Senior Real Estate Agent

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority•San Jose, CA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Join VTA’s Dynamic Multimodal Planning and Real Estate Team! At VTA, the newly aligned Multimodal Planning and Real Estate team is a passionate group dedicated to transforming transportation and real estate connections across Santa Clara County. The Planning Division is responsible for conducting all Congestion Management Program (CMP) and VTA transportation and transit planning activities, as well as programming, grants management, and real estate. The Planning Division consists of three primary focus areas: Planning, Programming and Grants, and Multimodal Planning & Real Estate. The Multimodal Planning & Real Estate department, as part of the Planning Division, is a passionate group dedicated to transforming transportation, land use, and community connections across Santa Clara County. The department successfully integrates several key programs to achieve this mission, including Multimodal Planning, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD/TOC), Asset Management/Real Estate, and Right-of-Way. The Right-of-Way Program, as a core program within the department, the Right-of-Way (ROW) team directly executes VTA’s capital delivery by overseeing the acquisition of full properties, permanent easements, temporary construction easements, and other critical property interests. ROW ensures project certification and delivery for massive infrastructure improvements across Santa Clara County, including major rail extensions like BART Silicon Valley and Eastridge to BART Regional Connector (EBRC), as well as highway and complete streets projects. This work involves extensive multi-agency coordination with external partners like Caltrans, utility providers, and local municipalities to handle complex property clearances and utility relocations. Definition: Under direction, the Senior Real Estate Agent plans, organizes, supervises, and integrates the work of assigned staff and consultants engaged in acquiring, appraising, managing, leasing or disposing of real property and rights-of-way and/or planning, offering, negotiating, and managing VTA's joint development projects and associated agreements, and performs related duties as assigned. Distinguishing Characteristics: Senior Real Estate Agent is the first line supervisory classification in the Real Estate job series. Incumbents are responsible for planning, organizing, and supervising staff engaged in all aspects of VTA real estate transactions and agreements, and for performing the more difficult and complex duties. Senior Real Estate Agent is distinguished from Manager, Real Estate & Project Administration in that the latter has full managerial responsibility for the entire real property program for VTA. The ideal candidate is a seasoned, hands-on right-of-way professional who brings a strong background in public sector property acquisition and a proven ability to lead and guide staff. They possess deep technical expertise in navigating the procedural mandates of the Uniform Act and Caltrans compliance, ensuring that complex transaction files are legally sound and seamlessly positioned for project certification. As a first-line supervisor, they excel at operational workflows by enjoying the process of mentoring staff, assigning daily tasks, and untangling challenging title, utility, or relocation issues on the ground. They are an empathetic and persuasive communicator who can step in to personally handle high-stakes or sensitive negotiations with property owners, all while keeping a sharp eye on critical milestones across concurrent capital delivery projects.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business administration, public administration, finance, real estate, or a related field.
Five years of increasingly responsible experience in the appraisal, acquisition, relocation, design, financing, construction, and/or management of real property.
At least two years in a project lead or supervisory capacity.
Possession of a valid Class C driver's license issued by the State of California.
Knowledge of concepts, methods and techniques for appraising property and establishing market value, current market conditions, and land sales.
Knowledge of principles and practices of planning, development, and management of large-scale mixed-use real estate development projects in complex urban settings.
Knowledge of methods and techniques for property recordation and property record search.
Knowledge of Federal, state and local laws and regulations applicable to land and easement acquisition by public agencies, including condemnation and eminent domain proceedings and vacation and relinquishment law.
Knowledge of Federal, state, and local laws and regulations applicable to planning, design, construction, financing, and operation of real estate development projects.
Knowledge of basic principles and practices of property and contract law, including preparation of detailed legal descriptions.
Knowledge of basic terminology, methods, and practices of engineering design, architecture, land use planning, land surveying, mapping, construction processes, real estate finance, and relocation.
Knowledge of principles and practices of communication and engagement with diverse stakeholders.
Knowledge of principles and practices of effective good faith negotiations.
Knowledge of principles and practices of effective supervision, training, employee development, motivation, discipline, and management.
Ability to analyze technical data and legal requirements, evaluate alternatives, and make sound, timely recommendations within established guidelines.
Ability to understand, interpret, explain, and apply federal, state and local laws and regulations applicable to real estate responsibilities.
Ability to perform sound property appraisals that require the application of complex valuation considerations.
Ability to estimate and manage budgets and schedules for planning studies and projects.
Ability to read and interpret plans, maps, engineering drawings, and sketches.
Ability to prepare clear, concise, comprehensive, and legally sound documents and reports.
Ability to exercise sound independent professional judgment within established guidelines.
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
Ability to negotiate effectively and persuasively on behalf of VTA to meet tight acquisition or project deadlines and legal, regulatory, and budget constraints.
Ability to use tact, discretion and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive situations and parties.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with managers, staff, consultants, other governmental agencies and their representatives, property owners, tenants, and others encountered in the course of work.

Nice To Haves

Experience in acquisition of property for public use.
Experience with public-private development on public property.

Responsibilities

Plans, organizes, supervises, and integrates the work of assigned staff and consultants engaged in acquiring, appraising, managing, leasing or disposing of real property and rights-of-way and/or planning, offering, negotiating, and managing VTA's joint development projects and associated agreements.
Develops, implements, and monitors plans, goals and objectives to ensure that designated property appraisal, acquisition, management, sales, relocation projects, and joint development functions are accomplished in accordance with adopted schedules and budgets.
Supervises and performs work related to major joint development planning projects that encompass residential, commercial, and other types of real estate development.
Conducts and/or participates in complex planning and rezoning approvals, competitive offerings for long-term leases, difficult appraisals, negotiations, relocation assistance, and property sale or disposition functions.
Performs detailed, complex research, analyses, and determinations.
Develops work plans, schedules, and budget estimates for joint development studies and projects and oversees their execution.
Prepares and presents information to the public, boards, committees, and community groups.
Reviews, evaluates, and approves architectural, planning, engineering, environmental, financial, and real estate appraisal work product produced by consultants.
Provides attorneys with market appraisals and other data for use in property settlements and condemnation litigation.
Plans, directs, negotiates, administers and/or participates in the development, negotiation and administration of consultant contracts.
Reviews, recommends, and administers Real Estate Department policies and procedures.
May perform budget preparation and review.
Reviews, evaluates, and approves appraisals and amounts for negotiation and settlement in accordance with VTA policies and procedures.
Ensures compliance with VTA policies and procedures regarding equal opportunity and discrimination and harassment prevention.