Senior Development Manager - Land Development

The Civil People; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

End-to-End Ownership

Long-Term Pipeline

Strategic Influence

Career Growth

Job summary

The Civil People seeks a Senior Development Manager to lead residential land development projects from acquisition through settlement. Based in Sydney, you’ll drive commercial outcomes while balancing program, quality and performance across Sydney and Melbourne.

You’ll own the full development lifecycle, including identifying opportunities, securing planning approvals, and coordinating stakeholders to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery.

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience delivering medium to large residential developments.
• Minimum 5 years' experience delivering subdivision projects.
• Strong commercial acumen with budgets, programs and feasibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end management of diverse civil and infrastructure projects.
• Identify and assess new land acquisition opportunities.
• Complete due diligence, feasibility studies and commercial assessments.
• Develop project strategies from acquisition through to settlement.
• Manage consultants, authorities and planning approvals.
• Monitor project budgets, programs, cash flow and financial performance.
• Chair project control meetings and provide senior leadership reporting.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Communication skills

Education

Civil Engineering degree or related discipline

Tools

Estate Master

Microsoft Excel

MS Project

Job description

Senior Development Manager - Land Development

• End-to-End Ownership: Lead residential developments from land acquisition through to settlement
• Long-Term Pipeline: Deliver projects backed by a decade of future development across Sydney and Melbourne
• Strategic Influence: Work alongside senior leadership on acquisitions, project strategy, and commercial decisions
• Career Growth: Join an expanding developer where you'll help shape the next phase of the business

The Perks

• End-to-End Ownership: Lead residential developments from land acquisition through to settlement
• Long-Term Pipeline: Deliver projects backed by a decade of future development across Sydney and Melbourne
• Strategic Influence: Work alongside senior leadership on acquisitions, project strategy, and commercial decisions
• Career Growth: Join an expanding developer where you'll help shape the next phase of the business

The Business

An established property developer with a strong track record delivering residential land subdivision projects across Sydney and Melbourne. Backed by a substantial pipeline of future developments, they've built a reputation for making smart decisions, maintaining long-term relationships, and delivering quality outcomes. With continued growth comes genuine opportunity for experienced professionals looking to make their mark.

The Gig

An exciting opportunity is now available for an experienced, commercially astute, strategically minded Senior Development Manager to join an established property developer with a substantial pipeline of residential subdivision projects. Supporting continued business growth, you'll take ownership of developments from land acquisition through to settlement, driving commercial outcomes while balancing program, quality, and project performance.

Based in Sydney CBD and reporting to senior leadership, you'll take ownership across the full development lifecycle. From identifying acquisition opportunities and managing consultant teams to securing planning approvals, monitoring project performance, and coordinating key stakeholders, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering successful residential developments from concept through to completion.

Commercial leadership underpins everything you do, from evaluating acquisition opportunities and preparing feasibility assessments to managing project budgets, navigating planning approvals, and mitigating risk. You'll combine sound judgement with strategic thinking to maximise project value, build trusted relationships, and keep developments progressing with confidence.

You’ll be trusted with:

• Leading end-to-end management of diverse civil and infrastructure projects
• Identifying and assessing new land acquisition opportunities
• Completing due diligence, feasibility studies, and commercial assessments
• Developing project strategies from acquisition through to settlement
• Managing consultant teams, authorities, and planning approvals
• Monitoring project budgets, programs, cash flow, and financial performance
• Reviewing contractor, project manager, and quantity surveyor reporting
• Managing project risks, variations, and development approvals
• Chairing project control meetings and providing project reporting to senior leadership
• Collaborating with finance, sales, and marketing teams throughout the development lifecycle
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with consultants, authorities, and key stakeholders

What’s in your toolbox?

• Tertiary qualification in Civil Engineering or a related discipline
• 10+ years' experience delivering medium to large residential developments
• Minimum 5 years' experience delivering subdivision projects
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing budgets, programs, and project feasibility
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and communication skills
• Experience using Estate Master, Microsoft Excel, and MS Project

You’re the kind of person who thinks strategically, communicates with confidence, and enjoys taking ownership from acquisition through to settlement. You're commercially minded, build trusted relationships with ease, and have the judgement to balance competing priorities while delivering successful development outcomes.