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Development Manager

Purpose of the Development Manager role:

The Development Manager role can be slightly harder to define in the modern Real Estate world due to the wide scope of duties and the often misused terminology. In essence this job title can be split into two areas:

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1: The Traditional Development Manager (coming from a general practice surveying background) who will be heavily focused on the front end of a development at acquisition stage leading the feasibility, development appraisals, planning and marketing (lease / sale) strategy and then handing over to a Project Manager in design, tender and delivery taking a higher-level oversight view tracking the cash flow, development obligations and being focused on investment return and reporting.

 

2: The Technical Development Manager or what we would call the Development Project Manager who will be hands on in the delivery of the full 360 project from cradle to grave. This individual will most likely have come from a project management background and therefore have good delivery experience and will have developed their exposure and skills to the front-end and back-end of a development project.

 

Below we will look at the Traditional Development Manager role and duties and please refer to our blog on the Project Manager and combine that with the below for the Technical Development Manager (Development Project Manager) role.

 

A Development Manager will predominantly be employed within the client side or developer environment including Investment / Fund Management and Private Equity businesses. The Development Manager will work closely with the Investment Manager, Analysts, Acquisition team, Sales and Leasing team and Project Managers.

 

Are you interested in finding a job in Development Management? View all our development management jobs here >>>>

Key Responsibilities of a Development Manager:

The Development Manager will be heavily involved in the front end of a proposed development identifying and analysing potential opportunities and the potential return on investment after lease or sale of the project. This is a predominantly office-based role with a higher-level strategy viewpoint. Again as with most roles in Real Estate and Development people will become experts within a specific field or asset category.

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​Typical role responsibilities include:

  • Identification of potential development opportunities.

  • Oversee and lead the development appraisals and cash flow analysis to assess viability.

  • Oversight of the funding and management of the development and partnering agreements.

  • Oversight of the acquisition process, legal, and development brief / set up.

  • Management with relevant teams the marketing strategy for the development.

  • Leading in conjunction with consultant teams the planning process engaging with the local authority, public consultations and discharging the relevant planning notices S106, S278, S73 etc.

  • Oversight of the Project Manager and consultant teams in delivery tracking the development and keeping in line with the development appraisal, development obligations and budget to maximising ROI.

  • Stakeholder management and reporting on cash flow and development progress.

  • Towards completion of the project engaging and overseeing the marketing / sales / lease process.

 

Candidate Requirements:

  • A property related degree (preferably Real Estate or Investment)

  • Chartership as you progress your career:

    • MRICS – Member of the royal institute of chartered surveyors

  • Numerical and analytical with good presentation skills

  • Good IT knowledge particularly Excel, modelling software such as Argos, Word and PowerPoint for report writing and presentations.

  • Good people and stakeholder management ability.

Remuneration:

As with all Construction and Development roles the remuneration packages will vary depending on depending on who you work for, your sector specialism (for example industrial / logistics and Data Centre experience are currently at a premium) and supply and demand. Most candidates will enter the market in a general practice surveying capacity and then move into the Development Manager role after a couple of years’ experience. In addition to the base salary most will have additional benefits including pension, health care, professional memberships, and bonus generally between 30% and 50%+. On the Investment and PE side benefits may also include carry in a particular fund. Broad client-side London based Development Manager salary ranges are detailed below:

 

Role Seniority

Average Salary

Assistant Development Manager

​£35,000 - £55,000

Mid-level Development Manager

£55,000 - £80,000

Senior Development Manager

£80,000 - £120,000

Development Director

£125,000 - £170,000+

 

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