Assistant Strategic Land Manager

Hill Group UK; Crawley; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Hill Group UK in Crawley seeks a Strategic Land and Project Manager to lead a portfolio of strategic land schemes, manage land acquisitions, planning promotion, and early development to meet the Group's Strategic Land Business Plan.

You will support the Regional Head of Strategic Land by sourcing and assessing opportunities, coordinating consultant teams, and ensuring high standards of safety, quality, and financial reporting.

Responsibilities

• Managing a portfolio of strategic land projects, acquisition and planning promotion.
• Identify and progress new strategic land opportunities, assessing planning, technical, legal and commercial risks.
• Lead negotiations to secure robust land acquisition agreements.
• Manage planning activities across strategic sites, including consultant coordination, applications, appeals and plan promotion.
• Prepare and maintain financial appraisals, cash flows, budgets, sensitivities and key date programmes.
• Monitor consultant teams by setting briefs, tracking performance and controlling fees.
• Ensure reports, appraisals and technical information are clear and high quality.
• Ensure health and safety compliance and promote a positive safety culture.
• Build strong relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders.

Job description

Job title: Strategic Land and Project Manager

Location: Crawley

Role Overview

The role is responsible for managing and delivering a portfolio of strategic land projects, overseeing land acquisitions, planning promotion, and early-stage development to meet the Group Strategic Land Business plan objectives. The postholder supports the Regional Head of Strategic Land by sourcing and assessing new opportunities, managing planning and appraisal processes, coordinating consultant teams, and ensuring high standards of quality, health and safety, financial control and reporting. The role involves leading negotiations, managing budgets and programmes, identifying and mitigating risks, and ensuring a smooth handover of schemes to development teams, while building strong internal and external relationships and representing the business professional at all stakeholder engagements.

General Responsibilities

• Managing a portfolio of strategic land projects, covering acquisition and planning promotion in line with the Strategic Land Business Plan.
• Identify and progress new strategic land opportunities, assessing planning, technical, legal and commercial risks.
• Lead of support land acquisition negotiations to secure commercially robust agreements.
• Manage planning activities across strategic sites, including consultant coordination, applications, appeals and plan promotion.
• Prepare and maintain financial appraisals, cash flows, budgets, sensitivities, and key date programmes throughout the project lifestyle.
• Manage consultant teams by setting clear briefs, monitoring performance and controlling fees.
• Ensure all reports, appraisals, and technical information are clear, accurate and high quality.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety requirements and promote a positive safety culture.
• Build strong relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders, representing the company professional at all times.

Technical Duties

• Carry out technical, legal and planning due diligence for potential land acquisitions.
• Prepare and validate land appraisals, cash flows, and sensitivity analyses.
• Review consultant reports to ensure accuracy and suitability for decision-making.
• Create and manage details project programmes from acquisition through handover.
• Lead planning promotion activities, including applications, representations and appeals.
• Appoint and manage consultant teams to ensure coordinated and timely delivery.
• Monitor and control planning and legal fee budgets managing spend against approvals.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date strategic land and planning records.
• Ensure land and planning documentation aligns with Hill Residential standards and objectives.
• Support effective technical handover of schemes to the Development Team.

Hill Expects Every Employee to:

• Work as one team across Hill, valuing collaboration and mutual support
• Uphold our reputation by role-modelling consistent behaviours at all times and to all stakeholders
• Stay agile—be ready to adapt, problem-solve, and keep momentum in a changing environment
• Take pride in your work and aim to leave a lasting, positive impact in everything you do
• Understand and follow all company policies, completing required training