Real Estate Project Specialist

County of Sonoma; Santa Rosa (CA); Hybrid; USD 44,000 - 91,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Telework

Salary Advancement

Paid Time Off

Staff Development/Wellness

Health Premium Contributions

Retirement benefits

Parental Leave

Job summary

County of Sonoma seeks a Real Estate Project Specialist to manage real property transactions, lead cross-functional teams, and coordinate consultants. Responsibilities include due diligence, lease and purchase analyses, and presenting recommendations to leadership.

Hybrid telework options are available, and the role supports County infrastructure objectives in Sonoma County. The position emphasizes negotiating terms, ensuring contract compliance, and delivering timely board materials.

Qualifications

• Two years of professional experience in leasing, management, acquisition, and/or disposition of commercial real estate assets.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related field is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Perform real property acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing transactions.
• Lead cross-functional project teams and direct retained consultants.
• Prepare and review real property transaction agreements and related staff reports.

Skills

Real estate

Negotiation

Lease analysis

Project coordination

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in real estate, business, public administration

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Position Information

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.

Minimum Qualifications

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.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: principles