Land Development Manager

FIFTH SPACE; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

70% premiums covered (medical, vision,

HSA contributions

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off (PTO) + holidays

Parental leave

Disability insurance

Transit benefits

Professional development budget

Job summary

FIFTH SPACE’s Power Station project seeks a Land Development Manager in San Francisco to guide mapping, street design, and master association formation. You’ll coordinate with municipalities, utilities, and internal teams to deliver on time and within budget.

The role requires civil engineering expertise, strong project management, and excellent communication. On-site presence is required with occasional travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil-related field is required or equivalent.
• PE license is preferred.
• 4–8 years of relevant engineering/design/construction management experience.
• Experience with site civil design, permitting, and municipal coordination.
• Proficiency with scheduling tools like Microsoft Project.

Responsibilities

• Manage land development projects from conception through pre-construction, including site planning, design, and permitting.
• Conduct feasibility studies (land use, environmental, geotechnical, constructability).
• Prepare and maintain project schedules and budgets.
• Provide weekly status reports to leadership.
• Review engineering plans for grading, utilities, stormwater, and erosion control.
• Coordinate with consulting teams through design and construction.
• Lead design, review, and permitting of horizontal improvements.
• Coordinate utility and telecom designs with schedules.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Time management

Team player

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Landscape Architecture, or Construction Management

PE license (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

FIFTH SPACE is the agile and growing real estate team behind Power Station. In our colleagues we value hustle, collaboration, and creativity in the face of complexity. We have nimble capital and are not prone to bureaucracy at the expense of efficiency or common sense.

About Our Work

Power Station sits on the largest privately held, waterfront development parcel in San Francisco. It is nestled among other large projects that are collectively transforming the city’s eastern waterfront. At Power Station, we are creating a vibrant, urban ecosystem with 5.4M square feet of new residential, office, life science, and thoughtfully curated retail space, all interspersed with 7 acres of green parks and open space.

Position Summary

The Land Development Manager reports to the Director of Land Development. This role supports the tentative mapping, final mapping, street design, street acceptance, and master association formation for FIFTH SPACE’s Power Station development project in San Francisco.

The Land Development Manager will play a key role in advancing the delivery of developable vertical lots at Power Station, managing land development projects from utility relocations and grading to full street improvements. This position is responsible for supporting site planning, permitting, budgeting, and scheduling, while coordinating closely with municipalities, utilities, regulatory agencies, consultants, and FIFTH SPACE’s vertical development and horizontal construction management teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in compliance with all applicable regulations. The ideal candidate brings a strong technical foundation in civil engineering and land development, paired with excellent project management and communication skills, to drive projects forward from post-entitlement through City acceptance of streets.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage land development projects from conception through pre-construction, including site planning, design, and permitting.
• Conduct feasibility studies, including land use analysis, environmental assessments, geotechnical reviews, and constructability of civil designs.
• Prepare and maintain project schedules, from site planning to pre-construction.
• Provide regular (typically weekly) written status reports to leadership on progress, consultant/designer meetings, agency contacts, and issue resolution.
• Review engineering plans, site plans, plats, and specifications for grading, utilities, blackwater treatment, stormwater management, and erosion control.
• Coordinate and direct consultant teams (civil engineers, utility designers, surveyors, landscape architects, land use attorneys) throughout design and construction.
• Lead the design, review, and permitting process for horizontal improvements (building demo, utility relocations, environmental remediation, rough grading, street improvements, parks, etc.).
• Coordinate and review utility and telecom company designs and ensure adherence to project schedules.

Budget & Contract Management

• Prepare and manage project budgets, schedules, and cash flow.
• Solicit and analyze proposals from consultants; in coordination with legal counsel, draft and administer contracts with consultants.
• Review, negotiate, and approve change orders and invoices.
• Forecast upcoming work and report budget impacts to leadership.
• Assist in the preparation of CFD and EIFD reimbursement request packages.
• Review Title Reports and work with the Title Company to remove exceptions that are no longer relevant.
• Review easements and licenses to determine how they apply to different parcels of land.
• Obtain necessary permits and approvals from local, state, and federal regulatory agencies.
• Coordinate with government agencies from entitlement through final acceptance.
• Schedule and participate in City inspections; resolve punch list items and secure sign-off letters for bond release.
• Manage the Tentative Map, Final Map, and Street Improvement Permit processes.
• Coordinate approval and execution of public improvement agreements.

Site Oversight & Compliance

• Coordinate with inspectors, subcontractors, and consultants for pre-construction investigations.
• Conduct site visits, inspections, startups, and final walkthroughs as required.
• Manage SWPPP compliance and required project documentation.
• Identify and mitigate project risks to ensure successful delivery.
• Support FIFTH SPACE’s Construction Management team during construction of the permitted work.
• Perform other duties as assigned; work independently under limited supervision.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university, preferably in Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Landscape Architecture, or Construction Management.
• 4–8 years of relevant experience in engineering design, site development, or construction management, including work with municipalities and land development processes.
• Experience with site civil design, permitting, and applicable software applications, including proficiency with Microsoft Project (or similar scheduling tools).
• Ability to review Title Reports and underlying exceptions, such as easements, licenses, etc.
• Experience with task management, concept design, and assisting with project management tasks.
• Ability to review plan sets, construction documents, and construction plans (grading, utilities, street improvements, and landscape plans).
• Experience coordinating with consultants, attending consultant meetings, and overseeing quality standards.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to work with numbers and interpret technical documents.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High attention to detail with strong follow-up and follow-through abilities.
• Effective interpersonal and problem-solving skills; works well within a team.
• Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple priorities, functions, and roles concurrently.

Preferred

• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• Design and permitting experience in San Francisco, including utilities, site layout, drainage, etc.

Location

FIFTH SPACE’s office, currently on-site at Power Station (1248 Georgia Lane). In-person work is required on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Lunch is served Monday through Thursday. Occasional travel may be required.

Compensation

Compensation based on experience. Annual base salary range of $155,000 to $185,000, plus performance bonus and LTI targets — and a professional development budget.

We are a small, close-knit group. We are committed to going above and beyond in providing benefits that protect you.

• Company pays 70% of medical, vision, and dental premiums for employee and family (or $350 monthly stipend for waiver of health benefits).
• HSA with employer contributions ($250/month for individual or $500 for family).
• 401(k) with 50% employer match (up to 4.5% of base salary).
• 10 days PTO per year, plus office closures per company policy as it may be amended (currently the week of July 4th and the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day).
• Statutory sick leave (currently 72 hours per year).
• 16 weeks paid parental leave (birthing parent) or 12 weeks paid parental leave (non-birthing parent).
• Life and AD&D insurance (paid by company).
• Supplemental life and AD&D insurance (available at below-market rates).
• Long-term disability insurance (paid by company).
• Short-term disability insurance (available at below-market rates).
• Pre-tax employee contributions for public transportation expenses.
• CARES Act student loan assistance program.
• Hospital indemnity insurance, accident insurance, critical illness insurance, and legal insurance (available at below-market rates).

Disclaimer: Above is an outline of this position only. It is not comprehensive, and it is subject to change at any time. FIFTH SPACE is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable immigration and employment laws. To help us understand potential employment needs, we ask that applicants indicate whether they require sponsorship for employment visa status now or in the future. Employment decisions, including hiring decisions, are not based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or medical conditions related to pregnancy), physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, military or veteran status, genetic information, medical condition, natural hairstyle, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with state and federal laws.