TDM Recruitment is exclusively retained by, an established developer in the care home and retirement living sector, to appoint a Land & Development Manager to lead site acquisition and delivery across their pipeline.
This is a genuinely hybrid role — you won’t just be sourcing land and handing it off. You’ll own sites through the full lifecycle: identification, negotiation, planning, and into delivery. It’s a rare opportunity for someone who wants real ownership rather than a narrow slice of the process.
The Role
- Identify and source land and existing assets suitable for care home and retirement living development across [region]
- Build and maintain a strong network of agents, landowners, planning consultants, and local authority contacts
- Appraise sites against operator requirements, local demand, and scheme viability
- Lead negotiations on land acquisition — freehold, leasehold, option agreements, conditional contracts
- Prepare land appraisals, viability studies, and investment papers for board sign-off
- Manage sites through the planning process, working with consultants to secure consent efficiently
- Coordinate technical due diligence with architects, engineers, and other consultants
- Oversee schemes into pre-construction and delivery, maintaining oversight of programme, budget, and quality
- Track market activity, competitor schemes, and emerging land opportunities in the care/retirement space
- Report to senior leadership on pipeline progress, deal status, and market intelligence
What You’ll Bring
- Demonstrable experience in land acquisition and/or development management, with direct exposure to care home or retirement living schemes — this is essential, not preferred
- Solid understanding of the care/retirement operator landscape and what makes a site work for this sector
- Experience negotiating land deals end-to-end
- Working knowledge of planning processes and a track record of getting sites through to consent
- Comfortable managing several sites simultaneously, each at different stages
- Strong commercial acumen — you can build and defend an appraisal
- A relationship-first approach; landowners and agents trust you
- Relevant degree (Real Estate, Planning, Surveying, Construction) or equivalent hands-on experience
- Full UK driving licence
To apply for this job email your details to tom@tdm-recruitment.com.
