Deputy General Manager / General Manager - Land Acquisition (Renewable Energy Projects)

About the Role

Aditya Birla Renewables Limited is seeking an experienced leader for the position of Deputy General Manager (DGM) or General Manager (GM) to spearhead comprehensive land acquisition initiatives for Wind, Solar, Hybrid, and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects primarily across Karnataka and other South Indian states. The executive will be responsible for orchestrating all land-related activities including aggregation, government liaison, stakeholder management, and securing statutory clearances to ensure unencumbered land availability aligning with project timelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end processes for land acquisition, leasing, and purchase to support renewable energy projects across South India, focusing on Karnataka.
• Identify viable land parcels taking into account environmental, resource, and connectivity factors.
• Forge and maintain strategic relationships with landowners, village leaders, and local communities to facilitate smooth project delivery.
• Engage with Revenue, Forest, Registration, Panchayat offices and other government bodies to obtain necessary approvals and resolve issues.
• Oversee due diligence including title verification, legal processes, land registration, mutation, and documentation accuracy.
• Address land disputes, Right of Way (RoW) challenges, compensation, and stakeholder grievances effectively to avoid project delays.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams such as Business Development, Engineering, Legal, Finance, Survey, and Environmental departments for timely land handovers.
• Manage third-party vendors, consultants, land aggregators, legal and survey agencies to ensure project milestones are met efficiently.
• Proactively identify risks in land acquisition, develop mitigation strategies, and report critical issues for escalation.
• Maintain detailed reporting on acquisition progress, land bank status, approvals, and registrations through management dashboards.

Qualifications & Experience

• Mandatory full-time graduation degree; MBA or PGDM is preferred.
• 18 to 20 years of extensive experience in land acquisition specifically for renewable energy, power, infrastructure, transmission, or industrial projects.
• Proven expertise in managing land acquisition for Wind, Solar, Hybrid, and BESS projects.
• Strong knowledge and experience in Karnataka land laws and acquisition processes; familiarity with Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala is advantageous.
• Demonstrated skills in government liaison, land aggregation, title due diligence, registration, mutation, and Right of Way management.
• Experience managing widespread field teams and large-scale renewable projects.

Additional Information

The position is based at Gadag/Koppal, Karnataka. Candidates will report to the Head of Land Acquisition and will have to manage relationships with extensive internal and external stakeholders to ensure land acquisition complies with governance and supports project execution without delay.