Right of Way Agent - Harris County (TX) : Job Details

Position Description

Right of Way Agent Position Overview:

The Real Property Division manages right-of-way acquisitions for Harris County. The division has openings for Right of Way Agents to handle property acquisitions and to assist with relocations.

The Right of Way (ROW) Agent coordinates activities to deliver the phase of the project assigned. The ROW Agent will negotiate for land acquisitions and acquire private property for public use. The reason for each acquisition may vary. Harris County is heavily involved with construction to improve infrastructure as well as buy-out programs to improve resilience to future flooding. The ROW Agent will act as a liaison between various departments connected to a project and the general public, including homeowners, legal representatives, and industry stakeholders.

Job Duties:

* Prioritizes activities and tasks to deliver Harris County projects on time.

* Manages all assignments to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal rules and regulations.

* Collaborates with all sections of the Real Property Division for efficient project delivery.

* Provides project support activities for the Engineering Department.

* Conducts field investigations to review routes and sites to be acquired.

* Determines property ownership through investigation of records, field inspections, or other available means.

* Understands, produces, and maintains correspondence records and agreements along with project files.

* Reviews legal documents, maps, and plans with a basic understanding of content.

* Participates in meetings with stakeholders, the public, and clients as needed.

* Meets engineering and construction schedules by obtaining the necessary right of way within the allotted time.

* Updates tasks in the work management system timely and accurately.

* Works with the County Attorney's Office to prepare legal instruments for property rights and land usage.

* Ensures all project documents are timely submitted to Commissioners Court for approval.

* Supports and participates in department initiatives and process improvements.

* Performs other duties as assigned.

NOTE: Criminal and CPS background check required prior to hiring and E-Verify upon hiring. All candidates are screened for the presence of illegal drugs.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date.

Requirements

Education and Experience:

ROW Agent I

* Bachelor's degree with an emphasis in real estate or a related field; or Four (4) years of experience in right-of-way acquisition; or Texas real estate license with 4 years of experience.

OR

ROW Agent II

* Bachelor's Degree with an emphasis in real estate or a related field and two (2) years of documented work experience as a ROW agent, utility coordinator, appraiser, relocation agent, or related work.

Knowledge, Skill & Abilities (KSAs):

* Excellent written and verbal communication skills including proper grammar and spelling.

* Ability to communicate effectively with co-workers, the general public, industry representatives, and other government.

* agencies.

* Must be attentive to detail and have effective problem-solving skills.

* Ability to manage a project with minimal supervision.

* Excellent organizational, time management, and customer service skills.

* Ability to work collaboratively with both internal and external teams.

* Must be flexible and able to adapt to changing conditions and priorities.

* Must possess a valid driver's license and a good driving record.

* Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access); and able to produce.

* reports using databases, spreadsheets, presentations, and other software.

* Must maintain a high level of confidentiality, judgment, personal responsibility, and dependability.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. See Resume will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

Knowledge, Skill & Abilities (KSAs):

* Member of professional associations, such as the International Right of Way Association.

* Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, legal documents relating to real estate, and right of way transactions.

General Information

Position Type, and Typical Hours of Work:

* Full-Time | Regular | 40 hours per week

* Hybrid schedule: Three days in the office and two days working from home.

* Subject to early mornings, late evenings, weekends and holidays at times, depending upon the project or workload.

Salary:

* Commensurate with experience, based on 26 pay periods

Physical Demands and Environmental Exposure:

* Most assignments will be performed in an office, meeting, or operations command center environment, but some field work may be required. May be required to work extended work hours during activation of disaster recovery operations for an unspecified length of time (varies based on the extent of the event).

* This position requires bending, stooping, and lifting up to 25 lbs., frequent walking, standing, sitting, reaching, and ascending/descending stairs.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

FEATURED BENEFITS:

* Medical, vision, and dental insurance

* Wellness

* Professional development opportunity

* Flexible spending account

* 457 deferred compensation plan

* Retirement pension (TCDRS)

* Transportation assistance (Metro Ride Sponsor Program)

* Disability and life insurance

* Harris County is a Qualified Employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Employment is contingent upon passing a background check and drug screen.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

BENEFITS

Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.

The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

* Medical Coverage

* Dental Coverage

* Vision Coverage

* Wellness Plan

* Life Insurance

* Long-term disability

* Employee Assistance Program

* Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service

* Accrual rates increase based on years of service

* Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday

* Professional development opportunities

* Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan

* Healthcare Reimbursement Account

* 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

* Retirement Pension (TCDRS)

* Flexible schedule (varies by department)

* Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:

01

Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

* High School or GED diploma

* Associate Degree

* Bachelor's Degree with an emphasis in real estate or a related field

* Master's Degree or higher with an emphasis in real estate or a related field

* None of the above

02

Which of the following best describes your verifiable experience in real estate?

* Less than four (4) years

* Four (4) years or more but less than five (5) years

* Five (5) years or more but less than six (6) years

* Six (6) years or more

* I do not have this experience

03

Which of the following best describes your documented experience in right-of-way acquisition

* Less than two (2) years

* Two (2) years or more but less than three (3) years

* Three (3) years or more but less than four (4) years

* Four (4) or more years

* I do not have this experience.

04

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

* Advanced

* Intermediate

* Basic

* Entry Level

* Not proficient

05

For this position, a valid Texas Driver's License is necessary. Please choose the option that best describes your situation: Do you meet the above requirement? (Please be sure to include all related details in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application.)

* Yes, I currently hold a valid Texas Driver's License.

* Yes, I possess a valid Out-of-State Driver's License, but I am aware that I must acquire a valid Texas Driver's License before the start date.

* No, I do not currently have a driver's license, but I commit to obtaining one before the start date.

* No, I do not currently have a valid driver's license.

* No, I'm not interested

06

Do you have Texas real estate license?

* Yes

* No

07

How many years of experience do you have as a ROW agent, utility coordinator, appraiser, relocation agent?

* 5 years or more

* 2-4 years

* 1 year

* Less than a year

* None of the above

Required Question

Agency Harris County

Address 1111 Fannin St

Ste. 600

Houston, Texas, 77002

Phone 713-###-####

Website