Land Officer (x6)

Various locations: Glasgow, Fife & Central, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Dumfries

Competitive Salary DOE

Permanent, 37 hours per week

Summary:

Freedom is supporting a huge well-known business that is responsible for the distribution of electricity to your property via our network of pylons, substations, cables and power lines. They serve 3.5 million homes and businesses across Central & Southern Scotland, Cheshire, Merseyside, North Shropshire and North Wales. We work round the clock to make sure you have power.

The Land Officer is responsible for obtaining the land rights associated with the Distribution (33kV and below) network in order to secure the necessary and appropriate landowner permissions and statutory consents required for the delivery of infrastructure capital projects, including day to day operational and maintenance activities, and customer connection to ensure timely delivery of projects and the security and safety of the existing assets.

 

Some of the key deliverables in this role will include:

• Provide land rights services, including the effective and timely delivery of Land Rights for distribution projects and day to day operational and maintenance activities within the district or for other district locations as instructed by the Land Team Leader.
• Proactively manage individual projects with the aim of resolving problems in the land rights process which may be preventing delivery of capital programmes or be detrimental to the safety or security of the existing network.
• Provide specialist advice to the project manager in relation to the selection of the appropriate Land Rights being sought.  In consultation with the project manager, ensure in the event of difficulty in obtaining land rights, alternative solutions are considered and sought where appropriate to ensure capital programmes can be maintained and delivered.
• Provide specialist input related to terminations and the use of statutory powers and the use of legal tree notices to ensure that the Company’s rights are preserved, and asset safety & security is maintained.  Engage and negotiate with landowners to try and resolve matters to the satisfaction of both parties.
• Undertake negotiations with landowners/agents affected by distribution activities, considering such matters as farming practices, rent and compensation, land damage, injurious affection claims and construction and operational requirements etc. to ensure appropriate consents are obtained to ensure capital project delivery in line with District Objectives and Targets.
• Provide advice to the project manager on alternative solutions including engineering and financial solutions that may facilitate consent being obtained and enable capital programmes to be maintained and projects delivered.
• Liaise where required with developers IDNOs/ICPs on matters relating to obtaining land rights for customer connections.
• Prepare land rights documentation and appropriate land rights payments for issue. Record transactions and work management task on internal IT systems.
• Prepare appropriate information necessary for legal instruction in a timely and appropriate manner to secure permanent land rights for distribution assets.  Provide appropriate level of support to both the internal and external legal teams during the process.
• Undertake accurate and meaningful ‘marching in’ reports for use by the District delivery team in a timely and appropriate manner.  As required, undertake site visits during the construction works and support the delivery team in maintaining access to the land during construction.
• Where statutory powers are required to deliver consent, assist in the preparation of both the 21-day notice and the Application for Necessary Wayleave to the relevant statutory body.  Contribute to the drafting of written submissions to the hearing Reporter/Inspector. Work with legal teams and Business and where necessary provide participation as expert witness at related hearings.
• Comply with Company Health and Safety requirements.

What we’re looking for:

• Expert knowledge and practical experience of Electricity Act 1989, Town & Country Planning Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, Property Law, Valuations, Compensation Code and agriculture practices are required to understand and reduce project delivery risk and financial exposure.
• Expert knowledge and practical experience in the implementation of land rights processes and procedures relating to project delivery and landowner relations to enable the delivery of both capital projects and the safety and security of the existing network.
• Expert negotiation skills are required utilising knowledge of the above legislation and Company policies and procedures.
• Must have the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of parties’ at varying levels within organisations, including senior management, engineers, planners, lawyers, statutory bodies, farmers/landowners and the wider public. Must have the ability to deal with and resolve adversarial and confrontational situations.
• A Working knowledge of the Distribution Networks and the individual components such as substations and overhead lines is required with knowledge of the regulated nature of the Business.
• Able to make balanced decisions, taking into account all possible information and programme outcomes available, able to consult with others when applicable and anticipate/ recognise possible outcomes.
• Relevant experience in land surveying disciplines, or experience of related disciplines

Benefits:

We're always evolving our benefits to ensure we're attracting and retaining great people.  Some of what you can expect includes: 

• Car/Car allowance
• Salary sacrifice car scheme (Hybrid/Electric Vehicle)
• Pension with a leading provider and up to 8% employer contribution
• Personal Wellbeing and Volunteer Days
• Private Medical Insurance
• Free 24/7 365 Employee Assistance Program to support mental health and well-being (including counselling sessions and legal advice)
• Flexible benefits to suit from Dental Insurance, Gym Memberships, Give As You Earn, Travel Insurance, Tax Free Bikes.
• Personal development programme

 

Next Steps: 

As a business, we’re on a journey to build on our culture where everyone is included, treated fairly and with respect. This starts with recruitment and how we bring people into the organisation.  

We’ll do our best to outline the recruitment process to you ahead of time with plenty of notice. If you require any accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to ensure your needs are met. 

About Us:

Freedom are part of the NG Bailey Group, one of the leading independent engineering and services businesses in the UK. Founded in 1921, with a turnover of £500m and 3000 employees, we are proud of our history of developing great people through our investment in training.

Working across a variety of sectors within the building and infrastructure industry, our innovative, responsible and forward thinking approach allows us to work on fantastic ground-breaking projects, providing solutions using the latest tools and technologies

Progression is something we value and we will make sure that when you join us you have a clearly defined development path, supported by regular reviews, training and ongoing support to enable you to be the best you can be

 

#LI-CN1

#LI-onsite