Land Development Manager

Hightop Development; Conshohocken (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Hightop Development is seeking an experienced owner’s engineer to take suburban sites from raw land to shovel-ready, collaborating with ownership, construction, and legal teams in the Philadelphia region.

You will shape acquisitions, design decisions, and approvals timelines, overseeing consultants and coordinating with township boards to secure land development approvals and permitting across PA.

Qualifications

• PA Professional Engineer license required.
• 7+ years in civil site design or land development with ground-up suburban residential or mixed-use projects.
• Proven ability to obtain approvals through PA municipal and state processes.
• Working knowledge of SALDO and zoning ordinances, stormwater management, and DEP permitting.
• Proficiency in Civil 3D or comparable software.
• Strong communicator able to lead township meetings and drive consultants.

Responsibilities

• Lead site due diligence and feasibility on new acquisitions; run yield studies and estimate site costs.
• Manage outside civil engineers, surveyors, traffic, environmental, and geotech consultants; enforce scope, schedule, and budget.
• Drive land development approvals through township staff, planning commissions, zoning hearing boards, and boards of supervisors; present at public meetings.
• Own state and county permitting: NPDES, Chapter 102 and 105, E&S and PCSM, sewage planning modules, and PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permits.
• Coordinate public and private utilities (water, sewer, electric, gas).
• Review plans for constructability and cost; identify value engineering opportunities.
• Manage financial security, escrow releases, as-builts, and dedication of public improvements.
• Support construction team through site work and closeout.

Skills

Professional Engineer license

7+ years experience

PA approvals track record

SALDO knowledge

Stormwater management

DEP permitting

Strong communicator

Developer mindset

Tools

Civil 3D

Job description

Hightop is a vertically integrated real estate firm founded in 2013. We develop, build, own, and manage multifamily, mixed use, retail and planned community projects across the Philadelphia region.

The Role

You will be the owner’s engineer. You will take suburban sites from raw land to shovel-ready, working directly with ownership, our construction team, and our attorneys. You will shape what we buy, how we design it, and how fast we get it approved.

What You Will Do

• Lead site due diligence and feasibility on new acquisitions. Run yield studies, flag fatal flaws, and estimate site costs before we commit.
• Manage outside civil engineers, surveyors, traffic, environmental, and geotech consultants. Hold them to scope, schedule, and budget.
• Drive land development approvals through township staff, planning commissions, zoning hearing boards, and boards of supervisors. Present at public meetings.
• Own state and county permitting: NPDES, Chapter 102 and 105, E&S and PCSM, sewage planning modules, and PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permits.
• Coordinate public and private utilities, including water, sewer, electric, and gas.
• Review plans for constructability and cost. Find value engineering wins without creating approval risk.
• Manage financial security, escrow releases, as-builts, and dedication of public improvements.
• Support our construction team through site work and closeout.

What You Bring

• Professional Engineer license in Pennsylvania
• 7+ years in civil site design or land development, with real experience on ground-up suburban residential or mixed-use projects
• A track record of getting projects approved through PA municipal and state processes
• Working knowledge of SALDO and zoning ordinances, stormwater management, and DEP permitting
• Proficiency in Civil 3D or comparable software
• Strong communicator who can hold a room at a township meeting and push a consultant to deliver
• Developer mindset. You think about cost, schedule, and yield, not just compliance.