Senior Siting and Land Rights Agent

Xcel Energy•Denver, CO

4d•$84,900 - $120,567•Onsite

About The Position

Perform full range of activities associated with the planning, siting and acquisition of permits and land rights for the construction, operation and maintenance of electrical and gas utility facilities for Xcel Energy and its subsidiary companies. Under consultative direction and with some latitude for unreviewed actions, position makes decisions regarding the need for permits, negotiates acceptable permit conditions and determines appropriate measures to minimize environmental impacts. Possess comprehensive knowledge of row acquisition and land management principals.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in real estate, land use planning, management or business. A combination of relevant education and experience totaling 8 years may be considered in lieu of the degree requirement.
Minimum of 5 years of increasingly complex siting, acquisition and/or land rights management experience.
Demonstrated project management skills.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience performing land acquisition in Colorado.
Previous experience in the energy industry.

Responsibilities

Negotiate with landowners and their legal representatives for the acquisition and management of land rights for gas and electric utility facilities, up to and including the process of condemnation.
Prepare easement packages, perform abstracting and other related courthouse documentation searches to facilitate acquisition of easement rights.
Prepare applications and negotiate for and obtain applicable permits from railroads, federal, state and local land management agencies for gas and electric utility facilities. These include Conditional Use Permits from local municipalities.
Prepare DOT and railroad permit applications for utility facility crossings and longitudinal encroachments.
Prepare or assist in preparation of other local and state permits as required.
Represent the company before federal, state and local regulatory and land management agencies, boards, planning commissions and councils.
Prepare project descriptions and summaries, respond to data requests and make presentations to the governing jurisdiction's representatives in public meetings in order to obtain approval for projects.
Act as primary spokesperson on all land rights related activities for the project.
Perform planning, route alternatives analysis, selection, and development of sites and corridors for major gas and electric utility facilities. Depending on the scope and complexity of the individual project this responsibility requires close interaction with multi-disciplinary internal project teams, involving engineering, legal and project management staff.
Maintain a high level of technical knowledge and understanding of applicable federal, state and local land rights laws, codes, ordinances and regulations.
Implement effective negotiating strategies and techniques in order to secure land rights at a fair and equitable cost.
Serve as technical resource to Land Rights Agents as needed.
Ensure compliance with all permit conditions and landowner agreements including easement conditions, documentation and releases.
Make post-construction damage assessments and settlement payments to impacted landowners.
Provides assistance to other internal Xcel Energy departments and subsidiaries involving land rights management and acquisition, valuation, scheduling and cost estimates for siting and land rights activities.