Development Director - Co Living

Talent Acquisition, Recruitment & Resourcing within the Real Estate and Property Sector

Are you an experienced development professional with a track record of leading complex hotel and residential projects from planning through to completion? This is an exciting opportunity to join a rapidly expanding owner operator as Development Director, taking ownership of two 400 unit co‑living projects in West London and Watford.

The successful candidate will oversee all stages of the development lifecycle, managing the transition from planning approval (RIBA Stage 4) through detailed design, procurement, and delivery. Working closely with the appointed PM/QS consultant, you will lead value engineering, cost planning, and preconstruction activities, ensuring each project delivers exceptional quality, commercial value, and stakeholder satisfaction.

You will be responsible for driving design coordination, managing professional teams, and ensuring the developments progress within agreed budgets, timelines, and quality benchmarks. The role demands strong leadership, commercial acumen, and the ability to work collaboratively with investors, consultants, and local authorities.

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, this role offers significant autonomy, visibility, and long‑term growth potential. You will play a pivotal part in shaping and delivering two flagship developments that define the next generation of community‑led living spaces.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Leadership: Lead and manage all phases of the development, from design through delivery, ensuring alignment with strategic, financial, and operational objectives.
• Financial Management: Develop and control project budgets, track costs, forecast cash flow, and ensure robust financial governance throughout.
• Programme Oversight: Manage project schedules, ensuring timely progress through design, contractor procurement, and construction, and proactively address risks or delays.
• Team & Stakeholder Management: Coordinate and motivate multidisciplinary teams, acting as the key liaison between consultants, contractors, investors, and internal leadership.
• Design & Quality Assurance: Oversee detailed design development, technical coordination, and delivery quality, ensuring compliance with building regulations and best practice.
• Procurement & Delivery: Lead procurement strategies for consultants and contractors, negotiating terms and managing tender processes to ensure value for money.
• Risk & Issue Resolution: Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks; resolve technical and contractual issues effectively to maintain programme and cost certainty.
• Reporting & Communication: Provide clear, accurate progress updates to Board Directors, investors, and key stakeholders, including financial, programme, and risk reports.

Required Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable experience leading large‑scale residential or hospitality developments from post‑planning through to completion.
• Strong project management capability, with a proven ability to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to high standards of quality and design.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills with a collaborative, solutions‑oriented approach.
• In‑depth technical understanding of design coordination, construction methodology, procurement, contract administration, and compliance.
• Commercially astute, with experience managing development appraisals, budgets, and value engineering processes.
• Degree qualified in property, construction, engineering, or a related discipline.
• Professional membership with RICS, CIOB, or an equivalent institution is preferred.

Please apply with CV to jennifer.mcbride@peoplegroup.com