department Manager, Real Estate and Property Development or his/her designee.

Days Off

Saturday/Sunday

Who May Apply

All current BART employees and Future BART employees

Current Assignment

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is seeking a strategic, collaborative, and solutions-oriented professional to serve as Principal Right of Way Officer within the District’s Real Estate and Property Management Division. This position plays a critical leadership role in advancing some of the Bay Area’s most visible and impactful transportation infrastructure initiatives by overseeing complex right of way activities that support capital improvement projects, system expansion efforts, joint development opportunities, management of office buildings and operational priorities across the District.

The incumbent will support multidisciplinary capital delivery teams on large-scale transit improvement and modernization projects, coordinating right-of-way activities, negotiations, consultant contracts, stakeholder engagement, and timely property acquisition and clearance to minimize project risk and delays. The incumbent will also support strategic initiatives involving transit-oriented development, interagency coordination, sustainability, and long-range infrastructure planning throughout the BART service area. Success requires sound judgment, political acumen, strong negotiation and leadership skills, analytical thinking, effective communication, and a collaborative, customer-focused approach.

The most qualified candidates for this position will have highly developed competencies in the following area, which will be reinforced with related work experience and will be clearly articulated during the selection process:

• Knowledge of principles and regulations governing right-of-way acquisition, relocation assistance, property management, easements, utility coordination, and eminent domain.
• Skill in managing complex real estate transactions and negotiations for public infrastructure or transportation projects.
• Knowledge of federal and state right-of-way requirements, including URA compliance.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams, contractors, and stakeholders in a fast-paced project environment.
• Strong strategic planning and project management skills.
• Expertise in interpreting and analyzing legal descriptions, title reports, appraisals, maps, agreements, and other real estate documents.
• Skill in acquiring and negotiating real property interests and managing consultants involved in appraisals, title, environmental or property management services.

1. Assists in the management of the acquisition and relocation services for primarily the ESP and other extension work as needed.
2. Responsible for understanding and interpreting Federal and State regulations of Uniform Act.
3. Performs a variety of duties in negotiating and managing the district lease and rental accounts; researches and analyzes property issues; negotiating and settling all property issues; protects District interests in negotiations.
4. Assists in the development of policy and procedures for handling district assets; administers programs; monitors legislative changes; makes changes as needed to policies and procedures.
5. Prepares contracts and agreements for requests for qualifications and/or proposals; evaluates RFP responses; makes recommendations and prepares information and memos for Management to submit to Board to accept/reject proposals.
6. Identifies Division needs in lease and rental tracking and real property disposition activity; conducts research on tracking needs; coordinates market studies to determine rental and/or disposition values and cost analyses of property BART leases from others and of BART-owned property; communicates progress during planning and construction.
7. Coordinates legal aspects of projects with District internal legal department and outside legal counsel, as appropriate; serves as expert witness in district litigation.
8. Assists in the management and coordination of the work of professional staff; consultants and interns. Prepares work directives for on-call professional services, monitor consultant work, and approve invoices.
9. Assists in the management of the District’s Acquisition Relocation activities for primarily the ESP program; gathers information from other transit districts regarding similar programs; prepares reports to management including the General Manager and the Board.
10. Represents the District in front of design review boards, planning commissions, and city councils in support of extension activities.
11. May participate in the selection of assigned staff; coordinates staff training; works with employees to correct deficiencies; assists in the completion of performance appraisals; implements counseling and discipline procedures.

Education:

A Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university. Completed courses sponsored by the International Right of Way Association or other, similar public sector real estate education (e.g., Appraisal Institute, Land Survey, Cal Trans) and designation as Senior Right of Way Agent (SW/WA) is desirable within the Right of Way Services Division.

Experience:

Four (4) years of (full-time equivalent) verifiable professional experience in the area of acquisition, appraisal, disposal, or management of real property. Other Requirements: Must possess a valid California driver’s license and have a satisfactory driving record.

Substitution:

Additional professional experience as outlined above may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis. A Bachelor’s degree is preferred.

Knowledge of:

• Operations, services and activities of a property acquisition program.
• Methods and techniques of property management, and appraisal.
• Principles and practices of land use planning.
• Rules and regulations regarding condemnation procedures and processes.
• Basic principles and practices of construction engineering.
• Related mandated standards for eviction and relocation.
• Basic principles and practices of budget preparation.
• Current office procedures, methods and equipment including computers.
• Methods and techniques of legal documentation of real estate and real estate transactions.
• Related Federal, State, and local codes, laws, and regulations.
• Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation.

Skill in:

• Independently performing property disposition, acquisition and relocation duties.
• Interpreting, explaining and enforcing right of way services division policies and procedures.
• Performing relocation analyses and preparing recommendations.
• Developing and preparing relocation budget recommendations.
• Appraising real property values.
• Negotiating real property dispositions with private sector.
• Negotiating real property dispositions with local land use jurisdictions.
• Drafting real estate related documentation.
• Reading basic engineering plans, maps and related materials.
• Evaluating community services and transportation needs.
• Operating office equipment including computers and supporting word processing and spreadsheet applications.
• Working independently in the absence of supervision.
• Understanding and following oral and written instructions.
• Communicating clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including land owners, agency managers, property managers, developers, and consultants.
• Selecting, supervising, training and evaluating staff.