Senior Manager, Land

Hope Gas; Jane Lew (WV); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Hope Gas is seeking a Senior Manager, Land to lead land rights, real property, permitting, restoration, records, and stakeholder coordination for utility projects and operations. You will set priorities, direct resources, and partner across the organization to manage risk and achieve department goals.

This role provides leadership, subject‑matter expertise, and informed recommendations to senior stakeholders, guiding regulatory, transactional, and risk‑mitigation matters in the gas industry.

Qualifications

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to strictly maintain confidentiality and be trusted with sensitive information.
• In‑depth knowledge of land acquisition, title work, and permitting in the natural gas industry.

Responsibilities

• Responds to real property, land use, title, easement, and permitting needs.
• Leads land‑management activities supporting construction projects and distribution initiatives.
• Negotiates land agreements, rights‑of‑way, leases, and permits with Legal and external partners.
• Coordinates title research, property ownership analysis, and restoration issues.
• Manages relationships with internal teams and external vendors/land professionals.

Skills

Communication skills

Confidentiality

Land acquisition processes

Education

Bachelor’s degree in land management

High School Diploma or equivalent

11+ years experience with leadership

Job description

At Hope Utilities, you can build more than a career - you can make a difference. Our employees deliver essential services that improve the quality of life for the communities we serve, and we are dedicated to creating a workplace where every team member can thrive.

We foster a safe, inclusive, and high-performing culture that supports your growth, well-being, and success both at work and at home. We encourage fresh thinking, embrace new ideas, and empower employees to challenge conventional approaches. When you join Hope, you'll be part of a team that values innovation, celebrates achievements, and invests in helping you reach your full potential.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Manager, Land is responsible for leading land rights, real property, permitting, restoration, records, and stakeholder coordination needed to support utility projects and operations. This role establishes priorities, directs resources, and partners across the organization to manage risk, support compliant operations, and achieve departmental objectives. The Senior Manager, Land provides leadership, subject‑matter expertise, and informed recommendations to senior stakeholders.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responds to company needs involving real property, land use, title, easement, right‑of‑way, permitting, restoration, and construction‑related matters.
• Leads land‑management activities that support construction projects, operations, property access, and distribution initiatives.
• Oversees the negotiation of and works with the Legal department to obtain land agreements, rights‑of‑way, leases, permits, contracts, and other legal instruments.
• Coordinates title research, property ownership analysis, valuation, damage claims, restoration issues, and landowner negotiations.
• Partners with internal legal, engineering, construction, operations, and supply chain teams and manages relationships with support vendors, contractors, and land professionals.
• Provides guidance on regulatory, litigation, transactional, and risk‑mitigation matters affecting land and project activities.
• Develops work plans, priorities, procedures, and resource requirements for assigned land‑management activities.
• Works on issues of diverse scope where analysis of situation or data requires evaluation of a variety of factors, including an understanding of current trends and extensive knowledge of Land Management programs and department processes and policies.
• Administers performance management and disciplinary actions. Primarily focuses on administering established policies and procedures but will assist with Land department budgeting, strategic planning, and procedural change.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as a People Leader with supervisory responsibilities.
• Develop, mentor, and coach team members as they work to achieve performance goals by utilizing leadership routines such as weekly check‑ins, monthly team meetings, quarterly skills coaching and annual reviews.
• Identify effective goals and objectives for the team and implement a plan to execute them.

LEVELING

The Senior Manager, Land manages the team(s) and applies strong operational knowledge to set priorities and achieve defined goals, resolves issues of moderate complexity, coordinates work across the team(s), and influences short‑term planning and resource allocation.

REQUIRED SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to strictly maintain confidentiality and be trusted with sensitive information.
• In‑depth knowledge of and experience with land acquisition processes, title work, real property agreements, and land‑related permitting, record‑keeping, and property restoration specific to the natural gas industry.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate must be able to fulfill the following physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation:

• Remain stationary for extended periods, occasionally alternating between sitting, standing, walking, crouching, and kneeling as required to perform job responsibilities.
• Lift, push, and/or pull up to 25 lbs. occasionally.
• Operate a computer and other office productivity machinery as necessary.
• Communicate with others to accurately exchange information and ideas.
• Hear sufficiently to allow general and phone communications.
• Visual acuity to read standard text on screens and documents, observe surroundings, recognize hazards, and perform tasks safely.
• Problem solve, prioritize tasks, and interpret and understand written documents

WORK CONTEXT

• This is a full‑time exempt salaried position.
• Minimum travel for work‑related purposes is expected at 25-50%, which includes some overnight visits to locations and industry events.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.

EDUCATION & WORK EXPERIENCE

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in land management, real estate, business, legal studies, or related field -and-
• At least 7 years of relevant experience, to include at least 5 years of people leadership experience.
  - OR -
• High School Diploma or equivalent -and-
• At least 11 years of relevant experience, to include at least 5 years of people leadership experience.
• Preferred:
  
  • Experience leading teams and creating positive and productive work environments
  • Familiarity with DOH and railroad crossing agreements
  • Title work experience
  • Utility experience

We are people of deep and strong faith, who know right is right and wrong is wrong…and who care deeply about those we call family – including those we work alongside.

We are taught by our parents and grandparents to value and cherish the land we farm, the woods we hunt, the waters where we fish, and the fresh mountain air we breathe…and to ensure those treasures are left behind us for our children and their children – better than we found them.

Every day we wake up to the simple question: how can we bring more HOPE to the families and businesses we serve and create a better future for the generations that follow us?

At Hope Gas, our values – Faith, Family, and Integrity – are more than words. They are the foundation that guides how we serve our customers, support one another, and show up every day across West Virginia.

Hope Gas is a Local Distribution Company (LDC) that proudly provides gas service to approximately 140,000 residential, industrial, and commercial customers in 39 West Virginia counties. We monitor and maintain more than 7000 miles of pipelines that safely deliver West Virginia natural gas to many homes and commercial and industrial sites. We currently employ more than 600 employees working right here in our beautiful Mountain State with the sole purpose of staying true to our company’s mission and vision in West Virginia.