Strategic Land Acquisition Lead

CALA Homes; Dorking; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

34 days holiday

Private healthcare

Pension contributions

ULEV car scheme

Employee assistance

Job summary

Cala Homes is seeking a Senior Land Manager in the United Kingdom to lead end-to-end identification, acquisition and delivery of high-quality land opportunities. You will coach junior team members and support the Land Director in maintaining a robust pipeline and reporting to Cala Group Board.

The role requires substantial experience in senior land or development roles, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to lead, negotiate and manage multi-disciplinary teams through due diligence and

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a senior land acquisition or residential development role.
• Strong commercial acumen including land appraisals, financial modelling and budget management.
• In-depth knowledge of the UK residential land market, planning systems and land acquisition processes.
• Highly effective negotiator with ability to build long-term relationships.
• Experience delivering land strategies aligned to business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Self-Sourced Site Origination & Delivery: identify and appraise off-market land parcels; manage projects end-to-end from site identification through due diligence, negotiation, contracting and planning engagement; secure heads of terms and drive site contracts with minimal senior intervention; maintain networks with landowners, agents and advisers; coordinate internal and external teams; collaborate with planning through to submission and protect profit margins; present proposals to secure internal support.
• Team Management & Development: coach junior team members, set objectives and provide feedback; embed best practices in appraisal, deal structuring and risk assessment.
• Strategic Insight & Reporting: contribute to annual land-acquisition strategy; own KPIs, budget controls and risk registers; escalate issues as needed.
• Stakeholder & Governance Engagement: act as primary contact for joint-venture partners, Housing Associations, external advisers; prepare board papers and financial appraisals.
• Commercial Margin Oversight: monitor margin, ROCE and IRR; report on performance; identify risks and mitigate to protect returns.

Skills

Negotiation

Leadership

Project management

Financial modelling

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Strategic thinking

Team coaching

Market awareness

Education

Degree in Estate Management or Town Planning

Tools

Word

Excel

Outlook

PowerPoint

Job description

Cala Homes is seeking a Senior Land Manager in the United Kingdom to lead end-to-end identification, acquisition and delivery of high-quality land opportunities. You will coach junior team members and support the Land Director in maintaining a robust pipeline and reporting to Cala Group Board.

The role requires substantial experience in senior land or development roles, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to lead, negotiate and manage multi-disciplinary teams through due diligence and