Land Manager

Job Title:

Land Manager

Reports to:

Permitting & Land Director

Department:

Sustainability / Land

Location:

Deva / Certeju de Sus, Hunedoara County

Type:

Full-time

Start Date:

As soon as possible

About VarDev

VarDev S.A. (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) is a Romanian mining development company focused on the safe, responsible and sustainable development of mineral assets in Romania. The Company’s main administrative office is in Deva.

VarDev combines international mining expertise, North American and European investments, leading industry practices and Romanian identity. We are a team of Romanian and international professionals experienced in developing and operating safe, responsible and high-performing mining businesses around the world.

Our immediate focus is the development of the Certej project, located in Certeju de Sus, Hunedoara County, and other mineral opportunities in Romania, encompassing design, permitting, stakeholder engagement and construction. We see responsible mineral development as an opportunity to create lasting value for Romania — through investment, employment and skills development, local economic opportunities, government revenues and the responsible development of resources important to Romania and Europe.

VarDev S.A. is owned 80.5% by Varvara Development Group (“VDG”) and 19.25% by MinVest S.A., a state-owned company. Varvara Development Group Ltd. is a private mine development company headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, dedicated to the safe and sustainable development of mineral assets. The Group has offices in Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Romania, and is backed by some of the most successful mine developers and institutional investors in the international mining industry. VDG acquired the Company in October 2025 to bring international best practices and new capital to Romania’s mining industry.

At VarDev, safety, environmental stewardship, integrity, respect for our people and communities, and high standards of performance are fundamental to the way we work. We are building not only a mining project, but a team and an organization capable of delivering it responsibly and sustainably.

The Certej Project

Certej mine has a history dating back to the 18th century. Certej open pit operated until its closure in 2006. Following privatization, over USD 200 million has been invested in evaluating its mineral potential and continuing its development. The project has recently been redesigned to reflect input from local communities, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.

The new Certej project is designed in accordance with strict European Union standards for engineering, environmental management, construction, operations and closure. The project does not use cyanide and incorporates the best available technologies, including filtered processing tailings and a “progressive rehabilitation” approach. One of the Certej project’s key objectives is also to remediate environmental damage caused by previous state-run mining activities in the area. The revised project is currently at the permitting stage.

Job Description

The Land Manager is responsible for ensuring that VarDev secures and maintains the land, land rights and access rights required for the Certej project and other current or future projects.

The position manages the identification, due diligence, acquisition, documentation and ongoing administration of land required for project development, ensuring that ownership, cadastral records, land use rights and related documentation are legally valid, complete and aligned with project and permitting requirements.

The Land Manager is also responsible for ensuring that VarDev’s land tenure and land rights are integrated and in good standing for permitting processes, and will work closely with the permitting, environment and forestry teams to provide a robust land tenure program for permitting and project development in accordance with Romanian regulations and international good practices.

The Land Manager also supports negotiations with landowners and other rights holders and coordinates land-related matters with legal, permitting, engineering, environmental, social performance and project teams.

Key Responsibilities

1. Land Requirements & Strategy

• Identify and maintain the land requirements for Certej and other VarDev projects based on project layouts, development plans and permitting needs.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive land acquisition and land-rights plan and schedule.
• Identify gaps, constraints and risks affecting land availability and project development.
• Ensure required land is secured in time to support permitting, construction and operations.

2. Land Due Diligence & Documentation

• Verify ownership, cadastral documentation, land category classification, existing rights, restrictions, encumbrances and other relevant property information.
• Ensure appropriate Land Book, cadastral, title and ownership documentation is obtained, reviewed and maintained.
• Identify discrepancies between cadastral records, ownership documents and actual site conditions and coordinate their resolution.
• Maintain a complete and auditable land register and documentation database for all project-related land.
• Lead the development of a land database to provide consistent and high-quality information for planning, permitting and design purposes.

3. Land Acquisition & Rights

• Lead or support acquisition of land required for VarDev projects through purchase, lease, easement, right of use or other appropriate arrangements.
• Lead the drafting and planning of land acquisition offers and negotiations.
• Coordinate with legal advisers, notaries, surveyors, valuers and relevant authorities throughout land transactions.
• Support negotiations with landowners, tenants and other rights holders and ensure agreed terms are properly documented.
• Ensure acquired land and rights are properly registered and legally available for the intended project use.

4. Regulatory & Permitting Integration

• Ensure land acquisition and land-use arrangements comply with applicable Romanian legislation and project requirements.
• Identify requirements relating to agricultural, forestry, public or privately owned land and coordinate the necessary procedures and approvals.
• Provide land-related documentation required for environmental, construction, mining, water and other permits.
• Work collaboratively with the environment, forestry and permitting teams to identify and address impacts and risks related to land use

5. Land Access & Project Development

• Secure and maintain access to project land, including access roads, infrastructure corridors, utility routes and other required rights.
• Coordinate land requirements with Engineering, Permitting, Environment and Project Development teams.
• Monitor changes in project design and ensure associated land requirements are identified and secured.
• Support resolution of land-related constraints, disputes and access issues that could affect project schedules.

6. Land Records, Reporting & Risk Management

• Maintain an accurate GIS/cadastral-based register of all VarDev-owned, leased or otherwise controlled land and land rights.
• Track acquisition status, contracts, registrations, expiry dates, restrictions, obligations and outstanding documentation.
• Report land acquisition progress, risks, costs and critical gaps to the Permitting & Land Director.
• Maintain appropriate records and provide information required for audits, due diligence and regulatory inspections.
• Lead the design and implementation of land management standards within the context of VarDev’s management systems to align practices with international standards.

Key Interfaces

• Permitting Project Manager – priorities, risks and regulatory coordination
• Sustainability VP – land and permitting strategy, standards, social risk management, compliance and reporting
• Legal / External Legal Counsel – ownership, transactions, contracts and land rights
• Engineering & Project Development – land requirements, layouts and infrastructure corridors
• Environment Manager – environmental constraints, restoration and permitting requirements
• Senior Advisor, Social Performance – Alignment with international standards for land acquisition and resettlement
• Coordinator, Stakeholder Engagement – Community-based risk identification and management.
• Finance / Procurement – valuations, budgets, payments and contractual matters
• Surveyors, Notaries & Valuers – cadastral, transactional and valuation activities
• Local Authorities & Land/Cadastral Offices – land registration, documentation and regulatory matters
• Landowners, Tenants & Other Rights Holders – acquisition, access and land-right negotiations

Qualifications and Experience

• University degree in Land Management, Cadastre/Surveying, Real Estate, Law, Geography, Engineering, Agriculture, Forestry or a related discipline.
• Typically, 7+ years of relevant experience in land acquisition, land management, cadastral/property administration or infrastructure/mining projects.
• Strong practical knowledge of Romanian land ownership, cadastral and Land Book systems and land-use requirements.
• Experience with land acquisition, easements, leases, access rights and negotiations with landowners.
• Experience working with OCPI, local authorities, notaries, surveyors and legal advisers.
• Experience with agricultural and/or forest land would be highly desirable.
• Mining, infrastructure, energy or other large-scale development experience would be an advantage.
• Strong negotiation, documentation, analytical and stakeholder-management skills.
• Fluency in Romanian and English preferred.

Key Success Measures

• Required project land is identified and secured in accordance with the project schedule.
• Ownership and land-right documentation is complete, accurate and legally valid.
• Land Book and cadastral records are properly aligned with VarDev's contractual and operational rights.
• Land-related regulatory and permitting requirements are identified and addressed on time.
• Land acquisition practices fully integrate social risks and are conducted in a manner that maintains social license to operate
• Land acquisition and access risks are identified early and effectively managed.
• Landowners and other rights holders are managed professionally and agreements are properly documented.
• Land records provide a reliable basis for project development, permitting, construction and operations.