Senior Development Manager
Job Title Senior Development Manager
Role Type Permanent, Full Time
Job Location Billingshurst, West Sussex
Reports to Development Director
The Company
Thakeham is an infrastructure-led community creator and strategic land promoter and proud winner of a Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For.
The business is committed to partnerships, innovation and creating amazing places to live and work. Thakeham is a leader in the industry on sustainability and biodiversity. We are at the forefront of delivering sustainable homes, committed to ensuring every Thakeham home is carbon-neutral in production, and carbon-zero throughout its lifetime use by 2025. These core values underpin the company-wide mission to affect communities in a positive way
Thakeham was launched in 2003. From day one, the company was driven by a clear vision: to transform the way people think about new-built developments. Today, Thakeham employs just over 200 people with a turnover of over £105m.
People are Thakeham’s most important asset. Thakeham operates a thriving graduate recruitment programme and supports the Movement to Work initiative to help young people secure work. Thakeham has signed the HBF Mental Health Charter and recently organised a health and wellbeing programme during Lockdown.
A Silver Armed Forces Covenant signatory and supporter of armed force’s charity Mission Motorsport, Thakeham operates a Talent for Development outreach campaign for military veterans and college leavers.
Away from work, Thakeham offers a range of staff events including quiz nights and participates in charity challenges including dragon boat racing.
We pride ourselves on our ‘Infrastructure first’ approach, ensuring communities release the benefits of new development at the outset, rather than later on in the process. Thakeham strive to not just create new homes, but genuinely amazing places to live, work and play. Thakeham delivers social, affordable and retirement housing for some of the biggest housing associations and local authorities in the country. Partners include the NHS England Healthy New Towns Initiative, the Plunkett Foundation, Social Value UK and have been awarded a prestigious Gold Supply Chain School.
Offering exciting career opportunities that are second to none, we are keen to develop, guide and support our employees throughout their careers. Our people enjoy excellent rewards and working conditions in an exciting and fast growing business.
The Department
The role is within Thakeham Strategic and specifically with the Development Executive department, where you will work alongside other pre-development roles within the business.
The majority of your time will be spent working for Thakeham Homes. This is the housebuilding side of the business, promoting land, obtaining planning permissions and building out developments, under the Thakeham brand portfolio.
We are looking for an experienced and motivated Senior Development Manager, with sound knowledge of the land, planning, design, engineering and other pre-development roles, to take projects through the pre-development process and beyond, from the initial securing of land opportunities, through to point at which the development has secured an allocation with involvement in the purchase and exit strategy.
The Job Role
The primary responsibilities of the Senior Development Manager will be;
- Working with the Land department, where required, to ensure that financial, legal and technical due diligence is in order
- Responsible for negotiating and completing complex land agreements
- Custodian of the Development and Planning Strategies to ensure that sites are deliverable and viable
- Leading the internal project team, to take projects forward from the early pre-development stages
- Ensuring that the project planning and pre-development programmes are clearly established and complied with
- Managing the internal Pre-Plan Process
- Leading / attending external meetings with external stakeholders, as required
- Managing project financial appraisals, including cashflows to ensure development viability
- Inputting into S106 legal agreements to ensure scheme deliverability
- Aid with land valuation / site purchase, as required
- Aid with RP sales / site sales / third party land transfers / securing of third party rights, as required
- Managing / coaching / mentoring junior team members, where required
- Comply with all company policies and procedures and to uphold the Thakeham brand in all company dealings
- To carry out any other duties consistent with the post that may be required from time to time, at the discretion of the company
This list is not exhaustive. Tasks will be allocated to reflect increasing levels of development and experience.
The Required Skills
- Experience of the development process, from land acquisition through to site delivery, including good knowledge of the planning process
- Knowledge of / ability to run development financial appraisals and cashflows, combined with commercial awareness and acumen
- Ability to negotiate
- Project programming skills
- Experience of legal process / documentation and awareness of relevant impact on projects and the wider business
- Strong people management skills
- Excellent knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel & Outlook)
- Excellent communication skills and confidence to liaise with people
- Good attention to detail and organisational skills
- Effective time management skills
- Professional approach with high degree of discretion
- Willing to be flexible and get involved with a wide range of tasks
- Ability to work on own initiative and generate solutions
- RICS accreditation whilst not essential, may be advantageous
The Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Annual holiday allowance 26 days increasing to 27 after 3yrs service and 28 after 5yrs service (plus bank holidays)
- Life assurance
- Private medical insurance
- Health screening
- Pension scheme
- Bonus scheme
- Flexible working hours in a modern office environment / Working from Home Policy
- Excellent development and progression opportunities for the right candidate
- Company social events
Plus, a whole range of other employee benefits that we can tell you all about, our employees are rewarded for their performance, attitude and results.
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Thakeham is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and treating people fairly. We will treat all job applicants and employees equally regardless of age, race, religious belief, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or disability. We welcome applicants from all sectors of society and we are committed to promoting an inclusive environment for all.
