Director of Community Development

Minto•Hardeeville, SC

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Community Development is responsible for planning, entitlement, and development activities for an assigned community, including engineering design, permitting, budgeting, scheduling, and construction of land development improvements, amenities, sales centers, and related community infrastructure. This position provides operational leadership throughout the development lifecycle by coordinating consultants, contractors, design-build partners, legal counsel, regulatory agencies, internal departments, and HOA Management to ensure projects are delivered on schedule, within budget, and consistent with the Company's quality standards and business objectives. The Director serves as the primary leader for the assigned community's development program, supporting Sales, Marketing, Purchasing, Construction, and Operations while ensuring community appearance, regulatory compliance, and overall project execution meet the Company's expectations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Planning, Landscape Architecture, Business, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in residential land development, community development, or related disciplines.
Experience managing master-planned communities and overseeing multiple phases of development.
Demonstrated experience managing development budgets, schedules, consultants, contractors, and capital improvement projects.
Experience managing vertical capital improvement projects, including community amenities and sales centers.
Experience coordinating with regulatory agencies, utility providers, legal consultants, and other external stakeholders.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting, and data analysis.
Proficiency in Microsoft Project or similar project scheduling software.
Strong knowledge of residential land development, permitting, engineering design, utility infrastructure, and construction practices.
Ability to prepare and review quantity take-offs, conceptual cost estimates, and budget analyses for land development and capital improvement projects.
General understanding of the residential homebuilding and land development lifecycle, including the interrelationship between land acquisition, development, purchasing, construction, sales, marketing, operations, and HOA transition.
Demonstrated financial acumen with the ability to develop and manage project budgets, schedules, and forecasts.
Strong project management, negotiation, and organizational skills.
Ability to analyze complex issues, develop practical solutions, and make sound business recommendations.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively interact with executives, public agencies, consultants, contractors, internal stakeholders and homeowners.
Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a high level of accuracy, professionalism, and accountability.

Nice To Haves

Previous supervisory or management experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead all planning, entitlement, permitting, engineering design, and land development activities for the assigned community.
Directly supervise, mentor, and develop Land Manager(s) if applicable.
Negotiate and manage professional service agreements, amendments, and related consultant negotiations while coordinating the efforts of civil engineers, landscape architects, planners, architects, traffic engineers, environmental consultants, surveyors, utility providers, attorneys, and other development consultants to support successful project delivery.
Supervise site contractors and development consultants to ensure work is completed in accordance with approved plans, project schedules, budgets, quality standards, and contractual obligations.
Develop, maintain, and routinely update multi-phase development budgets, project schedules, and forecasts to support business planning and executive decision-making.
Determine engineering design, permitting, and construction schedules in coordination with project consultants and proactively manage progress to maintain schedule adherence.
Optimize land plans and development strategies to improve lot yield, constructability, operational efficiency, and overall project value while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements and internal design standards.
Coordinate internal design reviews and approvals to support timely decision-making and maintain project momentum.
Build and maintain productive working relationships with governmental agencies, utility providers, and regulatory authorities to facilitate permitting, approvals, and infrastructure coordination.
Evaluate project risks and recommend practical solutions that balance schedule, budget, quality, operational impacts, and long-term community objectives.
Provide regular reporting on development activities, project performance, budget status, schedule adherence, and emerging risks to executive leadership.
Lead the planning, design, and construction of community amenities, sales centers, model park environments, and other vertical capital improvement projects.
Serve as the Company's primary point of contact and owner's representative throughout project planning, design, and construction.
Coordinate with design-build partners to establish project budgets, schedules, and critical milestones.
Monitor project performance to ensure adherence to approved budgets, schedules, quality standards, and community objectives.
Coordinate internal stakeholder reviews and facilitate timely decisions to maintain project momentum.
Support the transition of completed facilities to Operations, Sales, and HOA Management.
Develop, manage, and routinely update multi-phase development budgets, schedules, forecasts, and cash flow projections.
Monitor project performance by evaluating budget variances, schedule adherence, consultant performance, and overall project health.
Evaluate project alternatives and recommend solutions that balance cost, schedule, quality, and community objectives.
Review consultant proposals, change orders, and budget adjustments to ensure expenditures are appropriate and aligned with approved project objectives.
Prepare concise and actionable reports for executive leadership, communicating project status, risks, budget impacts, schedule performance, and recommended solutions.
Coordinate with legal consultants to prepare, review, and maintain state and federal regulatory filings required to support community sales activities.
Ensure regulatory filings and supporting documentation remain current as development plans evolve.
Monitor critical filing milestones to support timely community launches and sales releases.
Prepare and maintain development-related deliverables supporting the sales process, including community maps, lot release schedules, amenity information, and development updates.
Partner with Sales and Marketing teams to support community launches, phase releases, model home openings, amenity openings, and other strategic initiatives.
Partner with Purchasing and Construction teams to ensure development activities support homebuilding schedules and operational objectives.
Communicate site-specific conditions, regulatory requirements, utility constraints, and phase-specific considerations that may impact homebuilding costs, estimating, budgeting, and construction schedules.
Collaborate across departments to support successful lot releases, timely delivery of finished lots, and achievement of overall community objectives.
Monitor the overall appearance and presentation of the community to ensure it reflects the Company's quality standards and supports the customer experience.
Partner with HOA Management, maintenance providers, and internal departments to ensure common areas, landscaping, amenities, signage, and community assets are maintained in accordance with established standards and that deficiencies are addressed in a timely manner.
Conduct routine community inspections to identify maintenance, operational, and aesthetic deficiencies.
Support Sales and Marketing by ensuring the community is consistently presented in a manner that reinforces the Company's brand and quality expectations.