Right of Way Land Professional (Documents / Negotiations)

About the role

Percheron is looking for an experienced land professional willing to commute to our client office in downtown Houston on a daily basis. The Agent possesses excellent working knowledge of all right of way disciplines; title, permitting, acquisition, and documentation. Very knowledgeable about property valuation, survey drawings, and alignment sheets. This position is primarily office-based and requires strong organizational, time-management, and prioritization skills to manage multiple assignments and meet established project deliverables within required timelines.

Responsibilities

• Oversees all land-related legal issues, including transfers of titles and deeds, construction, mortgage concerns, and zoning.
• Responsible for resolutions and other legal forms related to land acquisitions. A certain degree of creativity and latitude is required.
• Prepares adequate daily activity reports and prepares special agent's reports relative to complex negotiations for easements, damage settlements, and/or permit acquisition. May work in the office or out in the field.
• Perform internal and external due diligence to ensure accuracy and completeness of land rights or to identify and bring forward deficiencies requiring remedial action.
• Serve as liaison with landowner/tenant on ownership, easement rights, damage claims, and access issues.
• Effectively use established company and client policies, procedures, and processes to perform work.
• Review 3rd party development plans and relevant Right of Way records (i.e. easements, permits, etc.) to determine any conflicts.
• Maintains up-to-date status with designated upper-level Right of Way Agent or Project Manager/Supervisor to ensure the assignment is completed following the client's procedures.
• Draft legal documents utilizing established easement acquisition templates, ensuring accurate, clear, and professional language that properly defines land rights, interests, obligations, and conditions of the parties involved.
• Prepare and review property descriptions, easement locations, and other land-rights documentation in accordance with established land description and document preparation standards.
• Negotiate monetary and non-monetary easements, access agreements, licenses, and related land-use agreements with landowners, developers, builders, and governmental entities.
• Coordinate and collaborate with surveyors, engineers, attorneys, developers, consultants, governmental agencies, and landowners to resolve land ownership, easement, and right-of-way related issues.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum of two years of experience in the Right of Way industry.
• Excellent working knowledge of applicable laws, rules, regulations, right of way policies, procedures, terminology, and right of way/real property acquisition policies and procedures.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience utilizing enterprise systems and databases such as SAP, FileNet, ArcMap GIS, or similar systems for maintaining, updating, and retrieving records and project-related data.
• Ability to read, interpret, and analyze maps, survey plats, metes and bounds descriptions, plan and profile drawings, deeds, easements, probate records, and other related legal and land-rights documents.
• Proven ability to manage multiple assignments with competing priorities while consistently meeting deadlines and established deliverables.
• Knowledge of settlement instruments and contract terms.
• Very knowledgeable about property valuation, survey drawings, and alignment sheets.
• Good understanding of various land-related contracts and agreements for construction, operation, and maintenance of existing and new facilities, including but not limited to fee simple, rights-of-way, leases, temporary workspace agreements, licenses, permits, ordinances, and franchise agreements with the ability to complete right of way transactions independently.
• Experience with acquisition & relocation documents, notices, processes, and procedures.
• Ability to plan and organize workload, adjust to changing priorities, and work well under pressure with minimal supervision.
• Ability to complete right-of-way transactions independently.
• Ability to interpret alignment sheets and plats.
• Must be able to perform land title research.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and customer-focused.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to build relationships with others.
• Exercises good judgment and has experience handling confidential information.
• Ability to work autonomously and to collaborate fully as a team player.
• Ability to pay close attention to details, and present good planning, organization, and time management skills.
• Ability to work in a team environment and willingness to assume additional or new responsibilities readily.
• Ability to maintain regular attendance as per work schedule agreed with the manager (may require working an adjusted work schedule based on project assigned and work overtime if warranted).
• Ability to comply with applicable laws and regulations and Company policies and procedures.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Spends 100% of time in an office environment.
• Regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and stoop, kneel, or crouch.
• Occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.