Land Acquisition Manager

The Land Acquisition Manager will play a pivotal role in shaping this growth. This position is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating land opportunities while collaborating closely with ownership, attorneys, engineers, landowners, municipal officials, and industry partners. The ideal candidate is a driven land professional who thrives in a hands-on, entrepreneurial environment and is excited to help grow a high-performing residential development platform.

• Identify and pursue on- and off-market land opportunities through direct outreach, broker and wholesaler relationships, municipal contacts, and field prospecting
• Build and maintain a consistent pipeline of qualified land deals

• Perform zoning reviews, density and yield analyses, and highest-and-best-use evaluations
• Coordinate due diligence including environmental studies, surveys, utility availability, and preliminary engineering reviews

• Lead negotiations with landowners and brokers on purchase agreements, options, takedowns, and joint ventures
• Prepare and present acquisition recommendations and deal packages to ownership

• Partner with engineers, land use attorneys, planners, and local jurisdictions to evaluate entitlement paths, costs, risks, and timelines
• Manage meetings, submissions, and approval schedules

• Build and maintain strong relationships with landowners, brokers, municipal officials, attorneys, engineers, and industry partners
• Represent the organization professionally and ethically at all times
• Track and report on all acquisition activity, including progress, risks, and next steps, on a weekly basis

• Pipeline health: Quantity and quality of active land opportunities under review, negotiation, or contract
• Deal flow & conversion: Volume of sourced opportunities and percentage converted to signed agreements
• Entitlement progress: Ability to advance controlled land through approvals within targeted timelines

• 5+ years of experience with a regional or national home builder or land developer
• Proven background in land acquisition, entitlement, or development
• Strong understanding of zoning, land use, and entitlement processes
• Demonstrated success negotiating and structuring land transactions
• Experience coordinating due diligence, feasibility studies, and consultants
• Working knowledge of pro formas, yield studies, and financial analysis
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and presentation skills