Land and Planning Director

Potensis; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Potensis in the Midlands seeks an experienced Land Director to lead the regional land strategy and pipeline development. You will work with the Regional Managing Director and senior leadership to shape development opportunities and growth.

You will identify opportunities, lead a land team, negotiate with landowners and agents, and present acquisition recommendations to executives while ensuring commercial and planning viability.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading land acquisition in residential development.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen for evaluating opportunities.
• Proven ability to source and secure development land.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the regional land team with clear objectives.
• Develop and implement the regional land acquisition strategy.
• Identify new development opportunities and assess viability.
• Negotiate with landowners, agents and promoters to secure opportunities.
• Present land proposals and acquisition recommendations to senior leadership.
• Ensure acquisitions are appraised and structured from legal and planning perspectives.
• Build relationships with landowners and key market contacts.
• Monitor market conditions, land supply and competitor activity.
• Oversee progression of land opportunities through to legal completion.
• Provide strategic oversight of planning for new acquisitions.

Skills

Land acquisition

Strategic leadership

Negotiation

Job description

A fast-growing residential developer is looking to appoint an experienced Land Director to lead its land strategy across the Midlands

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an ambitious land professional who can combine strategic thinking with strong commercial judgement, an established network of industry contacts and a proven track record of securing high-quality residential development opportunities.

Working closely with the Regional Managing Director and wider senior leadership team, you will play a key role in shaping the future land pipeline and supporting the continued growth of the business.

The Role

You will take overall responsibility for the regional land function, identifying and securing opportunities that support the company's strategic growth plans.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and developing the regional land team, setting clear objectives and ensuring a proactive approach to land acquisition.
• Developing and implementing the regional land acquisition strategy in line with wider business objectives.
• Identifying new development opportunities and assessing their commercial, planning, technical and legal viability.
• Leading negotiations with landowners, agents, promoters and other key stakeholders to secure new opportunities.
• Preparing and presenting detailed land proposals and acquisition recommendations to senior leadership.
• Ensuring potential acquisitions are thoroughly appraised, commercially optimised and structured appropriately from both legal and planning perspectives.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with landowners, agents, promoters and other key market contacts.
• Monitoring regional market conditions, land supply and competitor activity to identify emerging opportunities.
• Overseeing the progression of land opportunities through to legal completion, working closely with planning, technical, commercial and legal teams.
• Providing strategic oversight of planning activity associated with new acquisitions and ensuring appropriate external consultants are effectively managed.
• Maintaining accurate forecasting of the regional land pipeline and providing regular reporting on opportunities, risks and delivery.
• Identifying and managing risks that could impact the regional land strategy or wider business objectives.
• Working collaboratively with the wider senior management team to maximise the commercial and operational value of new land acquisitions.

About you

The successful candidate will be an experienced land professional with a strong understanding of the residential development market and a proven ability to source, negotiate and secure development opportunities.

You will ideally bring:

• Significant experience within land acquisition, development or a closely related residential property environment.
• A strong track record of sourcing and securing residential development land.
• Excellent commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to assess complex acquisition opportunities and make sound investment decisions.
• An established network of relationships with landowners, agents, promoters and other industry stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to build long‑term commercial relationships.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the planning, legal and technical considerations associated with residential land acquisition.
• Experience leading, developing and motivating a land team.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple acquisition opportunities through to completion.
• The confidence and credibility to operate at senior leadership level and influence key business decisions.
• A strategic mindset combined with a hands‑on approach to identifying and delivering new opportunities.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing residential business at a senior level, with genuine influence over its future land strategy and development pipeline.

The role offers the opportunity to play a central part in the continued expansion of the regional business while working alongside an experienced senior leadership team.