Director of Development
$160,000–$200,000 year
On-siteChampaign, Illinois, United States
Job Summary
Build and maintain a credible, well-screened development pipeline across Midwest student housing markets, sourcing and advancing ground-up opportunities aligned with strategic return thresholds. Own the development underwriting process end-to-end, including market analysis, zoning review, cost assumptions, and budget preparation, producing models at 24 to 48 hours to drive opportunities through the Investment Committee. Manage external consultants for entitlements and pre-development, lead General Contractor selection and contract negotiation, and deliver projects on time and on budget. Assess and develop the development team to match pipeline growth, codify the student housing development playbook, and leverage AI tools to accelerate screening and reporting.
Required Qualifications
- A track record of principal-side development experience, ideally 8 or more years, with direct ownership of deals from concept through completion
- A record of leading multiple projects with full accountability for budget, schedule, and execution
- Proven ability to build ground-up development models from scratch, including land basis, hard and soft costs, financing assumptions, and return metrics, at the speed active deals demand
- Experience in multifamily, student housing, or adjacent residential development types
- Genuine interest in Midwest student housing markets is essential
- Deep familiarity with entitlements and municipal approval processes, ideally in Midwest markets
- A history of building and sustaining relationships in markets over time, with municipalities, landowners, universities, and the development community
- Experience managing and building small teams, with the judgment to assess what you inherit and grow what the role requires
- Fluency with, or genuine curiosity about, AI tools for market analysis, underwriting, reporting, and process management
- Clear, direct communicator with internal teams, consultants, municipalities, the Investment Committee, and capital partners
- High ownership mindset: you close the loop, flag issues early, and do not wait to be asked
- Experience with EOS
- Chicago or Champaign base, with regular presence in the markets where Fairlawn is building its reputation
Desired Qualifications
- Exceptional candidates who have done more with less time
- Prior experience at Fairlawn
- You do not need to have worked in the sector, but you need to understand or be eager to learn what drives demand near a university campus and how to evaluate a site
- EOS experience is a plus
- More important is the willingness to operate within a structured, accountable system and embrace it fully
- If you have an ownership mindset and take pride in all the details, joining our team may be perfect for you
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