Real Estate & Permitting Manager

Manager – Real Estate & Permitting

Join Chelan PUD as Manager – Real Estate & Permitting and lead the team responsible for land-rights permitting, real estate services, and stewardship of District lands across hydroelectric, utility, parks, hatchery, and infrastructure projects. A key focus of this role is guiding local, state, and federal permitting efforts in close partnership with Natural Resources to ensure requirements are thoughtfully considered and integrated early in project planning.

The successful candidate will bring strong collaboration, regulatory insight, and leadership to support timely, accurate outcomes for the District and the communities it serves. This is an in-office position requiring residence within a reasonable daily commuting distance to our Wenatchee Service Center.

Overview

Organize, direct, and supervise Real Estate Services Department functions and staff who perform a support role for the various units of the District and the public as a whole. This includes the acquisition, management and disposal of District lands and/or land rights and coordination of permitting activities for the various hydroelectric projects, electrical transmission & distribution, parks, networks, relicensing and water/wastewater systems.

Oversee various work assignments with recommendations made to staff regarding their respective handling, with emphasis placed on the importance of accuracy, timeliness, and customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities

Organize, direct, and supervise Real Estate Services Department functions and staff activities to ensure that all work is completed in a timely, accurate manner. Conduct recruitment and selection processes, monitor and appraise staff performance, provide training and counseling of Department staff to promote employee career and development goals, as well as work force diversity. Encourage and approve in-house, local, or out-of-District training opportunities that will provide added value to the individual and the District.

Organize, prioritize and direct courses of action for self and others. Responsible for overall success of department functions. Oversee, manage and direct the District's land-rights permitting activities associated with the District's hydroelectric projects, utility services, parks, hatcheries, and properties. Permits may include Franchise Agreements, ROW Permits, Special Use Permits, Conditional Use Permits (CUP), building permits and other local, state and federal agency permits.

Oversee permit document management. Coordinate with Natural Resources to ensure environmental and cultural permitting requirements are considered. Develop cross-departmental teams in collaboration with Natural Resources to facilitate a team approach for permitting efforts. Oversee and manage 7000+ acres of District lands including the development of short and long-term management plans, provide for interim revenue generating uses, and monitor lands for encroachments of illegal uses (i.e., dumping, transient occupancies, etc.)

Provide and implement strategies and creative alternatives/solutions to reach outcomes that are amenable to all parties. Manage and direct the writing of draft and final legal documents to be presented to legal counsel for review, to address unique situations; review and analyze any potential long-term effect to the District. Oversee lands records management. Coordinate with various internal and external project managers, engineers, consultants, etc.,

early on in projects to ensure clear understanding of scope and positive outcome of project. Identify, market, and negotiate sale of surplus District lands. Evaluate and negotiate values for property acquisitions and disposals. Ensure departmental compliance with all local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and policies, and completing appropriate reports and/or applications as required in the acquisition, management, or relinquishment of the District's land and/or land rights.

Oversee and coordinate the process of conducting both in-house and public meetings to better inform and receive feedback on various potentially controversial and sensitive issues such as: possible transmission line locations, proposed substation/switchyard sites, water reservoir sites, water/wastewater lift station sites, and fiber expansion projects. Coordinate and assess feedback and concerns received at such meetings with District staff to arrive at possible solutions.

Develop and monitor policies, procedures, and standards for the protection of present and future District land rights. Prepare the Land Department's annual budget and ensure the effective management of budget allocations. Prepare blanket PO's; coordinate and oversee payment of ongoing permit fees to facilitate the work of other departments. Oversee and direct the management of rental accounts, communication sites, leases, irrigation assessments/subleases, fire protection assessments, and permits to assure minimal costs and the maximum return of the…