Land Acquisition Manager

Berks Homes•Harrisburg, PA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Land Acquisition Manager (LAM) is the front-line driver of the land pipeline, owning the full acquisition lifecycle from initial lead generation through executed Agreement of Sale. This role is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with landowners, developers, brokers, and market partners; evaluating opportunities against financial and strategic criteria; and ensuring a consistent flow of controlled lots to support growth objectives. The LAM operates within a defined team structure, facilitating clear and efficient transitions of projects following Agreement of Sale execution. This role provides support across all geographic areas as needed to meet business objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Real Estate, or a related field preferred; equivalent professional experience considered with a High School diploma or GED
5+ years of experience in residential land acquisition, real estate, or a related field
Demonstrated track record of sourcing, evaluating, and negotiating transactions
Strong financial analysis skills, including the ability to perform residual land value analysis and interpret pro formas
Proficiency in standard business software, including spreadsheet, email, and word processing tools
Working knowledge of land use, zoning, and entitlement processes
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Ability to manage multiple active opportunities across a defined territory
Self-directed with strong organizational skills and the ability to operate effectively within established team processes

Nice To Haves

Experience with CRM or project management platforms preferred
Familiarity with offer structuring and purchase agreement processes in residential development contexts preferred

Responsibilities

Builds and maintains an active pipeline of acquisition leads across assigned geographic territory
Develops and sustains relationships with landowners, developers, brokers, attorneys, engineers, and municipal contacts
Conducts ongoing market intelligence: buyer migration patterns, resale trends, competitive landscape, and unmet product demand
Engages realtors and local market contacts on a regular basis to track demand signals and identify product gaps in the market
Identifies properties aligned with Berks homes product types (townhome, duplex, single-family detached) and applicable density targets
Maintains accurate and current lead tracking in Asana; updates pipeline status, timing, and next steps consistently
Evaluates opportunities against established screening criteria, including location quality, entitlement status, product alignment, density feasibility, infrastructure access, financial thresholds, and deal structure
Performs financial feasibility analysis by working backward from target pricing, construction costs, and required margin thresholds
Coordinates internally to support preliminary financial modeling for viable opportunities
Routes opportunities through appropriate internal review channels for relationship checks and validation against existing efforts
Engages relevant stakeholders to assess entitlement feasibility prior to advancing offers
Ensures key product and feasibility questions are resolved through internal collaboration before progressing a deal
Prepares and presents initial offers in coordination with internal stakeholders within defined timelines from lead qualification
Negotiates key business terms such as deposit structure, due diligence timing, product specifications, sequencing considerations, and performance conditions
Coordinates with internal and external partners to prepare and finalize purchase agreements within targeted timeframes
Executes a clear and well-documented transition of active projects to the appropriate teams upon agreement execution
Transfers all relevant site information, relationship context, and due diligence materials in accordance with established processes
Participates in internal review meetings to provide updates on newly secured opportunities and ongoing negotiations
Maintains visibility into project progress post-transition and re-engages external relationships as needed to support issue resolution
Identifies and pursues new opportunities aligned with broader geographic and strategic growth priorities
Contributes leads to the Select Sites infill lot division pipeline as a secondary revenue and market-testing opportunity
Provides ongoing market insights and feedback to to inform territory prioritization and product direction