Strategic Land Manager

Dandara; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary based on experience

Bonus scheme

33 days holiday (incl. BH)

Private Medical Insurance

Employee Assistance Programme - EAP

Health Hero digital doctor

Health Assured Wisdom App

3x salary life assurance (opt to x4)

Cycle to Work Scheme

Employer matched pension scheme up to

Flexible benefits: vouchers, parking,

Job summary

Dandara, a leading UK housebuilder, is seeking a Strategic Land Manager to identify, secure, and promote strategic land opportunities from our London office. You will work with the Land and Planning Directors and manage consultants, budgets and negotiations to drive future developments.

You will lead due diligence, viability assessments and site searches, ensuring acquisitions meet company investment criteria while coordinating with planning and land teams to achieve timely planning permissions.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4–5 years’ experience in the strategic land division of a national housebuilder, land promoter/trader or land agency.
• Proven experience identifying, negotiating and securing land deals (options, promotions, hybrids, unconditional purchases).
• Strong understanding of national and local planning policy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to engage with diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Proactively source strategic land opportunities with development potential, including options, promotions, hybrids and unconditional purchases.
• Lead business development and build relationships with agents, landowners, and other stakeholders.
• Conduct due diligence, viability appraisals and site searches to assess acquisition suitability.
• Support delivery of opportunities against targets and timelines with the strategic land team.
• Lead acquisition negotiations with solicitors and advisers as required.
• Manage the full acquisition process, including due diligence, appraisals, risk and alignment with investment criteria.
• Assist with land pricing and landowner negotiations alongside the planning team.

Skills

Strategic land

Negotiation

Communication

Excel proficiency

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Creating and building beautiful award-winning homes is what we do at Dandara. Homes that combine innovative design with only the highest standards of quality. It’s something we have been doing for over 30 years and It’s part of the reason why we’re one of the UK’s most respected private housebuilders. And so is how we work with local communities to ensure our homes are designed in such a way that they enhance and complement their surroundings beautifully.

The Strategic Land Manager will play a key role in identifying, securing and promoting new and existing strategic land opportunities. Working closely with the Land and Planning Directors and reporting to the Senior Strategic Land Manager, the successful candidate will manage consultant teams, planning budgets and landowner negotiations, while assessing the planning potential of strategic sites. This role requires a proactive, commercially astute individual with experience in strategic land acquisition and promotion.

Based in our London office in W1F

What You Will Do

• Proactively source strategic land opportunities with future development potential, including option, promotion and hybrid agreements, as well as unconditional purchases.
• Lead business development activity to identify new opportunities, including building relationships with agents, landowners and other external stakeholders.
• Conduct due diligence, viability appraisals and site searches to assess suitability for acquisition.
• Support the delivery of opportunities against agreed targets and timeframes, working closely with the wider strategic land team.
• Lead the acquisition negotiation process, engaging with solicitors and professional advisers as required.
• Manage the wider acquisition process, including full due diligence, working with the land and planning teams to appraise site options, understand financial implications, manage risk and ensure acquisitions meet the company’s investment criteria.
• Support internal reporting on live projects, including updating internal appraisals to inform board reporting.
• Assist with exercising options and agreeing land pricing with vendors and the wider professional team.
• Manage and co‑ordinate external consultants, including architects, planners and agents, to support bids and subsequent planning applications alongside the planning team.
• Work closely with the planning team, relevant consultants and advisers to secure Local Plan allocations or planning permission in the shortest possible timeframe.
• Support the project management of the planning promotion process for each site in line with the agreed planning strategy, liaising closely with landowners and their agents to ensure projects run on time, within budget and in line with agreed objectives.

What You Will Have

• A minimum of 4–5 years’ experience working within the strategic land division of a national housebuilder, land promoter/trader or land agency.
• Proven experience of identifying, negotiating and securing land deals, including options, promotions, hybrids and unconditional purchases.
• A strong understanding of national and local planning policy.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong knowledge and practical use of development appraisals.
• Strong knowledge of technical design and the planning system.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage with a variety of audiences and build strong relationships.
• Highly motivated, self‑driven and entrepreneurial, with the ability to work effectively as part of a wider team.

What We Will Offer You

Dandara was established in 1988 from the desire to provide innovative homes and commercial properties, which would offer real value for money without compromising on design, durability, or quality. Today Dandara is one of the UK’s largest independent property development companies, with over 10,000 happy customers and more than 100 industry awards for design and quality – and it’s all thanks to the vision and passion of our dedicated team. Our benefits include:

• £Competitive basic based on experience
• Bonus Scheme
• 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.