Senior Legal Projects & Land Information Manager

Role Title Senior Legal Projects & Land Information Manager  

Reporting to Director of Legal Affairs & Company Secretary

Band Band 4

Location Newtownmountkennedy or by agreement

Role Objective

The objective of the role is to provide enterprise‑wide leadership, oversight and governance of Coillte’s land, title and registration programme, ensuring the integrity, accuracy and effective stewardship of Coillte’s estate and title information.

The role leads a portfolio of strategic legal and land‑related programmes including first registration and statutory conveyancing projects, delivering outcomes through strong project management, governance, data stewardship and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

The role also has responsibility for the stewardship, modernisation and governance of Coillte’s title and land information systems with responsibility for title research including ensuring that title data is accurate, accessible, appropriately governed and fit for current and future operational, commercial and regulatory needs.

As part of the Lean Centre, the role will act as a centre of expertise for title, land and mapping information systems driving modernisation, data governance and continuous improvement while providing specialist support to the Legal functions and the wider business to meet current and future operational, commercial and regulatory requirements.

Role Responsibilities

Group‑Wide Leadership & Governance

*        Provide enterprise‑wide leadership, oversight and governance for Coillte’s land, title and registration activities, safeguarding the integrity, accuracy and stewardship of the Group’s estate and associated legal and spatial data.

*        Establish and maintain clear governance frameworks, controls and assurance arrangements for land, title and legal programmes, ensuring alignment with statutory requirements and organisational priorities.

Strategic Programme, Portfolio Oversight and Project Assurance

*        Lead and manage cross-functional project teams delivering statutory and strategic programmes under the First Registration and Conveyancing Acts, ensuring delivery in line with statutory requirements, organisational priorities and agreed governance frameworks.

*        Own and oversee a portfolio of existing and emerging legal, land and title‑related projects, including First Registration, title rectification, prescriptive rights of way (PROW), and other strategic initiatives providing enterprise-wide coordination and prioritisation.

*        Provide programme‑level oversight, reporting and assurance to the relevant Steering Groups and senior stakeholders, clearly articulating progress, risks, dependencies and mitigation actions.

*        Examine short and medium‑term project initiatives, identifying need, benefits, budgetary implications and high‑level milestones to inform prioritisation, resourcing and decision-making.

*        Carry out structured assessments of project performance and outcomes bringing evidence‑based recommendations to Steering Groups to support informed decisions and continuous improvement.

*        Design, document and continuously improve project management, reporting and governance systems supporting land, title and legal programmes across the organisation.

Expert Title Investigation & Interpretation

*        Lead and oversee complex title investigations, providing authoritative expertise across Tailte Éireann, the Registry of Deeds, Coillte acquisition files, archived and digital maps, GIS records, Ordnance Survey maps, title deeds and Land Commission records.

*        Provide expert interpretation of title maps and boundaries, identifying legal burdens, affected lands and risks, and supporting litigation, dispute resolution and risk management activities where required.

Specialist Advice and Query Resolution

*        Provide authoritative guidance on complex or non‑standard title matters and determine where detailed research is required and supporting the Lean Centre, Forest, and Land Solutions teams through specialist advice.

*        Prepare detailed title reports, certificates of identity and matrices for large‑scale land projects including property transactions, infrastructure projects, licences, wayleaves and litigation‑related matters.

*        Respond to organisation‑wide queries relating to Coillte title, registrations, boundaries, rights of way, wayleaves, turbary and other burdens, ensuring consistency and accuracy of advice to support divisions as required.

*        Assist in complex query resolution and rulings on title post‑lodgement and maintain appropriate records of queries, completions and practice directions.

Stakeholder and External Body Engagement

*        Liaise with internal legal teams, Land Solutions, Forest, Litigation and other internal stakeholders to brief and update them on title issues, risks, progress and dependencies.

*        Lead engagement with Tailte Éireann and other external bodies to resolve title errors, boundary issues or registration anomalies affecting the Coillte estate.

*        Manage the Tailte Éireann Land Direct account used by Legal Services and monitor expenditure.

*        Respond to Tailte Éireann notices within prescribed timeframes in relation to potential claims against the Coillte Estate.

Information, Records & Data Governance

*        Develop, implement and maintain data governance standards, controls and access protocols for legal, land and title information in line with organisational and regulatory requirements.

*        Subject to budget availability, procure, lead and manage projects to digitise hard‑copy title and land records, ensuring records are validated, governed and fit for long-term stewardship.

*        Oversee and maintain physical title documentation in the NTMK basement in conjunction with on-site resource, where available, in the interim until full soft copy records are available and validated.

Systems Ownership and Continuous Improvement

*        Work collaboratively with ICT, GIS and other internal teams to develop and implement modern data capture, storage and integration solutions across LRM, SharePoint, Legal and GIS platforms.

*        Lead the ongoing enhancement of the Coillte Title Viewer and related systems, ensuring data quality, accessibility and appropriate user controls to include:

          Improving functionality to enable efficient query management and

          Developing access and training supports to enable queries to be resolved at source                    

*        Establish systemised query management and prioritisation processes and drive ongoing streamlining and standardisation of workflows

Risk Management, Compliance and Stewardship

*        Ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory and internal governance requirements relating to land ownership, registration and records management.

*        Evaluate emerging technologies including AI‑enabled tools to support title data management, subject to governance, compliance and risk assessment frameworks.

*        Support Legal Services in maintaining appropriate oversight and collaboration on title‑related legal advice where relevant.

Competencies

Behavioural Competencies:

All employees must be a role model of the Coillte values. 

Execution Excellence: Builds and maintains professional relationships across teams and departments, shares knowledge and supports collaboration.

Communication: Communicates confidently across teams, adapts messages for different audiences, and encourages open conversations.

Influencing & Stakeholder Engagement: Engages others to support team goals, builds trust, sets and manages expectations effectively.

Collaboration: Builds strong working relationships across teams, encourages sharing and teamwork.

Results Orientation: Drives team results and tracks performance.

Desired Technical/Professional Competencies:

*        Relevant NFQ Level 8 qualification in a legal, property, land management, engineering, planning or related discipline, or equivalent experience.

*        Significant experience in property title, land registration, conveyancing procedures and associated legal and mapping issues.

*        In‑depth knowledge of Tailte Éireann processes and land registration systems.

*        Strong experience in managing complex, multi‑stakeholder projects with a proven track record of delivery

*        Knowledge of forestry-related land and estate issues. Familiarity with Coillte’s estate and its title information resources, both in soft and hard copy.

*        Demonstrated ability to work with mapping, GIS and land information systems, and to translate technical outputs into clear legal and operational advice. 

*        Experience in developing and implementing data governance, document management or information systems within a regulated environment.

*        Strong commercial awareness and ability to assess and manage risks impacting the value and integrity of the estate.

*        Project management qualification or equivalent experience is desirable.

*        Commercial Acumen: The knowledge to manage and assess financials to maintain profitability and value of the estate.

*        Knowledge and experience to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.