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Development Manager
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Strategic Land & Planning Manager
A leading national housebuilder is seeking a Strategic Land & Planning Manager to drive land acquisition and planning strategy across Hertfordshire, Essex, and East London. This is a hybrid land/planning role suited to candidates who can identify and secure opportunities as well as steer them through the planning process — MRICS, MRTPI, or dual-qualified candidates are all of strong interest.
Responsibilities:
- Identify, appraise, and secure strategic land and planning-led opportunities across the Herts/Essex/East London region
- Build and maintain a strong network of landowners, agents, promoters, and local authority planning officers
- Lead site promotion through the planning system, including Local Plan representations, outline and detailed applications, and appeals where necessary
- Prepare and present land appraisals, feasibility studies, and viability assessments to the board/land committee
- Negotiate heads of terms, option agreements, and land purchase contracts
- Work closely with technical, commercial, and sales teams to ensure smooth handover from land acquisition through to delivery
- Monitor planning policy changes (including NPPF updates) and assess implications for the regional land pipeline
- Manage instructions to external consultants (planning, technical, legal) and oversee due diligence processes
- Represent the business at public consultations, planning committees, and stakeholder meetings
- Contribute to regional land budgets and growth strategy, reporting on pipeline progress against targets
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Experience & Requirements:
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- Proven track record in strategic land acquisition and/or planning within a housebuilder, developer, or land promotion background
- MRICS and/or MRTPI qualified (or working towards) preferred; dual-qualified candidates especially welcome
- Strong understanding of the planning system, including Local Plans, S106/CIL, and the current NPPF
- Established network of contacts across Herts, Essex, and East London land and planning markets
- Commercially astute, with strong negotiation and deal-structuring skills
- Comfortable managing multiple sites/opportunities simultaneously across varying stages of the pipeline
- Full UK driving licence, with flexibility to travel across the region
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