Senior Development Manager

The Opportunity Hub UK Ltd; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 61,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private medical and dental insurance

Enhanced pension scheme

Performance-based bonuses

Job summary

The Opportunity Hub UK Ltd in Edinburgh is seeking a Senior Development Manager to drive major property and construction schemes from feasibility to delivery.

You will manage budgets, schedules, and quality while coordinating with contractors, planners, and authorities across the Edinburgh area.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading development projects from feasibility to completion.
• Strong understanding of planning policy and land acquisition.
• Ability to interpret financial viability reports and appraisals.

Responsibilities

• Lead development projects from feasibility through to completion, managing budget, programme and quality.
• Engage with contractors, consultants, planners and local authorities across Edinburgh.
• Review site appraisals and financial viability reports before approvals.
• Chair project meetings and report progress to senior stakeholders on a regular cycle.
• Identify and mitigate risks to avoid delays or cost overruns.
• Mentor junior development staff within the career development framework.

Skills

Senior project management

Planning policy

Professional qualification (RICS/RIBA)

Contractor/stakeholder negotiations

Financial appraisal literacy

Multi-project leadership

Education

Related degree or equivalent qualification

RICS/RIBA qualification preferred

Job description

Perfect role for a senior professional looking to grow their Property & Construction career in Edinburgh.

Scotland's construction pipeline has kept building through a period when plenty of other sectors stalled. Major residential and commercial schemes across Edinburgh need people who can run them properly, not just watch them happen. This is an established name in Property & Construction, the kind of enterprise operation with 250+ staff, layered project teams, and a track record stretching back decades. They need a Senior Development Manager who can take that structure and actually deliver with it.

Here's what you'll be doing:

• Leading development projects from feasibility through to completion, keeping budget, programme and quality all moving in the same direction
• Managing relationships with contractors, consultants, planners and local authorities across the Edinburgh area
• Reviewing site appraisals and financial viability reports before projects get the green light
• Chairing project meetings and reporting progress to senior stakeholders on a regular cycle
• Identifying risk early and resolving it before it becomes a delay or a cost overrun
• Mentoring junior development staff as part of the wider career development structure

Here are the skills you'll need:

• Substantial experience managing development projects within Property & Construction, ideally at a senior level
• Strong grip on planning policy, land acquisition and development appraisal
• A relevant degree or professional qualification (RICS, RIBA or similar carries real weight here)
• Confidence negotiating with contractors and external stakeholders without losing sight of the client's interests
• Sharp financial literacy. You'll be reading appraisals, not just nodding along to them
• The composure to manage several live projects at once without dropping any of them

Key perks and benefits:

• £60,500 to £78,500, depending on experience
• Hybrid working, with time split between the Edinburgh office and home
• Private medical and dental insurance for you and your family
• An enhanced pension scheme built for the long term
• Performance-based bonuses on top of salary, plus a full benefits package that reflects enterprise-level backing

Why pursue a career in Property & Construction?

Edinburgh's skyline is still changing, and someone has to manage that change properly. Property & Construction rewards people who can combine technical judgement with the patience to see a scheme through years, not weeks, and the progression routes at this level are genuinely structured rather than vague promises. Few cities in the UK offer the mix of heritage sensitivity and new development that Edinburgh does, which makes a Senior Development Manager role here more varied than most.