Director of Land Services

Summit Carbon Solutions is adding team members to advance our mission of advancing agriculture and midwestern biofuels. We are seeking individuals that will be focused on overseeing right of way acquisition, landowner relations, and long-term integration of on-farm carbon programs. If you are involved in ag across our five-state footprint this is an excellent opportunity. This position will be in Ames, IA, with others located across Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. Summit Carbon Solutions (SCS) is an innovative company which is developing and building the world’s largest carbon capture project in the upper Midwest over the next several years. This project will capture carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants and transport these emissions through a pipeline to North Dakota where the emission will be injected underground. We are a dynamic and highly entrepreneurial team that is expanding rapidly. We are looking for a smart, flexible, and high-energy individual to join our team. Summit Carbon offers an exciting, collaborative work environment. We offer competitive pay and top tier employee benefits with some health insurance plans being free for employees and their families. Position Summary: This position is a key role in building trust within the agricultural industry and will own all aspects of acquiring voluntary Right of Way (ROW) easements and landowner relationships. The leadership position will maintain positive long-term relationships with landowners and communities along the pipeline route. The scope of ROW acquisition includes 7,100 tracts and 4,400 landowners, 3 contract ROW acquisition companies, and more than 60 land agents. Summit has also contracted with a 4th ROW management company to act as owner representative, managing agent performance, data integrity, and providing general oversight. This firm will report directly to this position. The responsibilities of this position will be key through the project stages from leading ROW acquisition to developing and maintaining long-term positive relationships with landowners and communities along the pipeline route. During operation this position will be the primary interface with landowners on multiple levels, including the cross-over to expand and promote SCS’ farm carbon programs Expectations: Bring strategy and accountability to ROW acquisition. Engage, leverage and coordinate all available internal and external resources to deliver results. Be able to clearly, effectively, and genuinely communicate the benefits of the project to gain buy-in from influential landowners. Think and work strategically and leverage the Summit Ag Group network. Collaborate with key internal and external project partners and stakeholders to deliver a complete strategy with a unique value proposition. Coordinate and lead project-related campaigns, workshops and events to successfully acquire ROW. Work closely with SCS leadership team members to ensure that project goals and timelines are communicated, obstacles are identified and solved, and outcomes are achieved. Link farm-level decarbonization to Low-CI fuel pathways and Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS). Candidate Profile: The candidate will draw on a midwestern agriculture background that provides common ground and credibility when interfacing directly with landowners. The candidate must be capable of leading, collaborating, and influencing cross-functional team members internally and externally, managing complex systems and processes to distill out important data to make decisions quickly, and motivated by the opportunity to own a critical-path area of the $4.5 billon infrastructure project. Bachelor’s degree required: preferred fields of study would be Agricultural, Economics, Agronomy, Engineering, Finance. Master’s Degree preferred. 10 years of relevant experience including successfully leading high-impact teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Background or connection to Midwest agriculture is critical. Management of professional sales or procurement organizations is a plus. This is a large, multi-state project requiring supervision of direct reports, third-party contractors, and a budget >$100 million. Ability to facilitate and engage with diverse stakeholders such as land agents, farmers, and officials Must be able to develop, communicate, deliver, and execute a holistic strategic business plan Excellent time & project management, team relationship skills managing remote teams High attention to detail, and the ability to learn, work, make decisions with confidence and lead with humility. Knowledge of or desire to quickly learn land descriptions and terminology, easements, and title. Ability to identify processes that can be improved by deploying technology and / or lean process improvement tools. Experience working across shared data platforms, document generation and ability to quickly learn new software platforms such as land management tools. Ability to travel 50%-75% during the first two years and travel tapering off. Travel will be within the Midwest.