Manager, Land Management

natgridProd•City of Syracuse, NY

12d•$129,000 - $151,000•Onsite

About The Position

National Grid is hiring a Manager, Land Management for their Operations Support - Land Management department. This position is located in Upstate NY (Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany). The team manages property rights for the Gas and Electric business, acquiring over 2,500 easements annually and maintaining over 500,000 property rights. They are skilled in real estate, law, negotiation, acquisition, title, and condemnation support services. The Right of Way team supports the safe, reliable, and timely delivery of utility infrastructure by securing and maintaining the property rights required for construction, operations, maintenance, and long-term asset protection.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Real Estate, Paralegal Studies, Economics, Civil Engineering, Surveying, or a related field preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Minimum seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in utility right of way, real estate, land management, title, acquisition, project management, or a related field.
Minimum three (3) years of leadership experience supervising employees, contractors, consultants, vendors, or cross-functional project teams required.
Minimum five (5) years of Utility Property and Property Rights experience preferred.
Completion of professional level coursework in Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Law, Contracts, Title Examination, Negotiation, Appraisal, Environmental Studies, Project Management, or related educational concentrations preferred.
Strong knowledge of easement acquisition, title review, property rights, valuation concepts, landowner negotiations, real estate transactions, and condemnation support.
Experience supporting large-scale utility capital projects, CLCPA-related work, transmission, substation, renewable energy, or major infrastructure programs preferred.
Working knowledge of New York State utility regulatory processes, Article VII proceedings, environmental review, eminent domain, condemnation, easement acquisition, and land records preferred.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholder issues, landowner concerns, municipal relationships, regulatory proceedings, and sensitive external communications.
Strong financial, analytical, management, administrative, motivational, negotiation, conflict resolution, and executive communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to build effective, respectful working relationships and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
Experience using Microsoft Office and business information systems required.
Experience with GIS, Power BI, Maximo, SAP, project controls tools, mapping systems, title research resources, or land management systems preferred.
Experience leading represented or union employees preferred.
Valid driver's license required; ability to travel within the service territory and overnight outside the normal work area as needed.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Right of Way lead for assigned CLCPA projects and programs, providing direction on acquisition strategy, land access readiness, stakeholder risks, and project delivery needs.
Develop and execute Right of Way acquisition strategies to support project schedules, construction readiness, permitting requirements, and regulatory commitments.
Monitor and manage portfolio risks associated with property acquisition, easements, permits, title issues, access rights, landowner disputes, municipal concerns, stakeholder impacts, and condemnation activity.
Partner with Project Management, Engineering, Legal, Environmental, External Affairs, Survey, Finance, Operations, contractors, and vendors to ensure project readiness and successful delivery.
Lead and develop Right of Way employees, contractors, consultants, and vendor resources through coaching, performance management, training, workload balancing, and clear accountability for results.
Oversee contractor and vendor performance to ensure quality, schedule adherence, cost control, documentation accuracy, and compliance with contractual and business requirements.
Support complex negotiations involving landowners, municipalities, governmental agencies, attorneys, developers, and other external stakeholders.
Lead condemnation support activities and coordinate with Legal when voluntary agreements cannot be reached.
Provide regular portfolio updates to management, project teams, work plan teams, and governance forums on acquisition progress, land access readiness, unresolved property risks, condemnation status, stakeholder concerns, cost impacts, and decision needs.
Manage Right of Way workload and resource planning using work management and reporting tools such as Storms, Maximo, Power BI, GIS, and related business systems.
Track productivity, performance indicators, and portfolio metrics to identify trends, underperformance, process gaps, recurring barriers, and opportunities for improvement.
Approve shopping carts, reconcile purchases, support budget tracking, and manage expenditures consistent with delegated authority and financial controls.
Ensure compliance with company policies, safety standards, regulatory obligations, real estate procedures, records requirements, and applicable labor management practices, including Collective Bargaining Agreement requirements when applicable.
Champion process improvement, technology adoption, data quality, reporting standardization, and data-driven decision making to increase efficiency and reduce project cycle times.