Senior Land Manager

Dandara; Royal Tunbridge Wells; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive bonus

Car allowance

33 days holiday (incl. bank holidays)

Private Medical Insurance

Employee Assistance Programme - EAP

Health Hero digital doctor - 24 hr

Health Assured Wisdom App

3x salary life assurance (paid option

Cycle to Work Scheme

Employer matched pension up to 5%

Flexible benefits: vouchers, parking,

Job summary

Dandara is seeking an experienced Senior Land Manager to join our Tunbridge Wells regional team. You will identify, appraise and secure residential development opportunities, leading the acquisition lifecycle from initial identification through to exchange and planning consent.

Role requires strong financial and planning acumen, a wide network of industry contacts, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across Land, Technical, Commercial and Sales teams.

Qualifications

• Proven experience securing residential land opportunities from initial identification through to completion.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to appraise sites, build viability models and identify value creation.
• Excellent knowledge of the planning system, Local Plan promotion and the political landscape surrounding residential development.
• A strong network of industry contacts and the ability to source on- and off-market opportunities.
• Excellent negotiation skills to secure commercially advantageous deals.
• Resilience and self-motivation to operate independently while collaborating with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills to present recommendations to senior management and Boards.
• RICS or equivalent qualification would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with landowners, agents, developers, promoters and local authorities.
• Identify on-market and off-market opportunities and track market trends.
• Lead financial and technical appraisal of potential sites and present viability forecasts to senior leaders.
• Negotiate and secure land acquisitions and manage the lifecycle from identification to planning consent.
• Develop and deliver land acquisition strategies with senior leadership.
• Influence Local Plans and planning applications to support a strong land pipeline.
• Provide market intelligence to support growth strategy and cross-functional decisions.
• Mentor junior members of the Land team.

Skills

Land acquisition

Financial analysis

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Networking

Planning knowledge

Viability modelling

Communication

Leadership

Mentoring

Education

RICS qualification

Equivalent professional qualification

Job description

Ready to shape the next generation of residential development? At Dandara, land is where great developments begin. We’re looking for an experienced Senior Land Manager to join our regional team, based from our Tunbridge Wells office, and play a key role in identifying, appraising and securing residential development opportunities that will drive our future growth. This is a role for someone who knows the land market, enjoys building relationships and has the commercial confidence to turn opportunities into successful acquisitions.

The Opportunity

As Senior Land Manager, you’ll take ownership of opportunities from the moment they are identified through to acquisition, working closely with our Land, Technical, Commercial, Sales and wider leadership teams.

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with landowners, agents, developers, promoters and local authorities.
• Identifying both on-market and off-market land opportunities and keeping ahead of competitor activity, planning policy and market trends.
• Leading the financial and technical appraisal of potential development sites.
• Preparing and presenting residual land appraisals, viability models and development forecasts to senior management and Group Boards.
• Leading negotiations and securing commercially attractive land acquisitions.
• Managing opportunities through the full acquisition lifecycle, from initial identification through to exchange, completion and implementable planning consent.
• Developing and delivering divisional land acquisition strategies alongside senior leadership.
• Influencing Local Plans, planning applications and Section 106 agreements to help build a strong medium- and long-term land pipeline.
• Providing market intelligence and insight to support the division’s growth strategy.
• Building strong relationships across the business and ensuring land decisions are aligned with technical, commercial and sales objectives.
• Supporting and mentoring junior members of the Land team.

What You'll Bring

We’re looking for an established land professional with a strong track record in residential land acquisition and a genuine understanding of what makes a development opportunity commercially viable.

You’ll Ideally Have

• Proven experience securing residential land opportunities from initial identification through to completion.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to appraise sites, build viability models and identify opportunities to create value.
• Excellent knowledge of the planning system, Local Plan promotion and the political landscape surrounding residential development.
• A strong network of industry contacts and the ability to source both on- and off-market opportunities.
• Excellent negotiation skills and the confidence to secure commercially advantageous deals.
• The resilience and self-motivation to operate independently while working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to present recommendations and opportunities to senior management and Boards.
• RICS or an equivalent professional qualification would be advantageous.

Why This Role?

This isn’t simply a role managing an existing land pipeline. You’ll be helping to identify where the business can grow next, building relationships in the market and taking ownership of opportunities that can shape the future development programme.

You’ll have visibility with senior stakeholders, influence across multiple functions and the opportunity to make a tangible commercial impact through the land you secure.

You’ll also play an important part in ensuring our developments support wider Environmental, Social and Governance objectives, including sustainability, Net Zero Carbon and social value initiatives.

What's in it for you?

• £Competitive basic based on experience
• Bonus Scheme
• Car Allowance
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Private Medical Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme - EAP
• Health Hero digital doctor - 24 hr virtual help and appointments
• Health Assured Wisdom App
• 3x salary life assurance (paid option to increase to x4)
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Employer matched pension scheme of up to 5%
• Flexible benefits including shopping vouchers, airport parking and reduced gym membership

Founded in 1988 on the Isle of Man, Dandara is the Housebuilding division of Dandara Group. It has been creating beautiful homes for over 30 years, providing our customers with an exceptional level of service all the way through the process. It’s part of the reason why we are one of the UK’s most respected private housebuilders, with our portfolio now stretching across the nation.