Senior Development Manager
A well-established Yorkshire division of a major housebuilder is looking for a Senior Development Manager with a strong planning background to lead its planning function. Reporting directly to the Land Director, this is the senior planning hire in the region — responsible for driving planning strategy across a live pipeline of immediate and strategic land, managing a small team of planners, and playing a visible role at board level. This is not a project delivery or build-out role — the emphasis is firmly on planning leadership and land strategy. THE ROLE — RESPONSIBILITIE SLead all planning activity across the Yorkshire region — immediate consents, outline applications, and a long-term strategic land portfoli oManage and develop a team of two town planners, setting workload priorities and quality standard sOversee the preparation, submission, and negotiation of planning applications, S106 agreements, and pre-application discussion sContribute to land acquisition decisions — appraising planning risk, identifying allocation opportunities, and supporting the Land Director in site selectio nEngage directly with local planning authorities, consultants, and statutory bodies to progress consent sMonitor and influence emerging Local Plans, SPDs, and planning policy changes relevant to the region's land strateg yPresent planning appraisals and updates to the regional board — owning the narrative on planning risk and programm eWork closely with the technical, land, and commercial teams to align planning programme with build and sales phasin gSupport due diligence on potential acquisitions, including assessment of planning history, constraints, and deliverabilit y WHAT WE'RE LOOKING F ORA Development Manager or Senior Planner with deep, extensive planning expertise — this role is about planning strategy and land, not programme management or construction delive rySubstantial planning experience gained on the developer or housebuilder side — candidates from consultancy will not be considered unless they have significant client-side or in-house experien ceStrong track record in residential planning, ideally including both outline and detailed applications across mixed site typ esExperience working across both immediate and strategic land — understanding the full pipeline lifecyc leUsed to presenting to board or senior leadership — comfortable owning the planning narrative in a business context, not just a technical o neMRTPI qualified (preferred) or equivalent experien ceProven ability to manage and mentor junior planne rsStrong negotiation skills — experienced in handling LPA relationships, S106 heads of terms, and appeal manageme ntCommercially minded — able to translate planning risk into business language and contribute meaningfully to land appraisa ls