Reporting Location: Hays or Great Bend Office
Job Summary
The Real Estate Specialist will be responsible for securing easements, real estate purchases and permits that establish access for the Company to construct, modify and maintain Company electric facilities and infrastructure. All easements, real estate purchases and leases required to support transmission assets rated 69kV and above will be acquired, documented, recorded in the appropriate county, and stored in the Company Information Management System. This position will also assist the Operations department in similar functions related to electric assets operated at or below 34kV and natural gas assets as requested, and other departments of Midwest Energy with any real estate transaction as requested.
Job Duties – Responsibilities – Tasks
Within the guidelines provided by Board policies, operating policies and procedures, approved work plans, budgets and delegation from the Director of Engineering, the Real Estate Specialist assumes the responsibility and has authority for the following activities:
Transmission Line Routing – Substation Location – Temporary Real Estate Leases
- Work with internal and external engineering resources to identify and develop potential line routes and substation sites for further consideration.
- Identify land ownership along proposed routes and substation sites from public records.
- Gather required data to support the scoring of all variations of the proposed line routing.
Public Engagement
- Conduct title research, including identification of existing easements, leases, liens and other encumbrances on all tracts on the one or more viable easements.
- Develop and execute communications and public engagement plans to engage landowners in the easement acquisition process.
- Work with engineering and GIS teams to develop appropriate maps and other data to support public meetings as required.
- Plan and execute public meetings to discuss proposed project and obtain feedback from landowners and other stakeholders as needed.
Easement/Real Estate/Lease Acquisition
- Develop land value data and recommendations for initial easement and/or real estate purchase offers. Provide a recommendation as to the retention of a certified appraiser to assist in this process.
- Generate, execute with landowners, track, and monitor right of entry documentation for surveys and testing.
- Work with engineering team to develop survey requirements regarding property to be included consistent with the route(s) and site(s) under consideration.
- Coordinate with surveyors to prepare real property exhibits, including use of internal and public GIS data.
- Negotiate the acquisition of easements and/or other property interest as necessary to accommodate the construction, operation, and maintenance of Company facilities.
- Provide updates/reports on easement acquisition to the engineering team on a recurring basis throughout the acquisition process.
- Ensure that all new or revised easements, leases and deeds are prepared as required and recorded in the county in which they are located.
Transmission Line Construction, Modification or Repair
- Secures permits necessary for the construction and maintenance of Company transmission facilities, including but not limited to transmission or distribution line crossings, Kansas Corporation Commission Form EL, RR crossings, pipeline crossings, wetlands, lands of sensitive habitat or species, and river/stream crossings.
- For modifications to existing transmission lines: Review existing easements to determine need for easement modification to facilitate conversion of blanket easements, changes in structures or structure location, etc.
Easement/Records Management
- Enter all existing, new, or modified electric and gas easements, land purchase documents, and lease documents, along with other support documentation, into the Company Information Management System for future reference.
- When easement documents are not available in Company records, conduct research at county offices to acquire such easements and enter into the Company Information Management System.
- Respond to member concerns about easement conditions and maintenance activities.
Key Competencies
- Excellent oral and written communication skills. This position will interact with landowners, community members, and local governments regularly, and must project an image of being open, friendly, and able to build relationships and trust within the community.
- Demonstrated abilities in negotiating skills are essential, as this position must negotiate the terms of a contract with a landowner. Interpersonal skills and self-confidence are required.
- Demonstrated organizational skills to maintain accurate records of property transactions is required.
- Proficiency or demonstrated ability in detail oriented, spatial relationship problem-solving.
- Proficiency or demonstrated ability to conduct research/investigation and report upon information that is publicly accessible.
- Ability to read, interpret and map legal descriptions from legacy easement files.
- Must be able to acquire knowledge of all aspects of right-of-way, including acquisition, title, permitting, budgeting, cost forecasting, operation, due diligence, public relations, community outreach and solid understanding of general regulatory and legal issues.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain professionalism while dealing with difficult negotiations with property owners.
- Experience and knowledge to effectively use current Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Must have or be eligible to acquire and maintain a Notary Public Commission.
- Must obtain and maintain CPR and First Aid Certification.
- A valid Kansas driver’s license is required.
Education and Experience
- Minimum of an associate degree or post-secondary certification in real estate, engineering technology, environmental science, land surveying, geographic information systems, or another related field. Experience may be substituted for education.
- Minimum of 1 year of relevant experience.
- Prior experience with an electric or natural gas company helpful.
Posting Close Date: August 16, 2024
Equal Opportunity Employer
