Right of Way Agent
- New York City, NY
- Permanent
- Part-time
- Serve as the primary point of contact between the client utility company and the public customers, managing the acquisition, negotiation, and communication of all types of real property rights related to utility projects.
- Acquire fee and easement property rights through various mechanisms, including Option Agreements, Purchase & Sale Agreements, Offer Letters, and Condemnation, ensuring that all necessary permissions are obtained for utility expansion or infrastructure development.
- Obtain temporary property rights to support client needs, such as temporary access agreements, lay-down yard agreements, and wire-pulling locations, enabling operational flexibility during the construction or maintenance of utility projects.
- Maintain clear, detailed, and accurate Records of Contact for all communications on behalf of the client, ensuring a comprehensive log of interactions with landowners, stakeholders, and other parties involved in the acquisition or management of property rights. This documentation supports transparency, compliance, and effective follow-up throughout the project lifecycle.
- Handle encroachment resolution efforts, ensuring that clients' historic rights are protected, enforced, and maintained against unauthorized or unforeseen land use issues that may interfere with utility operations.
- Conduct comprehensive Rights, Title, and Interest (RTI) research to provide detailed, clear, and well-documented reports that ensure all property rights are accurately identified and understood for the client’s needs, serving as a quick reference to support decision-making.
- Provide Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) and Feasibility Analysis to client management teams, offering data-driven insights that help determine the most effective and cost-efficient solutions for achieving desired outcomes in property acquisition and project development.
- Oversee divestments of surplus, compensatory, or other forms of land, facilitating the transfer of property rights to both public and private entities in compliance with all regulatory and client-specific requirements.
- Manage additional right-of-way (ROW) tasks as required, such as coordinating land use permits, facilitating relocation assistance for affected property owners, and addressing utility corridor management issues to ensure uninterrupted utility service. ROW responsibilities may also involve identifying, negotiating, and resolving conflicts over land access or usage rights, as well as assisting in land surveys, environmental compliance, and facilitating public hearings when necessary.
Knowledge/Skills and Experience
- 3 years of experience drafting and negotiating property rights documents including rights-of-way, easements, licenses, leases, purchase and sale agreements
- Professional experience with transmission powerlines
- Knowledge of Real Estate principles gained through education and experience
- Strong understanding of valuation and appraisal methodology
- Clear, concise written and oral communications
- Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills
- Computer literacy (working knowledge of Microsoft Office software, Google Earth)
- Ability to plot metes and bounds descriptions of property and read a variety of maps, electronic and paper
- Ability to evaluate, interpret, and analyze engineering and right-of-way drawings
- Ability to interpret and research (abstract) legal documents
- Skilled in property rights research methods, including courthouse searches for recorded documents and internet research of same
- Ability to determine valuation of crops, timber, etc. for damage settlement
- Ability to create and manage project forecasts associated with field agent tasks and professionally convey progress to internal and external stakeholders.