Real Estate Project Specialist

County of Sonoma (CA); Santa Rosa (CA); Hybrid; USD 123,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Telework

Salary advancement

PTO and holidays

Health insurance

Retirement benefits

Education reimbursement

Parental leave

Student loan relief

Job summary

The County of Sonoma seeks a Real Estate Project Specialist to manage real property acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing transactions under the Real Estate Manager. You will lead cross-functional project teams and coordinate retained consultants within approved scopes, preparing agreements and reviewing staff reports for the Board of Supervisors.

Candidates should read leases and purchase agreements, understand title and due diligence, and translate complex financial and legal issues into

Qualifications

• Experience with real property transactions and leasing.
• Ability to read leases, purchase agreements, MOUs and licenses.
• Strong written and verbal communication and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Assist in real property acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing transactions.
• Lead cross-functional project teams and coordinate retained consultants.
• Prepare and review real property agreements and staff reports for the Board of Supervisors.
• Conduct financial feasibility and market studies.

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related field

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Job description

Are you a Real Estate Professional Looking for a New Challenge?
Join Public Infrastructure as a Real Estate Project Specialist!

Starting salary up to $65.74/hour ($137,207/year) and a competitive total compensation package!*

Under the direction of the Real Estate Manager, the Real Estate Project Specialist performs real property acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing transactions. They lead cross-functional project teams and direct retained consultants within approved scopes. The Real Estate Project Specialist prepares and reviews agreements for real property transactions, ensures that facilities are maintained according to contract obligations, conducts financial feasibility and market studies, and prepares and reviews resolutions and staff reports for the Board of Supervisors. Additional duties also include:

• Assisting the Real Estate Manager in County-wide facility planning, space utilization, and financial analysis
• Developing and clearly explaining comparative analyses of lease versus purchase options, rent and escalation structures, net versus full-service costs, tenant improvements, operating expenses, property value, and transaction timelines
• Managing property acquisitions for County use, including due diligence, appraisal and title coordination, negotiations, agreements, and closing support
• Representing the County as the landlord or licensor of County-owned property, including handling negotiations, renewals, revenue terms, and coordinating operational and maintenance obligations with Facilities Management

The ideal candidate for the Real Estate Project Specialist position will be able to read and critically assess commercial leases, purchase and sale agreements, licenses, MOUs, rights of entry, and telecom agreements, and effectively identify business risks, missing terms, and issues for County Counsel. They will also possess many of the following:

• Experience with purchase and sale agreements, commercial tenant and landlord leasing, licenses, telecommunications occupancy agreements, rights of entry, and/or public property dispositions
• A practical understanding of title, survey, appraisal, environmental and building due diligence; lease economics, tenant improvements, property operations, risk allocation, and the points that warrant legal or technical review
• Proven success advising clients or executives with competing priorities, negotiating with owners or tenants, and translating financial and legal issues into clear recommendations

• Effective oral, written, and business communication skills
• Knowledge of real estate appraisal principles and practices and familiarity with the California Surplus Land Act
• The ability to conduct market research, assess property fit and due diligence reports, manage concurrent milestones, negotiate effectively, and write concise decision memos and Board materials
• Experience presenting findings and facilitating meetings for audiences ranging from department staff to senior leadership and elected officials
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office Skills including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Staff Development/Wellness - Annual benefit allowances of up to $2,000 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Incentive Retirement Savings Plan (IRSP) and 457 Voluntary Deferred Compensation - 3% of salary County contribution to a 401(a), in addition to the County matching up to 1% of base salary in 401(a), based upon employee contribution
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits: Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief – County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

About the Department

Sonoma Public Infrastructure (SPI) plans, builds, manages, and maintains the County of Sonoma's investment in critical services and quality infrastructure. SPI's multiple Divisions are dedicated to providing construction and maintenance services throughout the community, including:

• Administration
• Airport - operates and maintains airfield facilities for general and commercial services as well as corporate, recreational, law enforcement, emergency medical transport, and firefighting aircraft
• Integrated Waste (Refuse) - provides ecologically sound solid waste disposal, natural gas recovery, recycling, community hazardous waste disposal, and composting programs to the County
• Roads - performs design, construction, and maintenance of all roads, bridges, and minor drainage systems within the County road system, and keeps roads open and safely passable for the public
• Transit - delivers cost-effective public transportation services to meet the public's transit needs
• Water Systems - operates, maintains, and improves the Fitch Mountain, Salmon Creek, Freestone, and Jenner water systems
• Fleet Operations
• Facilities Development Management

About Sonoma County

The County of Sonoma offers a rare and compelling array of scenic, recreational, and geographic characteristics that include over 200 award winning wineries, majestic redwoods, inspiring coastline and beaches, and the vibrant Russian River. Encompassing over one million acres of land and water, rich with agriculture, parks, campsites, lakes, and open spaces, the County is home to over 500,000 residents and offers a wide variety of art and music festivals, farmers' markets, and concert venues. Local schools continually rank high on California's Academic Performance Index, and the Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University offer higher education opportunities.

Please visit sonomacountyconnections.org for more information about Sonoma County, the place to live, work, and build your career.

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Salary Resolution (SalRes) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Real Estate Project Specialist position in Sonoma Public Infrastructure. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Experience and Experience: Any combination of education and work experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed herein. Normally, this would include coursework in real estate, business administration, public administration, economics, law, or a closely related field and two years of professional experience in the leasing, management, acquisition, and/or disposition of commercial real estate assets and interests. A Bachelor's or Master's degree, or equivalent, in a related field is highly desirable.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised in this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Considerable knowledge of: principles, practices, and techniques of property appraisal, acquisition, leasing, and disposition; negotiation techniques and strategies; state, federal, and local laws and regulations applicable to the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of real property assets and interests; principles and practices of project management; the principles of research methodology, data collection, and analysis; effective written and oral communications, including language mechanics, syntax, and English composition, modern office practices and procedures, including computers and related software.

Working knowledge of: principles and practices of County policies and procedures related to procurement, contract development, and insurance; the appropriate forms and terminology used for real property transactions; local real estate and relocation service providers; statistical and financial analysis; presentation skills.

Ability to: organize, plan, schedule, budget, and coordinate real estate projects; collect, interpret, and analyze data and make recommendations based on that analysis; plan, coordinate, initiate, and complete actions necessary to implement project plans; analyze situations and select appropriate course of action; act as a liaison between departmental clients and other parties such as property owners and contractors; develop and maintain effective working relationships with those encountered in the course of work; present detailed technical data clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, 'See Resume' or 'See Application' may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination: An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other qualifications that relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver’s license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application, and responses to the supplement questions.

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.