Job Description: Manager / Senior Manager – Solar Land Acquisition & Liaisoning

1. Role Summary

2. Key Roles & Responsibilities (KRAs)

A. Solar Land Acquisition & Aggregation

• Identify, assess, and aggregate suitable land parcels for utility-scale solar PV projects based on project capacity, technical feasibility, connectivity, and development timelines.
• Negotiate land purchase, lease, and landowner agreements to meet project land requirements.
• Coordinate with landowners, brokers, aggregators, and local representatives to secure contiguous land parcels.
• Assess land suitability considering ownership, accessibility, topography, encumbrances, and project development constraints.
• Achieve land acquisition and aggregation targets in line with project schedules.

B. Land Due Diligence & Documentation

• Coordinate title verification, ownership checks, encumbrance searches, and scrutiny of land records with legal teams and external advocates.
• Verify Karnataka land records, including RTC/Pahani, mutation extracts, survey records, and relevant revenue documents.
• Manage land agreements, sale deeds, lease deeds, powers of attorney, and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate land registration, mutation, land conversion, survey demarcation, and boundary verification.
• Identify ownership disputes, inheritance claims, encroachments, and documentation gaps, and facilitate timely resolution.
• Maintain accurate land parcel records, document trackers, and audit-ready MIS.

C. Government Liaisoning & Statutory Approvals

• Liaise with revenue authorities, Tahsildar offices, Deputy Commissioner offices, Sub-Registrar offices, survey departments, Gram Panchayats, and other relevant government authorities.
• Facilitate land conversion, registration, mutation, survey, demarcation, and other applicable land-related approvals.
• Coordinate with local administration for statutory permissions and clearances required for solar project development.
• Monitor changes in applicable land and revenue regulations and ensure compliance with statutory procedures.
• Follow up on pending applications, approvals, and revenue records to avoid project delays.

D. Solar Project Development Coordination

• Coordinate with project development, engineering, legal, finance, and grid connectivity teams to ensure timely land readiness for solar project execution.
• Support assessment of land availability, parcel consolidation, access roads, right-of-way requirements, and evacuation-related land requirements.
• Track land readiness against project milestones, including site handover, fencing, surveying, and commencement of construction.
• Identify land-related risks that may affect project feasibility, connectivity, construction, or commissioning, and escalate them proactively.
• Support site visits, land surveys, boundary demarcation, and handover to EPC and construction teams.

E. Stakeholder Management & Issue Resolution

• Build and maintain effective relationships with landowners, farmers, village representatives, local communities, and government officials.
• Resolve landowner concerns, compensation or lease-related issues, objections, access disputes, and local-level grievances.
• Manage negotiations and stakeholder expectations while maintaining transparency and professional conduct.
• Coordinate with legal teams to address land disputes, claims, and other project-related land issues.
• Ensure ethical land acquisition practices and minimise community-related risks to project execution.

F. MIS, Reporting & Target Management

• Maintain land acquisition trackers covering parcel-wise area, ownership, agreement status, registration, conversion, mutation, and possession.
• Prepare periodic progress reports, risk registers, and management dashboards.
• Monitor acquisition costs, lease commitments, documentation expenses, and land-related budgets in coordination with finance.
• Track acquisition targets, approval timelines, critical dependencies, and pending issues.
• Ensure proper document archiving and readiness for internal audits, legal reviews, and project financing due diligence.

3. Experience Requirements

• 10–12 years of experience in land acquisition, land aggregation, and government liaisoning.
• Strong experience in solar power, renewable energy, power, infrastructure, or large-scale industrial projects.
• Demonstrated experience in land acquisition and leasing for utility-scale solar projects is preferred.
• Practical experience with Karnataka land and revenue procedures, including RTC/Pahani, mutation, registration, land conversion, and survey demarcation.
• Proven track record of coordinating with landowners, revenue officials, local administration, and legal consultants.
• Experience managing multiple land parcels and meeting project development timelines.

4. Technical & Functional Competencies

• Strong knowledge of land acquisition, leasing, title verification, and land aggregation processes.
• Understanding of Karnataka land records, revenue administration, registration procedures, and applicable land laws.
• Ability to identify title defects, ownership discrepancies, encumbrances, and potential land-related risks.
• Knowledge of solar project land requirements, contiguous land aggregation, site accessibility, right-of-way, and land readiness for construction.
• Strong negotiation, government liaisoning, stakeholder management, and dispute-resolution skills.
• Proficiency in MS Excel, MS Office, land trackers, MIS reporting, and document management.
• Good communication skills in English, Kannada, and relevant local languages.

5. Educational Qualification

• Bachelor's degree in Law, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Additional qualifications in legal studies, land management, or property documentation will be preferred.