Development Manager

We are looking for a Development Manager (Acquisitions and Disposals) to join our Housing, Property and Regeneration team. This is a key role supporting the delivery of some of the UK’s largest housing, regeneration and transport projects. You will play a key part in shaping investment decisions, developing business cases and providing expert commercial and technical advice across complex, high‑value schemes within a challenging and fast‑moving political environment. Working as part of a specialist property team, you will manage a varied caseload involving the acquisition and disposal of land and property in line with RICS standards and the Authority’s constitution. You will provide professional advice on a wide range of property matters including valuations, due diligence, compulsory purchase, compensation, investment opportunities and development delivery. The role will see you working across a diverse portfolio of projects, developing acquisition, disposal and investment strategies that unlock development opportunities and support inclusive growth across the West Midlands. Please note that this role is being offered as a twelve month fixed term contract.

What you will be doing

• Identify, appraise and acquire or dispose of development sites across housing, regeneration and transport schemes, including supporting compulsory purchase activity where appropriate.
• Develop robust business cases and investment proposals to support funding and delivery decisions.
• Lead technical due diligence activities including valuations, appraisals and site investigations.
• Negotiate land and property transactions with landowners, developers, agents and public sector bodies.
• Develop and implement strategies to de‑risk sites and accelerate delivery.
• Work collaboratively with local authorities, developers, investors and delivery partners to enable successful outcomes.
• Coordinate external consultants and multidisciplinary professional teams.
• Prepare reports and recommendations for WMCA boards, steering groups and governance panels.
• Support the allocation and assurance of devolved housing and land funding.
• Identify opportunities to attract private sector investment and maximise development potential.
• Build strong partnerships and maintain effective stakeholder relationships across the public and private sectors.
• Represent WMCA within complex stakeholder and political environments.

What’s essential

• You will bring strong commercial awareness, excellent stakeholder management skills and significant experience within land, property, development or regeneration.
• Experience across the full development lifecycle, from site identification through to delivery.
• A strong track record of identifying and appraising development opportunities.
• Experience preparing business cases, funding proposals and investment strategies.
• Strong negotiation skills relating to land acquisition, disposal or joint ventures.
• Extensive experience managing complex land and development projects to time and budget.
• The ability to solve problems across technically challenging sites and projects.
• Experience working collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams and organisations with competing priorities.
• Experience managing external consultants and advisors.
• Excellent report writing, presentation and communication skills.
• A collaborative and solutions‑focused approach.

Location

The location for this role is Summer Lane with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

Salary and benefits

We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year‑on‑year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + statutory days.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing and mortgage advice.
• Option to buy a bicycle, including e‑bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest‑free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology.
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big‑name retailers, and more.
• You can now also obtain a Costco membership through the WMCA.
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top‑rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

Right to Work in the UK

Proof of Right to Work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed. Non‑UK applicants (excluding Ireland) would be required to hold a relevant Visa from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

Diversity and Inclusion

We are proud to be a Ban the Box employer, which means we do not ask about criminal convictions at the initial application stage, and will only ask after an offer is made as part of our onboarding checks, which helps us remove barriers for people with past convictions and supports fair opportunities for all. We hold diversity accreditations such as the RACE Code Quality Mark, Armed Forces Covenant (Gold status) and have been recognised as one of the Inclusive Top 50 Employers and The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. We are a Disability Confident Employer with ‘Leader’ status, committed to interviewing applicants with disabilities who meet all the essential role criteria. We also encourage applicants from under‑represented groups to apply and highlight transferable skills, as we value potential and recognise that the perfect candidate may not always exist.