Director of Land
On-siteRoseville, California, United States
Job Summary
Drive land acquisition strategy by identifying, evaluating, and securing new land deals aligned with business plan targets and site selection criteria. Lead a team spanning forward planning, land development, and vertical project management, ensuring accountability for project milestones from acquisition through homebuilding operations. Manage the full entitlement process, including general plan amendments, zoning code interpretation, and coordination with local, state, and federal agencies. Oversee land development functions, engineering design, and contractor management while monitoring schedules for critical dates like model starts and occupancy. Provide strategic oversight of vertical forward planning to ensure community readiness and coordinate cross-functional alignment with construction, purchasing, sales, and marketing. Serve as the senior liaison to the President and senior leadership, delivering regular status updates, risk assessments, and milestone reports.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Real Estate Development, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, or a related field
- Minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in land acquisition, entitlement, and residential land development
- At least 5 years in a leadership of a dynamic team
- Demonstrated success sourcing, negotiating, and closing residential land transactions across multiple markets
- Proven experience managing entitlement and permitting processes for residential communities, including tentative and final maps
- Experience managing and developing a team of direct reports across multiple functional areas (forward planning, land development, and/or vertical project management)
- Homebuilding industry experience
- Valid Driver's License
- Reliable automobile with required insurance
- Deep knowledge of residential land markets, deal sourcing, underwriting, pro-forma analysis, and land contract negotiation
- Strong understanding of zoning regulations, General Plans, municipal codes, CEQA, and entitlement processes across California and Nevada jurisdictions
- Proven ability to lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of professionals across multiple functional areas
- Strong negotiation skills applied to land contracts, vendor agreements, consultant scopes, and governmental agency processes
- Proficient in pro-forma development, budget management, and cost analysis
- Able to read, analyze, and interpret complex instructions, correspondence, policies, procedures, technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents
- Able to write complex reports, correspondence, and procedure manuals
- Able to effectively present information and respond to questions in one-on-one, small and large group situations of customers, clients, employees, top management, and the general public
- Microsoft Project or equivalent scheduling software experience
- AICP, PMP, or Real Estate Development-related certifications
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with communities targeting 150–250+ homes per year across multiple active projects
- Experience with tentative and final maps (single-family and multi-family)
- Familiarity with project management or entitlement tracking platforms
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