Real Property Project Manager

City of New York•Valhalla, NY

2d•$85,175 - $124,426•Onsite

About The Position

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for providing high-quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing pollution. As the largest municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, DEP employs nearly 6,000 people. The Bureau of Water Supply is seeking a City Planner III for the Upstate Real Property Services (UPRS) within the Source Water Directorate, located in Valhalla, New York. This role will focus on managing real property within the East of Hudson watershed in Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester counties. The position involves acquiring, disposing of, and managing City-owned real property, including site visits, landowner negotiations, consultant management, report preparation, policy development, and overseeing transaction processes and land monitoring. The role requires independent work in close coordination with supervisors and other DEP staff, balancing and coordinating priorities within the UPRS team.

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and two years of satisfactory full-time experience in city planning.
Satisfactory combination of education and/or experience that is equivalent to a baccalaureate degree and two years of experience in city planning.
Graduate education in city planning, urban planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, transportation engineering, public administration, economic development or related fields may be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 graduate semester credits from an accredited college for one year of experience.
Must have a baccalaureate degree.
Knowledge and proficient use of Adobe software and all Microsoft Office programs.
Ability to learn and use utilize automated research, payment and analysis tools such as WaLIS, PASSPort and, potentially, ArcGis.
Must be willing and able to perform site visits to properties located throughout the NYC watershed, primarily East of the Hudson River.
Site visits are performed in all seasons and can include steep and remote properties with varying degrees of access difficulty.
Position requires sufficient strength, agility and mobility to hike mountainous terrain safely and use hiking equipment such as snowshoes and trek poles when needed.
Assignment Level III: one additional year of professional experience as described in '2' above.
Assignment Level IV: two additional years of professional experience as described in '2' above.

Nice To Haves

Project management, and the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Read and interpret surveys and deeds.
WaLIS, PASSPort and, ArcGis
Contract management and budget oversight/analysis.
Ability to work independently and cohesively as a part of multi-disciplinary team.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Capacity to work with landowners, attorneys, municipal leaders, co-workers, surveyors, clerks and others to advance DEP and Upstate Real Property Services missions.
Capability to conduct field work in all seasons, including navigating difficult terrain and using GPS units, compasses, digital cameras, and related field equipment.
Knowledge and proficient use of Adobe software and all Microsoft Office programs.
Stays abreast of DEP contract management and invoice submission requirements
Strictly adheres to all health and safety guidelines.
A valid NYS driver’s license

Responsibilities

Formulates and coordinates implementation of the City’s acquisition and disposition of land and easements.
Performs specialized research and analysis necessary to support land acquisition, property disposition, and other real property management work relating to the City’s real property ownership interests throughout the upstate watershed and water supply region.
Works with landowners, attorneys, and/or agents to develop new acquisitions projects including fee simple and conservation easement, routines responsibilities may include field inspections, negotiating the configuration of parcels or easements to be acquired or disposed of by the City, ordering and reviewing of appraisals, and assisting with drafting of purchase contracts.
Perform site inspections and prepare reports on encroachments, incidents of trespass or easement violations, or progress of demolitions on City owned lands.
Manage vendor contracts for real property services including the drafting or revising of scopes of work, reviewing deliverables for accuracy and contract compliance, and reviewing and processing vendor invoices.
Address private and public groups, explaining the City’s programmatic objectives associated with the Land Acquisition Program (or City acquisitions and dispositions) necessary to advance the work.
Coordinates with other DEP staff to ensure all administrative, programmatic and policy requirements are met for the City’s Land Acquisition Program and potentially to support the City Land Stewardship Program.
Identifies and recommends land acquisition planning strategies which require special study and conformance with various legal mandates. Develops new policies and procedures to assist management with the administration and implementation of the Land Acquisition Program.
Update project information in the Watershed Lands information System (WaLIS) a geospatial and Upstate Real Property Services (URPS) policies and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP’s) ensures that journal notes, documents, and photos/maps are added to WaLIS as appropriate for each project.
Attend regularly scheduled real estate review meetings to present, discuss and review proposed real estate acquisition projects with staff from DEP and land acquisition partners.
Under direction, with latitude for independent imitative and judgment, performs other difficult task and professional work as assigned.
May supervise subordinate staff as needed or assigned.
Effectively plan and coordinate to ensure projects progress in a timely manner and tasks are completed accurately within assigned deadlines.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date records and, if required, ensure that information is entered into WaLIS accurately and timely.
Respond to landowner and DEP inquiries quickly, accurately and professionally.
Bring issues affecting project completion to supervisor’s attention in a timely manner.
Follows up on supervisory requests promptly and accurately.
Stay abreast of DEP contract management and invoice submission requirements.
Adhere to all health and safety guidelines.