Director of Land Acquisition & Development Strategy

Champion Home Builders, Inc.; Troy (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k match

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Medical insurance

Rx coverage

Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance

Job summary

Champion Home Builders, Inc. is seeking a Director of Land & Development to lead identification, evaluation, acquisition, and development planning of land opportunities supporting Builder Developer growth.

You will oversee the front end of the development lifecycle and partner with Finance, Legal, and external partners to assess opportunities, manage risk, and ensure investments align with financial objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Business Administration, Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Land Development, or a related field.
• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in land acquisition, residential development, real estate development, homebuilding, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating and acquiring residential land and/or finished lots.
• Strong understanding of land development, entitlements, zoning, infrastructure, utilities, environmental considerations, and due diligence.
• Experience developing and evaluating financial models and project pro formas.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate complex real estate transactions.
• Strong executive communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate land, finished-lot, and development opportunities within targeted markets.
• Develop and maintain relationships with landowners, developers, brokers, municipalities, engineers, and other real estate partners.
• Establish a pipeline of acquisition opportunities aligned with Builder Developer growth priorities.
• Evaluate potential acquisitions based on market demand, location, lot characteristics, development requirements, timing, cost, and strategic fit.
• Lead negotiations related to land and lot acquisitions in partnership with Legal, Finance, and appropriate business leaders.
• Lead comprehensive due diligence for prospective land and lot acquisitions, including zoning, entitlements, utilities, infrastructure, environmental conditions, title, access, development costs, schedules, and other material risks.
• Partner with Finance and Builder Developer leadership to develop project assumptions, acquisition models, pro formas, sensitivity analyses, and investment recommendations.
• Identify key financial, development, entitlement, construction, and market risks before capital commitments are made.
• Develop clear recommendations for proceeding with, modifying, or declining proposed acquisitions.
• Ensure appropriate documentation and analysis are completed before opportunities are submitted through Champion's established capital approval process.
• Develop Champion's internal capabilities related to horizontal land development.
• Evaluate when Champion should purchase finished lots versus acquire and develop land.
• Manage external engineers, consultants, developers, contractors, and other subject matter experts supporting development activities.
• Oversee preliminary development schedules, budgets, entitlement strategies, and infrastructure requirements.
• Monitor development performance against approved project assumptions and identify emerging risks or cost pressures.
• Serve as a key connection point between land acquisition and downstream project execution.
• Establish clear handoffs from acquisition and development planning to project delivery and construction.
• Partner closely with Construction Services on build schedules, lot readiness, infrastructure requirements, and project sequencing.
• Coordinate with Legal on purchase agreements, development agreements, easements, title matters, and other transaction-related documents.
• Work with Finance to ensure acquisition and development decisions meet established investment and return expectations.
• Support executive-level presentations and approval materials for significant land investments.
• Monitor land availability, development costs, entitlement conditions, competitive activity, and market trends within priority markets.
• Develop and maintain a forward-looking land and lot pipeline to support long-term Builder Developer growth.
• Provide leadership with recommendations regarding geographic expansion and land-development opportunities.
• Maintain visibility into acquisition costs, land inventory, development schedules, key risks, and projected lot availability.
• Serve as Champion's subject matter expert for land acquisition and development within the Builder Developer organization.
• Build strong working relationships across Builder Developer, Construction Services, Finance, Legal, Operations, and other corporate functions.
• Establish disciplined land-acquisition and development processes, tools, approval standards, and reporting.
• Provide leadership with timely updates regarding the land pipeline, capital requirements, development risks, and significant transactions.
• Represent Champion professionally with landowners, developers, brokers, municipalities, consultants, and other external partners.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiations

Executive communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial acumen

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Real Estate or related field

Job description

Champion Home Builders, Inc. is seeking a Director of Land & Development to lead identification, evaluation, acquisition, and development planning of land opportunities supporting Builder Developer growth.

You will oversee the front end of the development lifecycle and partner with Finance, Legal, and external partners to assess opportunities, manage risk, and ensure investments align with financial objectives.