Property Rights Advisor

Position Description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

The Property Rights Advisor will manage the program of enforcing and protecting City Light’s property rights along hundreds of miles of transmission and distribution right of way and within our complex electric utility grid; taking on the challenges of ever‑increasing government, commercial, and private encroachments/trespassing’s, and bringing together groups to develop policies, communications and relationships with other jurisdictions to proactively address these pressures.

This position will also lead City Light’s overall property use strategic plan, coordinating with other department leaders on possible uses including City Light Security, Facilities, and Vegetation Management teams on how best to manage and support these properties.

This position will report to the Real Estate Services Manager.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead City Light’s encroachment enforcement and trespass mitigation program by ensuring that local and regional policies, projects, mitigation strategies and implications of agency work reduce the threat to life and safety, increase reliability, improve interagency coordination, and maintain City Light’s ability to operate and construct future power and transmission infrastructure.
• Lead the strategic planning for how non‑operating property will be used, developing property lease and sale strategies to increase revenue and help City Light meet its 10‑year strategic plan.
• Serve as a liaison between management and staff in developing talking points for community engagement, serving as a primary point of contact and support role for property issues – providing guidance to project managers and senior agents as they face conflicts with outside entities. This position will work to ensure community engagement is consistent among staff and aligned with City values.
• Provide active engagement in public meetings, supporting program and project objectives and may provide presentations to City Council committees regarding City Light Real Estate ordinance/resolution submittals.
• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of acquisition, relocation, and disposition procedures, property management and the ability to implement department policies and procedures. It will also prepare, review, and approve property conveyance instruments, agreements, related legislation, and develop operating instructions, policies and procedures.
• Perform significant work with elected officials, members of the public and public agencies, and community advocates. The skillset for this position also entails implementing pilot projects or programs in the public, NGO, and/or private sector that are highly complex and visible.

Qualifications Required Qualifications: In addition to the skills and experience mentioned below, a successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to creating fair and equitable outcomes and has:
Experience: Five years of working experience in real estate policies/issues, or related field.
Education: A bachelor’s degree in real estate, public administration, public policy, human services or related field; or a combination of education and training and experience which provides an equivalent background is also necessary.
License: Current valid Washington State Driver's License or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire.
Desired Qualifications

• Experience in leading and developing real estate portions of major transportation or infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of utility industry reliability standards, including knowledge of the URA and trespass/encroachment matters.
• Working knowledge and understanding of property valuation and appraisal standards
• Background in program management and stakeholder engagement, including experience in leading and developing programs regarding conservation lands
• Knowledge of…