Land Agent

State of Montana • Helena, MT

1d

About The Position

The land agent applies complex project-management skills, expertise in real estate transactions and negotiation, and land conservation knowledge to advance FWP’s mission and accomplish real estate-related objectives by:
Leading, managing and facilitating land and conservation easement acquisition projects for the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Parks Divisions.
Carrying out land exchanges and easement and right-of-way transactions.
Complying with regulations and policies for multiple project funding sources including federal grants; and
Providing direction and advice and serving as an internal and external information source on FWP land interests, Department programs, and ensuring compliance with state and federal policies and laws.
Physical and Environmental Demands:
This position is performed both indoors in a typical office environment, as well as outdoors on a regular basis. Indoors the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, and operate a computer and telephone. May sit for extended periods while reviewing detailed data.
Some fieldwork statewide is necessary and will include travel. Travel may be on foot, air, or automobile, possibly in adverse weather and is normally less than 1,000 miles per month. Fieldwork may require exposure to high and low temperatures and hiking over rough terrain.

Requirements

• KSAs to interpret and apply professional principles and practices in the real estate profession, applicable federal and state real property, land use, mineral, and administrative law, local regulations and rules; must be able to comprehend and apply these laws and regulatory processes to the acquisition and disposal of department real estate interests and to provide useful advice to Department staff when requested.
• Working knowledge of appraisal standards (“Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice” and “Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions”.
• Ability to function at a high level, including ability to skillfully manage time and be calm and highly organized, in juggling several to many real estate projects and requests.
• Well-developed negotiation skills, including situational judgment, analytical thinking abilities capable of assessing risks and weighing options independently and quickly in order to make sound decisions and persuasive arguments in stressful situations.
• Ability to accept and appropriately implement the responsibilities for major real estate transactions, while representing the State of Montana.
• Exceptionally high oral and written communication skills (discern both verbal and non-verbal communication cues).
• Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of subjects, personalities and interests, including working with people on highly sensitive financial, legal and real estate issues.
• Ability to apply appraisal theory and appraisal standards in order to research, extract and interpret real estate market information.
• Skill, caring and patience to ensure that transactions are carried out in conformance with detailed procedural requirements.
• Advanced ability to understand, interpret and create legal documents such as deeds, easements, road designations, title chains, mortgages, tax and appraisal records, and other public documents.
• Advanced knowledge of legal descriptions and the ability to read aerial photographs, cadastral, topographic and other types of maps and plats, and boundary surveys. Ability to coordinate accurate site boundary maps and apply various forms of legal descriptions such as metes and bounds and aliquot parts.
• Ability to recognize and evaluate effects of physical land features, such as land types and classifications, inaccessible terrain, evidence of contamination or hazardous materials, unsafe conditions, encroachments or trespass.
• Understanding principles and practices of natural resource management, including fish and wildlife habitat, recreational use, and the management of water, minerals, timber, range and other resources.
• Ability to interpret and integrate data to evaluate project potential obstacles, timetables, and reasonably assess those various elements and tasks to successfully complete projects.
• Ability to create innovative, workable approaches to problems related to land project proposals.
• Thorough knowledge of computers and general office equipment including PCs, laptops, printers, calculators, copy machines and scanners, cell phones, cameras including digital and GPS units. Experience working with the following software is desirable: Windows, Word, Outlook; PowerPoint, Excel, ARC GIS, and other mapping software/websites.
• The above competencies required to perform the duties of this position are usually acquired through a Bachelor’s Degree in a field related to transactional real estate, natural resource management, or public administration; and at least four years of relevant legal/technical/professional experience in transactional law, real estate, land conservation, or natural resource management discipline; or through a Master’s or Law Degree in such a field and at least two years of relevant technical/professional experience. Other combinations of education and experience which could provide such knowledge, skills, and abilities will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Responsibilities

• Leading, managing and facilitating land and conservation easement acquisition projects for the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Parks Divisions.
• Carrying out land exchanges and easement and right-of-way transactions.
• Complying with regulations and policies for multiple project funding sources including federal grants
• Providing direction and advice and serving as an internal and external information source on FWP land interests, Department programs, and ensuring compliance with state and federal policies and laws.

Benefits

• Employees who exceed 1,040 hours in a calendar year are also provided health, dental and life insurance. Other benefits include retirement, paid vacation, sick and holidays.
• This position may be covered by a VEBA (Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level