The Real Estate Services Division at the City of Seattle's Department of Finance and Administration (FAS) is a talented and nimble work group dedicated to pursuing the highest and best use of City property. We offer the chance to make a difference on the City’s highest visibility real estate projects and policy issues. 

We are seeking a civic-minded, passionate and multi-talented Real Estate Specialist to enhance our team’s real estate oversight function for the City, providing both public property and commercial real estate support for FAS and other departments. In recent years, FAS/Real Estate has been the go-to, centralized work unit for help with urgent projects that have real impact on the community. 

The ideal Real Estate Specialist will serve the functional role of Real Property Agent (RPA), and be responsible for site acquisition, property reuse and disposition, landlord and tenant lease negotiations, and central real property oversight roles. At FAS, that includes working with other City departments and outside agencies, maintaining a citywide real property database and City real property policy development. 

This position involves extensive technical and regulatory work to comply with federal, state and local guidelines on legal aspects of property transactions. The work also includes fielding customer service inquiries about property and coordinating public outreach on property decision-making, as well as drafting legislation for City Council and preparing reports and presentation materials for the FAS Department Director and elected officials along with their staff.

ABOUT US

The Real Estate Services (RES) Division is responsible for Citywide real estate management, including tracking real property information, developing policy, conducting property research and appraisals, acquiring and disposing of City property, and leasing and creating use permits for property. In addition, RES professionals coordinate with other departments to ensure legal and other compliance, create and execute legislation, develop staff, collaborate with other FAS divisions, support the Operations Business Unit and oversee professional service providers.

The Real Estate Services team consists of two Senior Real Property Agents, a Senior Property Appraiser, a Strategic Advisor, two Deputy Directors and is led by a Real Estate Services Director. Each Real Property Agent typically has specialized expertise in one or more job types and skillset areas and may lead or coordinate with peers within the department or across the City on work assignments. The Real Estate Specialist will work on site searches, simple property agreements, initial property research and due diligence activities alongside more experienced Sr RPAs and be supervised by the Real Estate Services Deputy Director of Operations. 

FAS is the backbone of the City of Seattle and a dynamic organization of 600+ employees that provides $375 million a year in services to the City through an exciting portfolio of lines of business. FAS is a collaborative workplace with collective accountability to promote equity, respect, civility, integrity, inclusiveness and fairness for all employees.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Projects range from the simple to the complex, e.g., permits and leases to use City property, purchasing property for a new Fire Station, site searches and lease negotiations for the City’s emergency response such as COVID vaccine and test sites and warehouse storage sites, locating land for temporary shelter sites for people experiencing homelessness, balancing equitable development and race and social justice in Citywide real estate transactions, and securing a long-term lease with the US Army to ensure Fort Lawton’s future use as a park and affordable housing development. 

• Assist in negotiating letters of intent, leases and related documents representing the City as the tenant or as landlord. Identify leasing criteria and needs of City department clients. Work independently and with real estate brokers to conduct site searches and solicit landlord proposals. 
• Work seamlessly with FAS Capital Development space planners to facilitate client move-in and FAS Property Management to carry out property oversight duties.
• Prepare initial drafts of legal instruments and reports required to complete governmental real estate transactions such as property descriptions, recommendation reports, purchase and sale agreements, deeds, easements, and legislation. Coordinate review of documents with Law Department and Risk Management, as needed.
• Represent the City or Department at interagency meetings, site visits and community meetings involving real property matters.
• Perform initial research of property records, including deeds, contracts, easements, title searches, transaction history, right-of-way restrictions, zoning, land use requirements, encumbrances, appraisals, and value analysis, environmental impact studies, project permits, escrow accounts and franchise rights.
• Assist in preparing consultant contracts and coordinate specialized consultant work on real estate activities, including commercial broker representation, tenant relocation plans, surveying, title, escrow, appraisal, environmental site assessments, real property purchase and sales negotiations, and property valuation. 
• Review and evaluate development plans, plats, environmental documents, and other land use actions to assess impact on City real properties.  
• Prepare a variety of basic use agreements and permits with established terms for use of department property by other departments, agencies, developers, or other requesting parties. 
• Draft and help negotiate interdepartmental agreements. Maintain high-level of intra- and inter- departmental teamwork, customer relations and communication, providing updates to division and department leadership and leveraging partnerships appropriately. 
• Conduct initial property research, market research and real estate due diligence on all property agreements and transactions.  
• Participate in occasional field work and site visits, as needed.  
• Read, write, and interpret real property legal descriptions. Maintain property records for departmental use, and to support claims and Public Disclosure Requests.  
• Demonstrate a commitment to the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative and the department’s efforts to lead with race. Honor the FAS Five Pillars of employee conduct.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Two years of full-time experience in planning or policy work, real property sales, acquisition, management, paralegal, or appraisal work, AND 
• Associate degree in Real Estate, Urban Planning, Public Administration, Environmental Studies, or related field, AND
• Valid Washington State Driver's License or equivalent mobility.

Other combinations of appropriate education, training, certification, and experience (for example, three years of experience or a bachelor’s degree and one year of experience) that provides an equivalent background to perform the work will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability to the minimum education and experience requirements.
 
Desired Qualifications:

• 3+ years' experience in public agency or commercial real estate transactions including acquisitions, dispositions, site development, licenses, leases, easements, permits, conveyance documents, and property management.
• Broad interest and awareness of real property transactions, legal descriptions, appraisals, title research, licenses, and contracts.
• Experience in drafting, editing, and proof-reading documents such as reports, legislation, contracts, leases, and permits.
• Experience in public process and community engagement including preparation of public notices, organizing public meetings, and working with property owners.
• Talent and skill with teambuilding, relationship management, and customer service.
• Proven verbal, written, presentation, and graphics communication skills. Site Mapping experience is a plus.
• Project management, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Software skills, including MS Office Suite, ESRI/ArcView GIS software, SharePoint, and database systems.
• Ability to read plans, permits, technical reports and legal documents.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

FAS supports the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative to end institutionalized racism by eliminating barriers to access, providing the staff and public with opportunities for growth, and developing equitable access to the programs and services we offer. If you share those values and meet the qualifications, we invite you to apply for this position.

Work Environment

This position requires onsite work. Alternative Work Arrangements and hybrid telework schedules for work conducted in a normal office environment may be considered and will be based on operational needs and consistency with FAS policies.

Employees of the City of Seattle enjoy competitive pay and comprehensive benefits package generous leave programs, and the satisfaction of doing work that helps make Seattle a great place to live, work, and play. Explore City of Seattle – Benefits at a Glance for more information.

City of Seattle employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If hired, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination.
 
 Offers of employment are contingent on verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process, including a background check.

This position requires a resume and cover letter to be eligible for consideration. The cover letter should describe how your education and experience meet the qualifications for this position. Supplemental questions may also be required. Your application will be considered incomplete without all items