Are you looking for an opportunity to work on some of largest housing and regeneration projects in the country? If this sounds like you, then we want to hear from you.

West Midlands Combined Authority’s Housing & Land Team is developing the UK’s most successful, innovative and delivery focused housing and regeneration programme, combining the very best of the public and private sectors to drive inclusive growth in all parts of the region. The team is at the forefront of implementing WMCA’s inclusive growth mission, and demonstrating the links between housing, skills, transport, health and economic growth; a whole team approach that combines working with local councils, LEPs, Whitehall and the private sector sits front and centre of our way of working. 

Our overall aim and ambition: “to enable the delivery of 215,000 new homes by 2031, significantly increasing the proportion of affordable housing and driving new quality and design benchmarks”.

As Development Manager you will make business cases for, and provide expert advice and assurance on, millions of pounds of devolved housing and land funds; taking complex technical projects from start to finish against a backdrop of a uniquely challenging and political environment.

You will work across the Housing and Regeneration Team, and in close collaboration with the wider Combined Authority.  This will include dealing directly with the Mayor of the West Midlands, senior council leaders and other senior public and private sector partners. This is a specialist real estate role, where you will lead on the development and delivery of effective acquisition, investment, and disposal strategies for sites across the West Midlands region.

You can find out more about the Housing and Regeneration team here https://orlo.uk/glAUb

About you

We are looking for a commercially astute Development Manager with experience in a similar role. Being able to work with several stakeholders will require huge tenacity and drive to make things happen where for decades development may have been stalled or unviable.  You will be skilled in stakeholder engagement and technical due diligence to mitigate and minimise risk where possible.  You will be able to evidence experience of the following:

• Skills in complex development project management, delivering on time and to budget
• Working with and delivering results through collaboration with multiple stakeholders
• Adding value through negotiating terms for the purchase of identified sites with landowners and agents
• Problem solving to deliver land or property-based projects on sites with challenging ground conditions
• Creating business cases to support bids to secure funding for site de-risking works, and for land acquisition as necessary
• Promoting development opportunity sites, and an involvement in securing development partners
• Leading/working within a multi-disciplinary team e.g. co-ordinating and managing the work of external consultants

You will either be RICS qualified or working towards an appropriate professional membership.  Tailored support will be given to those engaged in the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) and working towards full professional membership and qualification as a Chartered Surveyor.

About us

Our role in the West Midlands has never been more important and in these extraordinary times we’ve shown we can step forward, speak up for our region and bring people together. Everything we do is focused on making life better for people in the West Midlands – that’s our reason for being here and it drives every move we make. We lead and support others to deliver our shared future vision for the region – a happier, healthier, better connected place to live and work.

We fully believe that we are only as great as the people who work for us and are committed to providing a positive, healthy and inclusive working environment where our people feel valued and respected. We’re ambitious, forward thinking and determined to find better ways of working, always leading the way in what we do. We trust and support each other to get the job done, and encourage creativity, originality and curiosity from those who work with us.

We are a “Leaders in Diversity” accredited organisation, are in the Inclusive Top 50 Employers List and are one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. As a Disability Confident Employer, we have made a positive commitment to interviewing all applicants with a disability who meet the essential role criteria. We are committed to building a team of people with varied backgrounds and experiences as we recognise that this will only benefit us as an employer, the more inclusive we are the better our work will be, and welcome applications from young people, Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups and women at senior levels.

We’re dedicated to providing a broad range of rewards and benefits and constantly benchmark our benefits packages to ensure they are attractive for all our people. As well as a competitive salary, employees also receive 27 days annual leave (plus public holidays) and access to a great pension scheme.

Furthermore, wherever possible we will offer flexible working options which assist work-life balance. We are very happy to discuss a flexible working pattern that suits your needs, so please do not let that be a barrier to applying. If your values align with ours and you’re committed to working towards creating a future we can all be proud of, we want to hear from you.

About your application

The online Application Form you'll be asked to complete plays a key part in our recruitment and selection process. We use the information you provide to decide whether to invite you for an interview. It is important that you complete the Application Form as fully and accurately as possible. You will be asked to upload a Supporting Statement (not a CV) and this should include specific examples which demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role for which you are applying. 

If you would like to discuss alternative methods to the online application as a reasonable adjustment please contact the Resourcing Team by email (careers@wmca.org.uk).

Supporting documents
Development Manager JD