Project Manager

Job Description

The Department of Natural Resources, Mental Health Trust Land Office, is recruiting a Project Manager in Anchorage, Alaska.

This position serves as a project manager for land development projects, land planning efforts, and other assignments related to land or resource development to maximize revenue generation from Alaska Mental Health Trust (Trust) lands. As a member of the TLO team, this position is responsible, by law, for maximizing revenue generation from Trust lands solely in the best interests of, and for the maximum benefit to, the Trust and all its beneficiaries statewide. The position requires effective, independent, and defensible decision-making skills; the Project Manager possesses analytical and communication skills and the self-directed ability to act with initiative. This position also requires the ability to perform financial analysis, planning, and reporting.

The Project Manager is a professional position that reports to the Senior Project Manager and, on specific projects, directly to the Deputy Director or Executive Director, and whose duties are performed under minimal supervision. This position requires a high level of initiative and independence. The primary role centers on project management, entrepreneurship, exceptional negotiation skills, and the development of the Trust's surface estate. This position shares the full responsibility of all the TLO's land development projects across the state and may work on projects of varying complexity in the Southeast, Southcentral, and Northern Regions of the state, including planning, analysis, reporting, marketing, and execution.

This position seeks, encourages, and completes development of subdivision and real estate projects on Trust land that are in the Trust's best interest, and engages with the individuals, developers, brokers, real estate agents, organizations, communities, businesses, and governments to market and generate revenue on Trust lands. This position participates in or leads complex negotiations and the development and implementation of innovative problem-solving approaches to overcome barriers and reach various types of agreements.

This position is responsible for planning, budgeting, and leading projects, and overseeing them from ideation through completion for any noncash assets the TLO is contractually obligated to manage. This position requires independent initiative, high-functioning, and productive interaction with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, and the ability to manage several moving parts simultaneously. Managing complex projects requires this position to communicate consistently and concisely with TLO leadership and project stakeholders, and to ensure projects progress while defending the Trust's best interests.

Typical responsibilities shall meet the criteria of maximizing revenue from Trust lands, which is separated into two categories: disposal and development. Disposals include adjudication of new applications for surface uses as assigned on Trust land, ensuring that such applications are in the Trust's best interest, and engages with the individuals, organizations, communities, businesses, and governments to facilitate adjudication of the sale and/or use of Trust lands. This includes evaluation of applicant qualifications, analysis of revenue and risk, review of transactional documents such as title, appraisal, survey, and agreement negotiations, followed by written recommendations to TLO leadership throughout the evaluation process. The Project Manager carries land use transactions to completion and subsequently engages in ongoing management of actions on Trust Land.

Typical responsibilities of the development category include adjudication of Trust land for subdivision design, land use planning, and development, with an understanding of local markets, land sale trends, platting authority requirements, and economic, topographic, geologic, and time constraints for project completion. The Project Manager ensures survey, title, platting, and recordation are completed within scope, scale, and budget. Development of Trust land requires this position to understand local community needs, opportunities, and industry potential. The position may meet with outside parties to achieve desired outcomes and must represent the TLO professionally. This position typically interacts with:

• Professionals including developers, appraisers, architects, attorneys, bankers, engineers, consultants, and title representatives.
• Purchasers and sellers.
• Local, state, and federal government agencies.
• Senior and mid-managers from various companies.
• Members of the public and business communities.

This position may be reassigned to a project-specific need by the Deputy Director or Executive Director.

Examples of Duties

• Work with the Administrative section on existing authorizations, contracts, and other agreements on Trust lands.
• Perform field work to evaluate the status of Trust land that includes, but is not limited to, drone photography, authorization compliance, environmental hazards assessment, trespass, improper use, and general stewardship activities.
• Develop subdivision projects, platting actions, joint ventures, exchanges, negotiated disposals, or other agreements to generate revenue.
• Prepare pro forma analysis, budgets, and reports for specific projects on developments that generate strong returns.
• Prepare required transactional documents including, but not limited to, white papers, briefing documents, Trust Authority consultations, best interest decisions, decisions to proceed, and public notices.
• Complete consultations with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority at quarterly committee and full board meetings.
• Participate in planning for asset management, land sales programs, and land and resource development strategies across Alaskan communities, with the Senior Project Manager and other staff.
• Identify potential land sale and land development markets and work with the Leasing & Land Sales Manager to create an inventory of new subdivisions to be incorporated into the land sale programs.
• Coordinate necessary surveys, appraisals, website updates, comprehensive management plans, feasibility studies, and land administration system database updates.
• Manage projects and programs aligned with short- and long-term land resource objectives. This includes leading project planning, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring deadlines are met, developing and maintaining relationships, managing contracts, overseeing all incoming and outgoing project documentation, mitigating risk at all times, conducting project reviews, providing reports to TLO leadership, and defending the Trust's position.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Analytical and verbal skills necessary to assist or represent the Executive or Deputy Director in negotiating and evaluating the implications of various actions on Trust land.
• Ability to prepare electronic standard accounting/financial documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• Ability to utilize GIS, mapping software, and GPS units for gathering parcel attribute data.
• Understanding settlements, statutes, regulations, and resource management strategy that guide procedures and practices at the TLO.
• Familiarity with the State of Alaska procurement process.
• Flexibility to adapt to multiple and changing priorities. TLO priorities may be determined by the TLO Executive or the Deputy Director, which may require prompt revision of the daily schedule.
• Entrepreneurial skills to develop land resources and generate revenues on potential new business opportunities to fulfill TLO fiduciary responsibility from beginning to project completion.
• Ability to work effectively with and manage a wide variety of professionals involved in land management and their associated work products, including attorneys, architects, engineers, real estate consultants, developers, investors, contractors, purchasers and sellers, as well as management, staff, and public officials in various levels of government with varying skills, including prioritizing their efforts for the benefit of the TLO.
• Strong project management skills for complex land development, construction project management, and contract administration.
• Excellent written, verbal, and technical skills appropriate for professional communications with legal, financial, technical, and managerial professionals, and a wide range of third-party professionals.
• General business background to prepare pro forma analysis, budgets, and reports for specific projects on developments.
• Ability to quickly assimilate new industry and regulatory practices and apply such practices to assignments.
• Analytical and verbal skills necessary to assist other Trust Resource Managers in negotiating and evaluating the implications of various actions on Trust land.
• High level of initiative and ability to manage multiple authorizations or projects at one time.
• Excellent written, verbal, and technical skills appropriate for professional communications.
• Capacity to handle high-stress situations, leadership skills, big-picture thinking, attention to detail, conflict resolution skills, and multitasking skills.
• Ability to work independently to coordinate and complete projects on time, within budget, and within scope.