Right-of-Way Agent

Contract Land Staff; Tennessee; On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Contract Land Staff seeks an experienced Senior Right of Way Agent locally in Tennessee to manage land rights for public projects under federal relocation acts and the TDOT Right of Way Manual.

You will negotiate with owners, review appraisals, coordinate with attorneys, and determine when to pursue negotiations or condemnations. Role requires independence and strong documentation skills.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of Right of Way experience required.
• Must be local to Tennessee.
• Experience with TDOT or local Tennessee projects preferred.
• Active Tennessee notary or willing to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Contact owners to negotiate real property rights and easements.
• Analyze property appraisals and advise client on compensation.
• Represent client in negotiations with owners and attorneys.
• Prepare condemnation packages and assist with litigation when needed.
• Work independently and meet project timelines.
• Maintain compliance with federal and TDOT guidelines.

Skills

Negotiation

Real estate

Property acquisition

Communication

Notary

Independent work

Education

Associate degree

College coursework

Tools

Microsoft Office

PC basics

Job description

CLS is looking for experienced Senior Right of Way Agents local to Tennessee. This position is responsible for the execution of duties necessary to acquire land rights of various publicly funded projects under the guidelines outlined in the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act as well as the Right of Way Manual of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. 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, negotiations of easement and fee simple transactions, curing title defects, obtaining lien releases, 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 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.

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 7+ years of Right of Way experience.
• Must be local to Tennessee.
• Must have prior experience with Tennessee Department of Transportation projects or local agency projects within the state of Tennessee.
• Must have active Tennessee Notary or be willing to obtain one.

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.