Senior Land Manager

Weston Homes Plc; Elsenham; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car allowance

Private healthcare

Pension scheme

Life Insurance

Income protection

Discretionary annual bonus

Gym & wellbeing program

Training & development

Long service awards

Job summary

Weston Homes Plc is a residential developer seeking a Senior Land Manager to drive our expansion by identifying and securing premier residential and mixed-use sites. You will work with planning, design, technical and commercial teams to ensure bold land strategies balance risk, GDV and long-term profitability.

You will lead legal acquisitions, oversee deal structuring, steer post‑acquisition handovers and maintain an extensive network of agents and landowners.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in sourcing and acquiring high-density residential or mixed-use land opportunities.
• Proven expertise in commercial deal structuring, with hands-on experience negotiating complex land acquisitions, option agreements, and high-value conditional contracts
• Strong financial modelling and appraisal capability with a keen focus on risk mitigation and profit optimisation
• Extensive network of key agents, land brokers and local planning authorities.
• Excellent executive presentation skills for Board-level and banking partner approvals.

Responsibilities

• Lead Legal Acquisitions: Take primary ownership of the legal process for land purchases, working directly with solicitors, landowners, and agents to negotiate and draft complex option agreements, conditional contracts, and land acquisitions.
• Deal Structuring: Oversee contract terms to protect company interests, minimise risk, and ensure commercial viability during land negotiations.
• Handover & Compliance: Drive the post-acquisition handover process, ensuring all legal title matters, planning obligations, and site conditions are fully briefed to internal departments.
• Site Sourcing & Pipeline: Proactively identify and secure residential development and partnership opportunities across key target locations.
• High-Level Financial Appraisals: Oversee detailed land appraisals to evaluate site feasibility, GDV, and profit margins.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Planning, Design, Technical, Commercial, and Sales teams to ensure all cost assumptions and revenue projections are accurate and aligned with market conditions.
• Board & Bank Approvals: Prepare and present comprehensive Board reports and bank funding submissions, liaising with independent valuers to secure acquisition approvals.
• Agent & Landowner Network: Build, leverage, and maintain an extensive network of land agents, local authorities, and strategic partners to gain early access to off-market sites.
• Market Intelligence: Monitor local planning policies, competitor activity, and emerging land trends to guide acquisition strategy.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Provide guidance and support to Land Managers and Assistants within the team, fostering a high-performance culture, and undertake senior-level duties commensurate with departmental growth goals.

Skills

Land sourcing

Deal structuring

Financial modelling

Stakeholder management

Board reporting

Job description

A little bit about the role...

At Weston Homes, our growth is powered by strategic land acquisition. Your primary purpose as Senior Land Manager is to spearhead our expansion by identifying, evaluating and securing premier residential and mixed-use development sites. Working in close partnership with the wider business, you will ensure every deal carefully balances risk with maximum commercial viability and long-term profitability.

The successful candidate will be responsible for but not limited to the following:

Strategic Legal & Contract Leadership

• Lead Legal Acquisitions: Take primary ownership of the legal process for land purchases, working directly with solicitors, landowners, and agents to negotiate and draft complex option agreements, conditional contracts, and land acquisitions.
• Deal Structuring: Oversee contract terms to protect company interests, minimise risk, and ensure commercial viability during land negotiations.
• Handover & Compliance: Drive the post-acquisition handover process, ensuring all legal title matters, planning obligations, and site conditions are fully briefed to internal departments.

Acquisition & Commercial Strategy

• Site Sourcing & Pipeline: Proactively identify and secure residential development and partnership opportunities across key target locations.
• High-Level Financial Appraisals: Oversee detailed land appraisals to evaluate site feasibility, Gross Development Value (GDV), and profit margins.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Planning, Design, Technical, Commercial, and Sales teams to ensure all cost assumptions and revenue projections are accurate and aligned with market conditions.
• Board & Bank Approvals: Prepare and present comprehensive Board reports and bank funding submissions, liaising with independent valuers to secure acquisition approvals.

Relationship & Market Leadership

• Agent & Landowner Network: Build, leverage, and maintain an extensive network of land agents, local authorities, and strategic partners to gain early access to off-market sites.
• Market Intelligence: Monitor local planning policies, competitor activity, and emerging land trends to guide acquisition strategy.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Provide guidance and support to Land Managers and Assistants within the team, fostering a high-performance culture, and undertake senior-level duties commensurate with departmental growth goals.

What we would like in return...

• Proven track record in sourcing and acquiring high-density residential or mixed-use land opportunities.
• Proven expertise in commercial deal structuring, with hands-on experience negotiating complex land acquisitions, option agreements, and high-value conditional contracts
• Strong financial modelling and appraisal capability with a keen focus on risk mitigation and profit optimisation.
• Extensive network of key agents, land brokers and local planning authorities.
• Excellent executive presentation skills for Board-level and banking partner approvals.

What we will offer you...

As a valued employee you will be rewarded with the following:

• Highly competitive Annual Salary
• A company vehicle or car allowance and fully expensed fuel card for personal and professional milage
• Generous company pension (employer contribution up to 10%) increasing with length of service
• Private healthcare for employees, partner and children up to the age of 21
• 22 days holidays, plus English bank holidays, plus the Christmas shutdown (not deducted from your holiday allowance)
• Life Insurance - 4x salary
• Income Protection
• Discretionary Annual Bonus depending on company performance
• Fully equipped gym at head office - Health Checks, Gym Programmes, and Healthy Lifestyle Sessions
• Extensive training and development opportunities
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity Pay
• In house Occupational Health Nurse
• Long Service Awards
• Vouchers to celebrate marriage, the birth / adoption of a child
• Comprehensive social calendar including but not limited to; Family Fun Day; Company Bowling, Christmas Party and various activities and sporting events throughout the year.

Finally, a little bit about us...

Weston Homes Plc are a residential developer prominent across Greater London, Essex and the surrounding areas within the South East of England. We call ourselves ‘opportunists’, we have everything in-house, which puts us in the driver's seat. Our developments are all bespoke from new build residential, regenerations, traditional build through to refurbishment projects.

We’re proud to say we’ve recently won 5 industry awards for the the second consecutive year, we are proud to have received the Gold award for 'Best Medium Housebuilder', plus Gold award for 'Best Sustainable Development' - Abbey Quay, Barking, Silver award for 'Best Starter Home' - Springfield Park, Maidstone.

Our people are our greatest asset, We not only build homes for life – we build careers for life.