Development Manager - Brentwood in High Ongar

We have an exciting opportunity for a Development Manager to join our Special Projects (Fire Remediation) team based at our Brentwood office. In this hands-on role, you will take ownership of multiple legacy developments, driving them from initial assessment through to legal readiness and enabling remediation works to commence. Acting as a central point of coordination, you will work closely with internal teams across Technical, Commercial, Construction and Finance, as well as external legal stakeholders, to ensure projects progress efficiently and in line with business objectives.

We value in-person collaboration and team culture, but we are also committed to supporting flexible working where possible. We encourage you to raise any specific requirements during the interview process so we can explore how this could be accommodated.

What's in it for you:

• Competitive basic salary and annual bonus
• Car allowance or company car
• Up to 33 days annual leave plus bank holidays increasing to up to 39 days with service
• 2 Volunteering days per annum
• Private medical insurance, with employee paid cover
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Competitive pension scheme through salary sacrifice
• Life assurance at 4 x your annual salary
• Share save and share incentive schemes
• Employee rewards portal with many more benefits

In return, what we would like from you:

• Behave in line with our company values: Integrity, Caring and Quality
• Proven Project Management experience within construction, development or a related built environment sector, with a strong track record of delivering complex projects.
• Hands-on, delivery-focused approach, with the ability to actively drive projects forward, resolve issues and maintain momentum across multiple workstreams.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with experience coordinating across internal departments and liaising with external parties, including legal representatives.
• Experience managing budgets and commercial awareness, including cost control, forecasting and identifying recovery opportunities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, with excellent organisational skills and the flexibility to reprioritise in a fast-paced environment.
• Background in residential development or construction, with a good understanding of project lifecycles and regulatory considerations (fire remediation experience advantageous but not essential).
• Prepare and maintain clear and accurate management reports, providing updates and attending meetings as required to support informed decision-making.
• Manage projects proactively and efficiently, ensuring alignment with wider business objectives and timely progression across all workstreams.
• Promote a strong culture of safety and compliance, ensuring all projects adhere to Group SHE policies and that required assessments and documentation are in place.
• Ensure all relevant project information, including legal and contractual documentation, is appropriately gathered, managed and maintained.

More about the Development Manager role:

• Take direct ownership of multiple fire remediation projects, actively driving progress from initial investigation through to legal readiness and commencement of works.
• Work hands-on across internal departments (Construction, Commercial, Technical and Finance), proactively bringing teams together, resolving issues and ensuring projects move forward at pace.
• Lead the day-to-day management of project activities, including chasing information, resolving blockers and ensuring key milestones are met.
• Review and interrogate project information in detail to build a clear understanding of each site, identifying risks, gaps and required actions.
• Develop, manage and regularly update practical project plans, ensuring programmes are realistic, actively tracked and delivered.
• Take full ownership of project budgets, closely monitoring costs, challenging spend where necessary and actively pursuing recovery opportunities.
• Act as the key link with external solicitors, working closely with them on a day-to-day basis to progress legal agreements and ensure contracts are moved forward to completion.
• Identify and pursue recovery routes where liability may be shared, working proactively to ensure third parties are engaged early and claims are progressed robustly.
• Chair and drive regular project meetings, ensuring actions are clearly defined, accountability is assigned, and progress is maintained.
• Maintain constant communication across all stakeholders, ensuring issues are addressed quickly and projects continue to move forward without delay.
• Continuously reprioritise across multiple live projects, responding quickly to changing demands and focusing effort where it is most needed.
• Take an active role in ensuring contracts are progressed, agreed and executed in line with company requirements, driving them through to completion rather than simply reviewing them.

We build more than homes, we are making Vistry. Being a responsible developer and award-winning employer means we live each day through our ethos - doing the right thing. Our behaviours reflect this, as well as our values of integrity, caring and quality. Shaping all we do; they empower us to develop sustainable communities across affordable and private housing. We work in a partnership-led way, and you'll recognise our renowned brands Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside Homes. Together with Vistry Works, our manufacturing operation, and the functional support of Vistry Services, we are a proud UK Green Building Council member, UK top five housebuilder with a five-star House Builders Federation (HBF) customer satisfaction rating, and winner of many awards including Top Employer, Global Top Inspiring Workplaces, and Best for Talent Attraction and Outreach. Join us in making Vistry.