Senior Manager

Sunlight Developers; Chengalpattu; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunlight Developers in Chennai seeks an experienced Real Estate Projects Head to lead end-to-end residential developments from land acquisition to handover, with P&L ownership and tight schedule discipline.

You will coordinate with CMDA/DTCP, TNRERA, architects, contractors and brokers, build a high-performing team in Year 1, and establish SOPs to scale to 300 units per year within six years.

Qualifications

• 8 - 14 years in residential real estate in Chennai.
• Has run projects end to end from approvals through handover for at least 100 units.
• Working knowledge of CMDA/DTCP rules, TNRERA and the approval process.
• Civil engineering degree held and relevant licenses in place.
• Existing contractor, vendor and broker relationships in South Chennai.

Responsibilities

• Source parcels of lands across the target pincodes
• Maintain a live pipeline of at least 20 parcels at any time
• Run first-level title checks; brief and manage the legal firm on due diligence
• Negotiate sharing ratio, refundable deposit, timelines and penalty clauses
• Build and hold relationships with landowners, liaison agents and local brokers
• Recommend deals to the MD with a completed feasibility model; MD signs
• Manage CMDA / DTCP planning permission end to end
• TNRERA registration, separate project account, quarterly filings
• Fire, environment, water, sewer and power sanctions as applicable
• Completion certificate before any handover
• No project opens sales before RERA registration
• Brief and manage architects to maximise saleable area within permissible FSI
• Approve floor plates, unit mix and layouts against market demand
• Ensure Vastu compliance across all units
• Coordinate structural and MEP consultants; commission soil tests
• Own the construction schedule for every live project; slab-cycle discipline
• Appoint and manage contractors; negotiate rates and hold the contract
• Material procurement cement, steel, RMC, finishes and vendor base
• Monthly budget-vs-actual per project, with variance explanations
• Site safety and BOCW compliance
• Enforce stage-wise inspection checklists with sign-offs
• Third-party cube, steel and soil testing on every project
• Own waterproofing specification and execution no seepage at handover
• Close snags before handover, not after
• Own booking velocity and price discipline; no unauthorised discounting
• Build the broker network to 40+ active brokers; same-day brokerage payout on booking
• Manage launch marketing within budget
• Collections against payment milestones; escalate defaults early
• Customer documentation agreement for sale, UDS deed, handover kit
• Own the handover experience and post-handover defect liabiliy
• Project-wise P&L and cash forecast
• Monthly MIS to the MD by the 7th: cash, bookings, collections, construction progress, margin, pipeline
• Weekly one-page written update every Monday
• Immediate escalation of any schedule slip, cost overrun above 5%, or legal notice
• Hire Projects Manager, Sales Manager and site engineers in Year 1
• Set targets, review monthly, manage out non-performers
• Build SOPs so the business isn't dependent on any individual

Skills

Land acquisition

JDA negotiations

Project management

CMDA/DTCP knowledge

TNRERA knowledge

Vendor & contractor relationships

Tamil & English, Hindi

Education

Civil engineering degree

Tools

MS Excel

MS Project

Job description

Summary

Run the development business day to day. The MD sets strategy, approves capital and signs land deals; everything between a piece of land and a handed-over key is yours.

The business is at 30 units across 2 projects today and intends to build to ~300 units a year over six years, concentrated in a 5-pincode catchment. This is a build role, not a caretaker role. You will do the work yourself in Year 1 and build the team that takes it over by Year 3.

Role & responsibilities

Land & JDA

• Source parcels of lands across the target pincodes
• Maintain a live pipeline of at least 20 parcels at any time
• Run first-level title checks; brief and manage the legal firm on due diligence
• Negotiate sharing ratio, refundable deposit, timelines and penalty clauses
• Build and hold relationships with landowners, liaison agents and local brokers
• Recommend deals to the MD with a completed feasibility model; MD signs

Approvals & compliance

• Manage CMDA / DTCP planning permission end to end
• TNRERA registration, separate project account, quarterly filings
• Fire, environment, water, sewer and power sanctions as applicable
• Completion certificate before any handover
• No project opens sales before RERA registration

Design & planning

• Brief and manage architects to maximise saleable area within permissible FSI
• Approve floor plates, unit mix and layouts against market demand
• Ensure Vastu compliance across all units
• Coordinate structural and MEP consultants; commission soil tests

Projects & construction

• Own the construction schedule for every live project; slab-cycle discipline
• Appoint and manage contractors; negotiate rates and hold the contract
• Material procurement cement, steel, RMC, finishes and vendor base
• Monthly budget-vs-actual per project, with variance explanations
• Site safety and BOCW compliance

Quality

• Enforce stage-wise inspection checklists with sign-offs
• Third-party cube, steel and soil testing on every project
• Own waterproofing specification and execution no seepage at handover
• Close snags before handover, not after

Sales & customer

• Own booking velocity and price discipline; no unauthorised discounting
• Build the broker network to 40+ active brokers; same-day brokerage payout on booking
• Manage launch marketing within budget
• Collections against payment milestones; escalate defaults early
• Customer documentation agreement for sale, UDS deed, handover kit
• Own the handover experience and post-handover defect liabiliy

Finance & reporting

• Project-wise P&L and cash forecast
• Monthly MIS to the MD by the 7th: cash, bookings, collections, construction progress, margin, pipeline
• Weekly one-page written update every Monday
• Immediate escalation of any schedule slip, cost overrun above 5%, or legal notice

Team

• Hire Projects Manager, Sales Manager and site engineers in Year 1
• Set targets, review monthly, manage out non-performers
• Build SOPs so the business isn't dependent on any individual

Preferred candidate profile

Essential

• 8 - 14 years in residential real estate in Chennai
• Has run projects end to end approvals through handover for at least 100 units
• Working knowledge of CMDA/DTCP rules, TNRERA and the approval process
• Civil engineering degree
• Existing contractor, vendor and broker relationships in South Chennai
• Tamil and English, Hindi

Strongly preferred

• Has participated in JDA negotiations with individual landowners
• Has worked in a small or mid-size builder where they did the work themselves
• Comfortable with spreadsheets, project scheduling and reporting discipline