senior land manager

A well-established, privately owned housebuilder with a strong reputation across the South East is looking to strengthen its land team with the appointment of a Senior Land Manager. This is a genuine deal-making role for someone who thrives on finding opportunities others can't — not just processing what agents send over.

The Role

You'll be responsible for sourcing and securing 3–4 sites per year across Kent and Sussex, ranging from 5 to 75 units, covering both immediate and strategic land opportunities. This isn't a desk-bound appraisal role — the business wants someone who's out in the market, building relationships with landowners, farmers, solicitors, and smaller agents, and genuinely uncovering off-market opportunities rather than relying solely on agency introductions.

You'll take sites from initial identification through appraisal, negotiation, and legal completion, working closely with planning, technical, and commercial teams along the way.

What They're Looking For

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• Proven land buying track record with a PLC or major regional housebuilder, comfortable working within structured processes, land pipelines, and reporting systems
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• A genuine deal-maker — someone who can build their own network and originate off-market opportunities, not just react to agent-led stock
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• Strong appraisal skills — comfortable running the numbers and challenging assumptions on viability, not just relying on land teams above them
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• Solid planning knowledge — able to assess planning risk and opportunity across both allocated and unallocated sites
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• Experience across both immediate and strategic land, with the flexibility to work both types of deal simultaneously
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• Existing relationships across the Kent and Sussex land and planning market would be a strong advantage
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• Self-starting and commercially driven, with the confidence to operate with a good degree of autonomy
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Why This Role

This is a rare opportunity to join a privately owned business where decisions are made quickly, land buyers are trusted to originate and negotiate deals directly, and success is rewarded without the bureaucracy typical of larger PLC structures. For a land buyer who's proven themselves within a corporate environment but wants more ownership, autonomy, and a shorter route from opportunity to completion, this is an outstanding next step.