Right-of-Way Agent

Contract Land Staff; Clarksburg (WV); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Contract Land Staff in West Virginia seeks an experienced Right of Way Agent to conduct field investigations and support land acquisitions along routes. You will contact landowners, analyze appraisals, and help determine fair settlements while maintaining regulatory compliance.

The role requires 1–3+ years in Right of Way, local WV or VA residency, and strong negotiation and communication skills. Transmission project experience is a plus, and candidates must be able to travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Must have 1-3+ years of Right of Way experience.
• Must be local to West Virginia or Virginia.
• Prior Transmission experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Contact the owners of land regarding acquisition of real property rights, amendments and notifications of entry.
• Negotiate property purchases, analyze appraisals, and advise clients using real estate principles and regulations.
• Represent the client in complex negotiations with property owners and attorneys.
• Recommend whether to pursue compromise or condemnation litigation.
• Estimate potential damages ahead of construction and document changes.
• Prepare lawsuit packages for condemnation proceedings and assist attorneys; testify when needed.
• Capable of working unsupervised in diverse roles.
• May oversee Right of Way operations and maintenance.

Skills

Right of Way knowledge

Negotiation skills

Communication

Education

Associate’s degree / two years college

Tools

MS Office

Job description

CLS is looking for experienced Right of Way Agents in West Virginia. 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.

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.
• 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 estimating areas of potential damage in advance of construction and accumulate information as to damages occurring during construction.
• 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.
• 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.
• May be responsible for Right of Way operations and maintenance.

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 1-3+ years of Right of Way experience.
• Must be local to West Virginia or Virginia.
• Prior Transmission experience is a plus!

Education:

• Associate’s degree or two years of college and two plus 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 a 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 commonsense 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.