Senior Land Acquisition Program Manager

This position is open to King County Employees only.     
This posting may be used to establish a list of qualified candidates in the following 6 months, after a selection has been made. 



About the Role: 
In this position, you will be responsible for managing all aspects of the property acquisition and relocation process, from initial scoping to construction and closeout for projects within the Capital Program. This includes managing consultants and ensuring that every stage of the process runs smoothly.

The ideal candidate should possess exceptional skills in developing consultant scopes of work, writing construction contract language, building strategies for risk identification and mitigation, developing and managing project schedules, tracking critical path deliverables, and performing QA/QC review of work products. They should also be proficient in utilizing reporting tools and records management systems and certifying that projects comply with the Uniform Act (49 CFR Part 24) as well as State/County laws, regulations, and policies.

This role demands excellent written communication skills and the ability to ask questions, seek feedback, learn from others, share expertise, and maintain an open and positive attitude. This position serves as a senior-level subject matter expert for the Capital Program and is responsible for ensuring that all Right-of-Way needs are delivered on scope, schedule, and within budget for all projects within the Program. As a senior member of the team, the coordinator will collaborate with colleagues to strategize methods for delivering property rights for construction projects. A proactive mindset and willingness to receive constructive criticism are essential.

Additionally, the coordinator will mentor and coach teammates to achieve their best performance using identified objectives, KPIs (key performance indicators), and work plans. They will work to reinforce team culture and improve processes. This position requires a detail-oriented and organized individual with experience in project management, the Right-of-Way profession, an understanding of contract procurement and records management, a thorough understanding of government property acquisition and relocation processes. The ability to manage and track multiple tasks simultaneously is crucial.

By working collaboratively, the new member will help ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of all stakeholders. If you are someone who enjoys tackling challenges, establishing meaningful connections, working in a collaborative project management environment and mastering complex property and relocation matters, this role is an ideal fit for you.

ECSS advances the values of King County and the Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) by protecting public health and the environment and providing equitable, inclusive services to residents and businesses across King County. To our agency, success means clean water. It means keeping a promise to the next generation that our beautiful environment will be there for them to enjoy. It also means being accountable to our ratepayers and operating a well-managed agency. We are committed to the principles of equity and social justice. We value diverse perspectives and life experiences in our workforce and are committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment.

What You Will Be Doing: 

• Project Management and Compliance: Manage and track the entire property acquisition and relocation process, develop and manage project schedules, track deliverables, and ensure compliance with the Uniform Act (49 CFR Part 24) and other laws and regulations for multiple projects within the Program.
• Consultant and Contract Management: Develop and review consultant scopes of work, write construction contract language, direct and manage consultant work and track consultants' progress.
• Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance: Build strategies for risk identification and mitigation, perform QA/QC reviews of work products, and utilize reporting and records management tools.
• Collaboration and Mentorship: Collaborate with colleagues on project strategies, act as a subject matter expert, mentor and coach team members, strengthen team culture, and serve as a leader for the team.
• Project Expertise: Possess excellent written communication, project management experience, understanding of contract procurement processes, government property acquisition and tenant relocation processes, and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Real Estate Expertise: Analyzing, preparing, and negotiating real estate transactions, reviewing various real property agreements such as deeds, easements, leases, permits, and licenses. Examining real estate title and understanding legal descriptions to conduct in-depth reviews of title histories for properties to identify any issues that necessitate resolution. Thorough understating of real estate laws and valuation of complex properties including damages to remainder. 
• Relocation Expertise: Understand the tenant relocation process and legal requirements. Manage consultants to develop comprehensive tenant relocation plans, calculate relocation benefits, develop justification documentation, and implement relocation assistance to individuals and businesses displaced due to the acquisition of real property rights. 
• Leadership: Act as a mentor and guide to unit staff and support the Supervisor as backup for completing unit administrative tasks.

Qualifications You Bring:   

• Understands the Uniform Act and right-of-way processes for large capital improvement projects, including relocation practices and project certification. 
• Ability to identify strategies and develop plans to ensure successful and timely delivery of real property and tenant relocation deliverables.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in writing and speech, and cooperate well with staff from various backgrounds, skills, and roles.
• Highly demonstrated experience managing consultants, project schedules, delivery of right-of-way deliverables and working on large capital project teams for utility, transportation, and/or public works projects.
• Be exceptionally dependable in accomplishing work assignments with minimal assistance required and demonstrated ability to meet deadlines.
• Experience in working in a project management environment, understanding of contract procurement processes, writing construction contract specification language and developing scopes of work for consultant services.  

• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Manages Complexity: Asks the right questions to accurately analyze situations. Acquires data from multiple and diverse sources when solving problems. Uncovers root causes to difficult problems. Evaluates pros and cons, risks and benefits of different solution options. 
• Nimble Leaning: Learns quickly when facing new situations. Experiments to find new solutions. Takes on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks. Extracts lessons learned from failures and mistakes.
• Strategic Mindset: Formulates a clear strategy and maps the aggressive steps that will clearly accelerate the organization toward its goals. 
• Decision Quality: Makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information. Relies on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment when making decision. Considers all relevant factors and uses appropriate decision-making criteria and principles. Recognizes when a quick 80% solution will suffice.
• Builds Effective Teams: Establishes common objectives and a shared mindset. Creates a feeling of belonging and strong team morale. Shares wins and rewards team efforts. Fosters open dialogue and collaboration among the team.

• Washington State Driver’s License or the ability to provide transportation to remote work locations with limited or no public transportation service options.
• Notary Public with electronic endorsement or ability to obtain within 6 months from the date of hire.

• Training/courses and certification through the International Right of Way Association (or similar) and Project Management Institute are desirable although not required

Working Conditions

• Remote and Onsite Work Details: Employees in this role will primarily be working at a remote home location. The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Onsite reporting locations may be at various King County worksites including the collaboration space at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). This work arrangement promotes work-life-balance and reduces carbon footprint under the department’s vision of Green Where We Work.  
• Remote Work Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington State and be within a reasonable distance to King County worksites to meet onsite reporting requirements. 
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is not covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not overtime-eligible  
• Union Representation: This position is represented by King County Technical Employees' Association (TEA) bargaining unit.

• Complete Application
• Optional Resume (will be reviewed if submitted) 
• Optional Cover Letter (will be reviewed if submitted)

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.