Land Acquisition Lawyer

Job Description

The position is a full-time position under Land Acquisition Team and is classified as Managerial Level. The role will be managing a team and/or land contractors engaged to work on land requirements and related permits of development projects. The person to be hired may work on land workstreams of multiple projects at the same time

Key Responsibilities

1. Oversee and manage the overall land acquisition activities of assigned development project which would include the following:
   • Management of onsite team/s and/or land contractors,
   • Plans, strategize, implements LA activities and monitor progress,
   • Analyze, interpret, and present data, status progress, issues, solutions and strategies to Project Team and to other Departments including the Senior Management, if necessary,
   • Participate, report, discuss and contribute information and recommendations during planning, strategic meetings, update, and coordination sessions with Project Team,
   • Prepare land budgets of assigned development projects for discussion, submission, implementation, and monitoring of land related expenditures,
   • Manage admin-related tasks which includes document management, liquidations, DTR reviews and submissions, HSSE matters etc.
2. Acquisition of projects sites including acquisition of land use rights, road right of way, transmission right of way over private and public lands including following tasks:
   • Prepare and implement the approved frameworks and policies for the acquisition of rights over land.
   • Review and due diligence of available of land related documents (i.e. titles, tax declaration, patents);
   • Discussion, preparation and drafting of framework contracts with the landowners, including the study of specific contracts with sponsors, and other stakeholders.
   • Preparation, submission and coordination with regulatory agencies and institutions for the acquisition of permits, clearances, and licenses (i.e., DAR, DENR, LGU’s) related to land including the negotiation and discussion with such agencies to acquire the best possible terms beneficial for a project.
   • Creates schedules for project milestone completion of certain tasks and related project milestones.
   • Implements process and system improvements on existing processes for ease-of-doing-business and achieving best possible efficiencies.
   • Securing long term rights over land with the annotation of lease-hold rights or such land rights with the proper register of deeds.
3. Ensuring completeness of all land rights documents particularly the perfection of documentation of real property right relations between the registered landowners, possessors of the property, their agents and assigns and the company.
4. Perfection of security over land rights pursuant to such financing arrangement that the company might enter including the following:
   • Annotation of lender’s security interest over the project’s real and personal property interest with the proper register of deeds.
   • Alternative annotation process with the proper LGU assessor office covering lender’s security interest.
5. Perform other tasks that may be assigned by the Project Team and/or the direct manager.

Education

• Bachelor of Laws

Experience

• At least 5 years of experience on land management and acquisition
• With experience on land permits specifically on conversion, reclassification and cutting permits

Skills

• Willing to do intensive fieldwork
• Organized and be able to work with multiple teams and projects under pressure