Supervisor, Land Lease Payables

Plains Marketing • Houston, TX

1d

About The Position

Plains is seeking a Supervisor, Land Lease Payables to lead the team responsible for administering payment obligations under the company’s easements, rights-of-way, surface leases and other land agreements. Based in Houston within the Land Records group, the role ensures land payments are calculated correctly, approved, paid on time and reported in accordance with company policy, SOX internal controls, tax requirements and unclaimed property requirements.

The supervisor leads and develops the team, oversees land-payment setup and administration, maintains payment controls and reporting, and supports accurate land-record data. The position works with landowners and teams across Land, Legal, Accounting, Accounts Payable and Tax, while leading process improvements and supporting new technology, workflows and automation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered in place of a degree.
• Five or more years of experience in accounts payable, lease or royalty payables, or accounting operations.
• Two or more years of experience supervising or leading a team.
• Strong working knowledge of internal controls, segregation of duties and SOX compliance.
• Proficiency in an ERP system and advanced Microsoft Excel skills, such as pivot tables and lookups.
• Ability to read land agreements and identify payment terms.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills, with close attention to detail.
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills with landowners, coworkers and auditors.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, and adapt to new technology, workflows and processes.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with right-of-way, surface lease or land payment administration in the pipeline or energy industry.
• Working knowledge of land management software.
• Familiarity with ownership documents, including deeds, probate records, affidavits of heirship and assignments, and with legal descriptions.
• Experience supporting acquisitions and divestitures.
• Experience with month-end close and budget forecasting.
• Experience with Oracle Fusion.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the Land Lease Payables team; set performance goals, conduct performance reviews and address performance issues.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding and training team members.
• Assign and balance workloads to meet payment deadlines, and maintain cross-training and backup coverage for critical tasks.
• Create, document and maintain team procedures, desk manuals and quality standards.
• Oversee review and abstraction of payment terms from land agreements, escalating unclear or disputed terms to Legal.
• Oversee setup of new payment obligations and calculation of recurring and one-time payments, including CPI and fixed escalations and prorations.
• Establish review and documentation standards for payment calculations, including index sources, base periods, formulas, effective dates, supporting documentation and approvals.
• Oversee monthly review of uncashed land payments.
• Oversee transitions of land payment obligations related to acquisitions and divestitures, including identifying, validating, setting up, transferring and terminating obligations; coordinate resolution of exceptions and maintain supporting documentation and controls.
• Review and approve changes to payee names, addresses, ownership and banking information based on appropriate supporting documentation.
• Ensure sensitive payee changes are verified and documented in accordance with company policies, internal controls and segregation-of-duties requirements.
• Prepare the annual land payment forecast and monthly budget variance analysis, and explain significant variances.
• Perform periodic audits of payment transactions and supporting records to confirm accuracy and compliance.
• Serve as the primary contact for internal and external auditors, provide documentation and explanations, and correct control findings.
• Ensure financial terms and payee data in the land records database are accurate, complete and consistent with governing land agreements.
• Respond promptly and professionally to landowner and payee inquiries and resolve escalated issues.
• Work with Land, Legal, Accounting, Accounts Payable, Tax and other departments on payment issues and projects.
• Lead process improvements and support adoption of technology, workflows and automation in land payment operations.
• Stay current on best practices and changes to SOX, IRS reporting and state unclaimed property rules affecting land payments.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation.
• A top-tier benefits program designed to support employees’ safety, health and well-being.
• Benefits that reflect respect for employees’ personal and family time.

What This Job Offers

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