THIS POSTING WILL BE USED FOR ONGOING RECRUITMENT AND MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME. APPLICANT LISTS MAY BE SCREENED MORE THAN ONCE.

The State Land Office's Agricultural Leasing Bureau is part of the Surface Division. The Bureau manages a lease portfolio of livestock grazing and cropland production leases that currently includes over 3,500 active leases that cover 8.7 million acres of state trust land, and generates around $10 million dollars in earnings for public schools, universities and hospitals in the State. The Bureau is made up of at least four staff positions and on a daily basis processes transactions related to lease renewals, improvement applications, assignments/transfers and sublease applications. Agricultural leases share the land with other users, which requires coordination with other leasing divisions within the agency. The volume of leases requires this position to interact routinely with customers, the general public and other federal, state, local and tribal agencies. The position is also responsible for employee training, development and evaluations, and maintaining Bureau adherence to applicable lease terms, agency policies, and relevant procedures.

The NM State Land Office has a Non-Emergency Telework Policy, which allows eligible employees to telework up to twenty four (24) hours a week consistent with the agency's business needs.

As a valued State Land Office employee, you will receive a hiring bonus of forty (40) hours of leave at your start date to be used at any time. This is in addition to standard leave accrual for employees.

This position directly manages four staff within the Bureau, and is responsible for actively managing personnel, implementing agency objectives and maintaining effective agency procedures. The agency uses a land management system (LIMS) to manage workflow and assignments. This system continues to be updated and the Bureau participates in functionality testing in coordination with the IT Division. There is regular communication with lessees, staff within the broader Surface Resources Division and the entire agency. Since the lease portfolio covers almost all of the 9 million acres, many agricultural leases are adjacent to federal, private, or tribal owned and managed lands. The position is required to communicate with other federal, state, or tribal land owners to coordinate effective land management plans and federal funding for mutual lessees.

The position also oversees competitive bids, lease renewals, and other complex transactions, including identification and reconciliation of payments received and generation of billing statements with the Accounting Division, reporting on delinquencies, online payments and more. Additional transactions may include land exchanges or other economic development leases. The position gathers information on the proposed parcels involved and coordinates with the project lead to ensure accurate information is communicated internally, to the lessees, and external partners.

Internal: Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division; Administrative Services Division; Commercial Division; Legal Division; Agricultural Bureau; and executive State Land Office management officials (Office of the Commissioner).
External: Trust beneficiaries; individuals; general public; lessees (agricultural, oil and gas companies, commercial, rights-of-ways); natural resource authorization users; program enrollees; hunters; special interest groups; government entities (state, federal, city, county, tribal).

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications or have equivalent experience in a relevant field:

A Master's degree in Business Administration, Agriculture/Agri-business, or Economics;
Experience supervising multiple employees and implementing policy;
Experience processing a high volume of complex transactions and interacting with varied customers;
Familiarity interacting with state and federal agencies, (especially USDA, Farm Service Agency, NM Farm and Livestock Bureau), including giving presentations or public speaking; and
Proficiency maintaining information management systems and basic familiarity with ArcGIS.

A Bachelor's Degree in any field of study from an accredited college or university and five (5) years of professional level experience operating within parameters and guidelines directly related to the purpose of the position defined by the agency at the time of recruitment. Substitutions Apply. See Substitution Table below. A hiring agency will designate that a portion of the required experience to include supervisory and/or specialized experience. Any required licensure, certification or registration shall be defined at the time of recruitment and will be in addition to the above requirements.

Must possess and maintain a valid New Mexico Driver's License

State of New Mexico employees may be impacted by the Public Health Order dated December 19, 2022, which requires facilities licensed or certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS"), including all hospital types, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, hospice facilities and rehabilitation facilities, as well as assisted living facilities and adult day care settings, to adhere to all COVID-related requirements prescribed by CMS, including, but not limited to masking and staff vaccination.

Work is performed primarily in an office setting with exposure to Visual/Video Display Terminal (VDT) and extensive personal computer to include working with computers, copiers and printers, and phone usage. Work includes extended periods of sitting with possible standing, bending, squatting, climbing, reaching, or kneeling. Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. Some travel may be required.

This position is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.