Senior Development Manager

Our Development Team is recruiting for a Senior Development Manager (SDM) to lead and support key projects in our Mayfair and Belgravia portfolios. In accordance with Grosvenor’s overall vision and strategic objectives, the SDM should bring a relentless commercial focus and rigour which seeks to optimise commercial outcomes for Grosvenor, while balancing our social and environmental priorities.

Working collaboratively alongside wider development management, project management, asset manager, operations, finance and marketing colleagues, the role involves a breadth of core development management activity, from initial briefing through to development, construction and leasing. 

The role will entail acting as the client representative for live developments at varying stages of the development process requiring cap ex between £10m to £100m.

Key Responsibilities

Articulate the development brief and lead project teams

• Assist in developing our vision, based on a detailed understanding and experience of customers, users and place
• Prepare papers to seek project approvals under the Grosvenor Project Approval Process, write and present update papers and present these to Investment and Development Committees
• Possess a robust understanding of market and customer need, informed by market intelligence, research and insight
• Seek prospective customer and external stakeholder feedback to inform activity
• Competitively evaluate and instruct key design and project team members
• Sustain integral link between design, commercial objectives, environmental commitments, social impact and placemaking vision
• Shape and direct a coherent aesthetic, functional and technical design aligned to commercial and operational objectives
• Rigorously challenge underlying design assumptions and proposals to drive best value
• Build and maintain relationships with external networks of agents, consultants, contractors etc

Optimise commercial value for the project

• For all areas of the development, take a day-to-day lead on scheme viability and forecast financial returns. Own the business case and lead the reporting process.
• Ensure a relentless commercial focus and rigour throughout the design, procurement and delivery phase to ensure an outstanding financial outcome for Grosvenor, whilst balancing social impact and environmental outcomes.
• Owns the project appraisal, with a deep understanding of cost and value drivers and performance metrics.
• Push for constant improvement in overall commercial outcome (in the context of evolving market conditions).
• Work collaboratively with the project management, asset management, finance and operations teams throughout the design, procurement and delivery phase to ensure an optimised outcome for the project
• Comfortable working with, and challenging, agents to obtain the highest quality advice.
• Commercially astute and experienced in securing development value (e.g. supporting pre-let negotiations).

Build effective stakeholder relationships, externally and internally

• Understand Grosvenor’s strategic context and priorities
• Effectively manage internal development team members (e.g. Development Manager, Graduate etc)
• Sustain proactive internal senior dialogue, seeking advice, feedback and challenge
• Build strong professional relationships with key external consultants
• Connect productively with planners, politicians, community and other influencers, enhancing the success of the project, acting throughout as a compelling advocate of GPUK

Effectively coordinate and manage brand & marketing activity

• Provide a day-to-day project lead in implementing key branding and marketing activity
• Provide the core link between external consultancy support and the wider development management team, working alongside the location teams
• Inject challenge and insight to the branding and marketing process, informed by prior experience of similar exercises

Key Requirements

• Membership of the RICS, or other recognised institution
• Experience ideally gained in the UK, preferably with developer, able to demonstrate a high level of professional experience, across a broad range of large, complex, mixed use schemes, including those with heritage/conservation characteristics. Particular experience in office, retail and residential development
• Preferably some knowledge and experience of working in a joint venture or with external third parties 
• Working knowledge of design and construction techniques and experience of all stages of development lifecycle.
• Negotiation skills to deliver good commercial outcomes to meet milestones 
• Capable of aligning functional and aesthetic design to overall vision and customer need, within the parameters of project viability. Experience of designing with future operations in mind.
• Experienced in directing and managing design development activity and comfortable working at levels of detail necessary to interrogate design solutions
• Strong commercial acumen and highly competent in financial analysis (Excel)
• Comfortable running appraisals, analysing options and shaping value engineering activity
• Passion for developing and implementing innovative solutions and sustainability initiatives.
• Exemplar stakeholder engagement experience
• Genuine interest in market trends and dynamics (e.g. Future of Offices)
• Excellent network of industry contacts and relationships

We know flexibility is important and take a hybrid approach to working, please contact us for further details.

Grosvenor is proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer.  If you would like to speak with us for more detail, please contact [email protected]

We want you to have every opportunity to show us your strengths. There are adjustments available for our process, please contact us on [email protected] to discuss.

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