Associate Director, Franchise & ROW
About The Position
The Associate Director of Franchise & Right of Way (ROW) for Verizon’s AI Connect team leads strategic planning, acquisition, governance, and lifecycle management for public franchises and private rights-of-way supporting long-haul fiber and next-generation AI network infrastructure. The role leads a team responsible for securing and protecting legal interests, real property rights, and municipal access authority across multi-jurisdictional fiber routes. The position establishes operational standards and directs negotiations with Local Franchise Authorities (LFAs), state departments of transportation, commercial entities, and private landowners. It oversees contract lifecycle management from initial requests and internal approvals through negotiation, execution, compliance, auditing, and renewal. The role also directs vendor performance, aligns cross-functional teams, and supports timely, cost-effective network deployment. This role may be located at any US-based Verizon hub location. It is hybrid, with a defined work location that includes working from home and at least three days per week in the office. Travel of approximately 25% may be required.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or four or more years of work experience.
- Six or more years of relevant experience in telecom right-of-way, public utility franchise management, municipal government affairs, or commercial real estate law.
- Experience managing and leading teams, including talent development, resource planning, and vendor partner management.
- Deep subject matter expertise in the contract lifecycle, including negotiation and post-execution compliance, for public franchise agreements, municipal encroachment permits, and private easements.
- In-depth understanding of municipal ordinances, state franchise statutes, competitive parity and FOIA analysis, and public utility regulatory frameworks.
- Experience with real property due diligence, including title abstracts, boundary surveys, property valuation, and county recording processes.
- Willingness to travel up to approximately 25% of the time.
- Valid driver’s license.
Nice To Haves
- Juris Doctor (JD), a master’s degree in Public Administration or Business, or Senior Right of Way Professional (SR/WA) designation.
- Direct experience leading ROW and franchise portfolios for major long-haul fiber builds, outside plant telecommunications, or critical utility infrastructure.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent credentials.
- Experience establishing Contract Lifecycle Management platforms, compliance databases, and cross-functional stage-gate approval workflows.
- Experience handling complex multi-jurisdictional municipal negotiations, city council or commission public hearings, and utility relocation dispute resolutions.
- Exceptional executive communication, stakeholder diplomacy, and commercial negotiation skills.
Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor ROW and Franchise specialists and external partner firms; oversee capacity planning, workload distribution, performance management, and professional development.
- Develop strategic outreach to cities, towns, counties, and LFAs; lead permit-only advocacy where viable, FOIA and competitor-parity analyses, and resolution or escalation of negotiation impasses.
- Direct strategies for acquiring permanent and temporary private or commercial easements, centerline surveys, title examinations covering 30–50-year chains of title, and government land grants.
- Lead the end-to-end contract lifecycle for public franchise agreements, municipal licenses, and private easement portfolios, from request and drafting through negotiation, approval, execution, compliance, reporting, auditing, amendment, and renewal.
- Establish internal review workflows that consolidate Legal, Risk Management, Engineering, Finance, and Tax input into master drafts while protecting key legal rights.
- Ensure executed agreements are onboarded into Franchise & ROW Tracking Systems and establish ongoing compliance audits for bond and insurance renewals, municipal gross revenue fee structures, linear-foot cost baselines, and county recordations.
- Manage abstract and title agencies and outside counsel; enforce cycle-time service-level agreements across acquisition pipelines and maintain capital and operational expense budget compliance.
- Address regulatory, civic, and property roadblocks with agility, thoughtful candor, and legally sound and ethical outcomes.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- Short- and long-term disability insurance.
- Basic and supplemental life insurance and AD&D insurance.
- Identity theft protection.
- Pet insurance and group home and auto insurance.
- Matched 401(k) savings plan.
- Up to 8 company-paid holidays per year and up to 6 personal days per year.
- Paid parental leave and adoption assistance.
- Tuition assistance.
- Potential compensation incentives, including overtime, shift differential, holiday pay, and allowances, depending on the role.
- Up to 15 days of vacation per year for newly hired employees, increasing with additional service.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
