Head of Development

Care, made daily. Lamington Group is the company behind room2 Hometels. Hometel is a term we created and own. We design and operate hometels, combining practicality with feeling. It responds to how people actually travel and live. We build buildings that last and serve a mission. We pay attention to what guests actually need, not what a script tells us they should. The same standard applies to how we develop our properties: rigorous, considered, and built to mean something. We are looking for people who care about the work in front of them and the people around them.

THE ROLE

You are the Head of Development at Lamington Group. The development pipeline is your priority and your responsibility. You lead a team delivering new hotels and apartments that reflect our values and generate strong returns. You set the criteria, shape the portfolio, and own delivery from inception to opening. This role demands both technical knowledge and commercial judgment. You understand that delivery matters more than plans. You make tough calls when obstacles arise, and you keep complex projects moving across architects, contractors, consultants, and internal teams. Your work shapes the buildings people experience and the trajectory of the business. You represent our values with every decision from supporting site selection through to the moment a property opens its doors.

Who You Are

• Use Instinct. You sense what a market needs and how design should respond before the full brief is clear. You trust your instinct for site potential and ground it in rigorous analysis and stakeholder input.
• Own It. You own the development pipeline and delivery outcomes. You don’t delegate accountability. You lead projects through complexity, make tough calls when obstacles arise, and pull in architects, contractors, and your team.
• Include All. You build collaborative teams across disciplines, architects, contractors, internal functions. You’re transparent about constraints and decisions, you listen to ideas, and you’re honest when direction changes.
• Stay Curious. You explore new design approaches, building systems, and delivery models that strengthen our projects. You stay alert to emerging techniques, but you keep projects on schedule, you don’t let innovation delay opening.
• Think Big. You imagine the portfolio we could build and push Lamington to grow into new property types and markets. You refuse to compromise design quality; you create buildings that last and serve our mission.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and execute Lamington Group’s property development strategy, defining the portfolio shape and growth ambition.
• Set criteria for development projects, location, product type, investment level, financial returns, brand fit, and prioritise which opportunities deserve resource and capital.
• Lead major development projects from inception through opening, ensuring delivery on time, budget, and quality.
• Establish project governance, timelines, and reporting that keep complex projects on track and visible to leadership.
• Manage budgets and capital deployment, controlling costs and escalating variances for decision-making.
• Lead design direction, working with architects to translate brand strategy into compelling built environments that express Lamington Group’s identity.
• Manage relationships with architects, contractors, consultants, and suppliers; setting contracts and terms that clarify expectations, manage risk, and protect the business.
• Resolve disputes and coordinate changes, maintaining relationships while protecting project outcomes.
• Lead opening preparation, training, systems, marketing and support new property teams through stabilisation so launches are successful and on brand.
• Communicate development strategy and progress to the board and senior leadership regularly.

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years in property development project delivery, with a track record of delivering complex schemes from site to opening.
• Experience managing large-scale hotel or residential development projects, ideally across multiple sites or product types.
• Strong track record of navigating planning and consents, with the stakeholder management to bring schemes through to approval.
• Solid project management and construction knowledge, confident with programme, procurement, contracts, and site delivery.
• Budget control and cost management discipline, with the commercial judgement to know when to push, when to hold, and when to accelerate.
• Technical problem-solving instincts, you read drawings, spot risk early, and find practical solutions without losing design intent.
• Confident leading and developing cross-disciplinary teams of internal staff and external consultants.
• Comfortable presenting to boards and investors, framing decisions clearly and standing behind the numbers.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE WORKING HERE

• A seat at the table. You’ll report directly to the CEO and shape the portfolio that defines the next chapter of the business. Your work is visible, your decisions matter, and you’ll have the mandate to act.
• A team that means it. You’ll work alongside leaders who are present, supportive, and part of the day-to-day, not just names on an organisation chart. Regular check-ins focus on your development, ideas, and where you want to go next.
• Growth that’s real. We believe in building people up alongside the portfolio. As we grow into new property types and markets, the scope of this role grows with it.
• Learning, built in. You’ll gain exposure across operations, design, finance, and brand, the full picture of how a hometel comes to life and earns its return.
• Time off that respects you. 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, and an additional annual leave that grows with length of service, two paid volunteer days each year, and a Company Sick Pay Scheme. All part of creating a sustainable working environment.
• Stay with us, on us. Friends-and-family rates across our hometels and wider group properties, plus one free stay on us. Experience the spaces you help create and see the brand through a guest’s eyes.
• The day-to-day. Competitive package including pension contributions, wellbeing initiatives, Cycle to Work scheme, and use of gym facilities in our hotels.

FOR EVERYONE

Lamington Group and room2 are an equal opportunities employer. We hire based on attitude and ability. We welcome applications from every background, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief. If you need any adjustments to take part in our hiring process, tell us when you apply. We’ll work with you.