Director, Development

Olympia Development of Michigan; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Olympia Development of Michigan seeks a Director of Development to lead the development and execution of large-scale real estate projects in Detroit and beyond. This role oversees underwriting, entitlements, incentives, capital structure and the full lifecycle from design through turnover.

You will collaborate with senior leadership, manage budgets, coordinate with public and private stakeholders, and drive strategic capital deployment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate development, business administration, economics, finance or related field.
• 10 years minimum of commercial real estate development sector related experience
• Knowledge of the local Downtown Detroit real estate market
• Proven track record of developing projects through completion.
• Thorough overall understanding of real estate strategies, planning, development, construction, transactions and project management.
• Solid understanding of real estate finance.
• Understanding of acquisition and due diligence process, including entitlements, zoning, environmental issues and incentives.
• Highly persuasive and credible to earn trust of peers, public and private stakeholders and company ownership/leadership.
• Strong leadership, planning, management and organizational experience.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously with minimal supervision.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and implement processes and plans.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including excellent presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with senior leadership to shape and implement the development strategy for Detroit and future opportunities.
• Provide strategic leadership across all development disciplines, including planning, due diligence and capital structure.
• Oversee creation and management of development concepts, plans and budgets, ensuring on-time delivery.
• Manage acquisition and execution of new ground-up developments and upgrades of existing sites.
• Lead consultants through pre-development, entitlement, financing, due diligence and construction phases.
• Manage ongoing public financing opportunities, obligations and covenants aligned with strategy.
• Liaise with public/private stakeholders, government officials and company leadership.
• Prepare and present to committee members on value creation, risks, budget and design.
• Provide leadership in capital deployment and deal structuring (debt, equity, JVs).

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Project management

Financial analysis

Due diligence

Entitlements

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in real estate development, business administration, economics, finance or related field

Job description

Job Summary

The Director of Development is responsible for managing the development and execution of development. This position manages the underwriting, entitlements, incentives, capital structure, design and development of both ground-up and adaptive projects consistent with the company’s overall development and investment objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with senior leadership to shape and implement the overall development strategy for the District Detroit and other future opportunities.
• Provide strategic leadership across all development disciplines, including parking, highest-and-best-use analysis, development strategy, due diligence, entitlements, capital structure, design, and construction.
• Oversee the creation and management of development concepts, plans, and budgets to ensure all projects are delivered on schedule and within budget, directing the full development and construction lifecycle from approval through turnover to Operations.
• Manage the acquisition and execution of new ground-up developments as well as the upgrade and rehabilitation of existing sites.
• Utilize expertise and understanding of the development process to lead internal and external consultants throughout the pre-development, entitlement, financing, due diligence, and construction phases.
• Manage ongoing public financing opportunities, obligations and covenants and ensure alignment with the overall development strategy.
• Liaise with public and private community stakeholders; government officials and company leadership.
• Participate in the preparation and presentation to committee members to ensure understanding of the project, the potential value creation, potential risks, budget and design.
• Provide leadership in capital deployment and deal structuring, including debt, equity, joint ventures, and other strategic capital approaches.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate development, business administration, economics, finance or related field.
• 10 years minimum of commercial real estate development sector related experience
• Knowledge of the local Downtown Detroit real estate market
• Proven track record of developing projects through completion.
• Thorough overall understanding of real estate strategies, planning, development, construction, transactions and project management.
• Solid understanding of real estate finance.
• Demonstrated understanding of the acquisition and due diligence process, including entitlements, zoning, environmental issues and incentives.
• Highly persuasive and credible to earn trust of peers, public and private stakeholders and company ownership/leadership.
• Strong leadership, planning, management and organizational experience.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously with minimal supervision.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and implement processes and plans.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including excellent presentation skills.

Working Conditions

• This position will work in an office environment and will visit outdoor locations and travel occasionally.

All items listed above are illustrative and not comprehensive. They are not contractual in nature and are subject to change at the discretion of Olympia Development of Michigan.

Olympia Development of Michigan is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Company will strive to provide reasonable accommodations to permit qualified applicants who have a need for an accommodation to participate in the hiring process (e.g., accommodations for a job interview) if so requested.