Senior Land Manager in Dorking

Reporting to the Land Director, the Senior Land Manager will lead the end-to-end identification, acquisition and delivery of high-quality land opportunities, coach and develop junior team members, support the Land Director in maintaining a robust, high quality pipeline, assist with strategic decisions on pipeline management, and gain firsthand experience in reporting to the Cala Group Board.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

The key responsibilities of the role include (but are not limited to):

Self-Sourced Site Origination & Delivery

• Proactively identify and appraise off-market land parcels.
• Manage projects from cradle to grave, taking ownership from initial site identification, through due diligence, negotiation, contracting and planning engagement, S106 affordable units’ disposal, to final handover once the site has become ‘Effective’.
• Conduct initial due diligence and KPI assessment personally to confirm alignment with Cala Homes’ investment criteria.
• Secure heads of terms and drive each site through legal contracts with minimal senior intervention.
• Maintain and expand a network of landowners, agents and professional advisers.
• Manage project teams comprising internal colleagues and external consultants, ensuring clear coordination and accountability.
• Collaboration with the planning team throughout the planning process from pre-application through to submission, ensuring profit margin is always thought about and where possible enhanced or protected.
• Present project proposals to the wider regional business to obtain input and secure internal support.

Team Management & Development

• Provide coaching and support to less senior land team members, setting clear objectives and providing constructive feedback.
• Embed best practice in appraisal methodology, deal structuring and risk assessment across the Land team.

Strategic Insight & Reporting

• Contribute materially to the annual land-acquisition strategy, using market insight to shape priorities.
• Own and report on departmental KPIs, budgetary controls and risk registers, escalating issues appropriately.

Stakeholder & Governance Engagement

• Act as the primary point of contact for joint-venture partners, Housing Associations, external advisers and other internal teams.
• Prepare decision-grade board packs, financial appraisals and site-recommendation papers to Group Board.

Commercial Margin Oversight

• Ensure project margin, ROCE and IRR is at the forefront of all decision-making throughout site acquisition, due diligence, planning and contracting stages.
• Monitor and report on margin performance, identifying and acting on opportunities to optimise returns.
• Proactively identify financial and project risks that could impact margins, such as cost overruns, planning delays or market shifts.
• Develop and implement mitigation strategies to circumnavigate identified risks, ensuring target returns are protected and maximised.

About You

This is a senior, commercially focused role requiring a proactive and decisive approach, strong market awareness and the ability to balance strategic leadership with hands on delivery. You will demonstrate sound judgement, commercial confidence and the credibility to influence at senior level, while driving land acquisition performance across the business.

You will have substantial experience in a senior land or development role, with a proven track record of delivering high value transactions to deadline. Self reliant and commercially astute, you are comfortable operating on your own initiative while leading, mentoring and collaborating effectively with colleagues, consultants and external stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

This is a commercially focused role requiring a proactive approach, strong market awareness and the ability to balance strategic objectives with day to day delivery.

You will have proven experience in a similar land or development role, with a strong track record of delivering results to deadline. Self reliant and commercially astute, you are comfortable working on your own initiative while collaborating effectively with colleagues and stakeholders.

Essential:

• Proven experience in a senior land acquisition or residential development role
• Strong commercial acumen, including land appraisals, financial modelling and budget management
• In depth knowledge of the UK residential land market, planning systems and land acquisition processes
• Highly effective negotiator, able to secure strong commercial terms and build long term relationships
• Experience delivering land strategies aligned to business objectives
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to progress multiple sites to tight deadlines
• Confident communicator with excellent written, verbal and presentation skills
• Proven ability to lead, mentor and develop team members
• Decisive, self reliant and able to operate effectively on own initiative
• Strong relationship building and professional networking capability
• Degree in Estate Management, Town Planning or a related discipline (or equivalent experience)
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint

Desirable:

• Chartered status or working towards a relevant professional qualification (e.g. RICS, RTPI)
• Experience operating at a regional or strategic business level, influencing land strategy across multiple sites or geographies

We recognise that a diverse team makes us a stronger and more successful company. We value different ideas and perspectives as it helps improve our decision-making, products and services. And we’re striving to create an inclusive work environment, in which everyone can feel comfortable as themselves, uniquely contribute and do their best work. If we need to adjust anything in our recruitment process to support you, please contact careers@cala.co.uk

About Us

The Cala Group is a major UK housebuilder and leading provider of desirable new homes across Scotland, the South of England & Midlands. Driven by a mission to create vibrant and sustainable new communities, our homes are characterised by exceptional design and sector-leading build quality, and we have a passion for providing our customers with a great home buying experience. This is an exciting time to be at Cala. Our approach to sustainability and technology is undergoing a dramatic transformation, and we’re aiming to create an industry-leading experience for both our staff and customers. At Cala, you can expect to be part of an environment which allows you to do meaningful work, while offering opportunities for personal growth. Our goal is to be the favoured employer in our industry and beyond. We encourage applications from those who want to be part of a culture where they can thrive, feel a sense of belonging and be comfortable being themselves at work.

We offer an excellent benefits package of 34 days holiday (including public holidays and increasing by a day each year to a maximum of 40), the option to buy or sell up to 5 days holiday, private healthcare, enhanced salary sacrifice pension contributions of 5% employee, 10% employer, ULEV car scheme, Employee Assistance Programme, retail discounts and much more! (Some benefits will be pro-rated if you were to join on a part time basis)

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