SVP - Industrial Development

Macdonald & Company; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 200,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Macdonald & Company seeks a Vice President/Senior Vice President of Industrial Development based in Dallas or Houston. Lead the Texas industrial platform, source prime sites, and guide projects from initial site selection through delivery with a broad cross-functional team.

You will build a pipeline, manage entitlements and approvals, negotiate term sheets, and ensure project execution, budgeting, and leasing alignment across markets in Texas.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in real estate, finance, or related field.
• 7+ years in industrial development or related real estate.
• Proven ability to source and close development opportunities in Texas.
• Strong financial modeling, underwriting, and market analysis skills.
• Excellent negotiation and leadership of cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead Texas development strategy with senior leadership.
• Source and secure development sites through brokers and market networks.
• Oversee underwriting, financial modeling, and feasibility analysis.

Skills

Industrial real estate

Sourcing

Underwriting

Financial modeling

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Real Estate/Finance

Tools

Excel

Argus

GIS

Job description

Vice President / Senior Vice President of Industrial Development

Location: Dallas or Houston, Texas

About the Company

Macdonald & Company has been retained by a well-regarded national real estate developer to appoint a Vice President or Senior Vice President of Industrial Development to spearhead its industrial platform across Texas.

The company has an established development track record, strong capital relationships, and an integrated platform supporting the execution of projects from initial site acquisition through delivery. Its industrial business focuses on developing modern logistics facilities in key U.S. markets, including speculative and build-to-suit opportunities.

The Opportunity

Based in either Dallas or Houston, this individual will help shape the company’s Texas industrial development strategy, build a pipeline of opportunities, and lead projects through the full development lifecycle.

The role will place particular emphasis on sourcing land, securing sites, and advancing opportunities through underwriting, due diligence, entitlements, and predevelopment. This individual will retain accountability through construction, delivery, and lease-up, working closely with internal teams and external partners.

This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial development professional with strong Texas relationships to grow a regional platform within an established national business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Texas development strategy: Work with senior leadership to identify priority markets, submarkets, and opportunities, building a development pipeline aligned with the company’s investment objectives.
• Source and secure development sites: Identify industrial land opportunities through relationships with landowners, land brokers, leasing brokers, and other market participants, including opportunities sourced outside broadly marketed processes.
• Evaluate and underwrite opportunities: Lead market research, financial modeling, and feasibility analysis, assessing land basis, achievable rents, development costs, absorption, project returns, and key risks.
• Lead land transactions: Negotiate letters of intent and commercial terms, working with legal counsel and internal teams to advance purchase agreements, manage contractual milestones, and execute closings.
• Oversee due diligence: Coordinate civil, environmental, geotechnical, title, survey, access, utility, and infrastructure reviews to establish site viability and identify potential constraints early.
• Drive entitlements and approvals: Lead zoning, rezoning, platting, permitting, and related approval processes across Texas jurisdictions, managing consultants and relationships with municipalities, utility providers, and other stakeholders.
• Manage predevelopment execution: Direct site planning, design coordination, infrastructure planning, preliminary budgeting, and scheduling to move projects toward construction readiness.
• Present investment recommendations: Prepare and present business plans and investment materials, clearly communicating project economics, execution strategy, risks, and proposed mitigants.
• Oversee construction and delivery: Partner with construction teams on contractor selection, guaranteed maximum price (GMP) negotiations, budgets, schedules, and project execution through completion.
• Support leasing and stabilization: Work with leasing brokers and internal teams on building specifications, market positioning, leasing assumptions, and tenant requirements.
• Maintain project accountability: Monitor budgets, schedules, returns, and execution risks throughout the development lifecycle, providing clear updates to senior leadership and relevant stakeholders.
• Build the company’s Texas presence: Develop and maintain strong relationships across the industrial real estate community, strengthening the platform’s reputation and access to future opportunities.

Qualifications and Experience

• 7+ years of progressive experience in industrial real estate development, with direct accountability for leading deals and delivering projects.
• Demonstrated track record of sourcing, underwriting, and closing industrial land and development transactions in Texas.
• An active network of land brokers, leasing brokers, landowners, and municipal contacts across Texas industrial markets.
• Hands-on experience managing entitlement processes across multiple Texas jurisdictions, including zoning, platting, permitting, and infrastructure coordination.
• Experience overseeing ground-up industrial construction from GMP negotiation through delivery.
• Strong financial modeling and underwriting skills, with the ability to assess development feasibility, evaluate sensitivities, and communicate investment recommendations.
• Knowledge of industrial site selection, tenant requirements, development costs, and leasing dynamics.
• Strong negotiation and relationship management skills, with the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• An entrepreneurial approach, sound commercial judgment, and the ability to work independently while collaborating with a broader national platform.
• Ability to be based in Dallas or Houston, with willingness to travel throughout Texas markets as needed.

Appointment at the Vice President or Senior Vice President level will reflect the selected candidate’s experience, track record, and leadership capabilities.