Senior Vice President – Senior Housing Development

Gilbane Development Company•Austin, TX

About The Position

Gilbane Development Company is seeking an accomplished, entrepreneurial executive to lead and expand its national senior housing development platform. The role is responsible for establishing and executing the platform’s strategic vision, building and leading a high-performing development team, and driving the identification, capitalization, development, and delivery of senior housing communities across the United States. The platform spans Active Adult (55+), Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and integrated campuses offering multiple levels of care. The initial focus for expanding development opportunities is Utah, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. The executive will oversee the full development lifecycle, from market strategy, sourcing, feasibility, underwriting, and land acquisition through entitlements, capitalization, design, construction, lease-up, stabilization, and disposition or long-term ownership. The role works closely with internal construction, finance, legal, investment, asset management, and capital markets teams, as well as senior housing operators and external capital partners. It also has responsibility for the performance and growth of the development business, including team leadership, investment performance, market relationships, and reporting to corporate leadership.

Requirements

Minimum 20 years of progressive professional experience in real estate, including substantial experience in development, investment, and project execution.
Minimum 10 years of direct senior housing development experience, with meaningful involvement in Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and/or Active Adult development.
Demonstrated success originating, capitalizing, and executing ground-up senior housing developments.
Proven experience leading and managing real estate development teams across multiple geographic markets.
Extensive experience evaluating development feasibility, structuring complex transactions, managing project capitalization, and overseeing development execution.
Strong understanding of senior housing operating models, financial performance drivers, and the relationship between real estate development and community operations.
Established industry relationships with senior housing operators, institutional capital partners, lenders, landowners, and other relevant stakeholders.
Experience presenting investment opportunities and strategic business plans to executive leadership, investment committees, and institutional investors.
Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and scale a national real estate development business.
Strong strategic vision and a hands-on, execution-oriented leadership style.
Exceptional financial and analytical capabilities, including development underwriting, capital structuring, and investment return analysis.
Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, and retain high-performing development professionals.
Strong negotiation skills and experience managing complex development transactions and partnerships.
Comprehensive understanding of senior housing market fundamentals, demographic drivers, regulatory environments, and competitive dynamics.
Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship management skills.
Ability to balance growth objectives with disciplined investment decision-making and effective risk management.
Willingness and ability to travel nationally, particularly within the platform’s initial target markets.
Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Construction Management, or a related field required.

Nice To Haves

MBA or other relevant advanced degree.
Experience developing multiple senior housing product types, including age-restricted Active Adult communities and needs-based senior living communities.
Demonstrated track record of managing a substantial, multi-market senior housing development pipeline.
Direct development experience and established industry relationships in Utah, Texas, Florida, and/or Virginia.
Experience structuring joint ventures and investment partnerships with institutional capital providers.
Experience developing integrated senior living campuses or communities incorporating multiple levels of care.
Familiarity with senior housing licensing and regulatory requirements across multiple states.
Prior executive leadership experience within a nationally recognized senior housing developer, owner, operator, or institutional real estate investment platform.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a comprehensive national growth strategy for the senior housing development platform.
Establish market-specific development strategies, initially prioritizing Utah, Texas, Florida, and Virginia.
Identify opportunities across Active Adult, Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and continuing care or integrated senior living communities.
Set annual and long-term development objectives for pipeline growth, capital deployment, project starts, and investment performance.
Evaluate demographic trends, market fundamentals, competitive supply, operating performance, and consumer preferences to identify development opportunities.
Build a scalable national development platform supported by disciplined underwriting, execution processes, and strategic relationships.
Lead sourcing, evaluation, underwriting, entitlement, capitalization, and execution of senior housing development opportunities nationwide.
Oversee the full development lifecycle, including site selection, land acquisition, feasibility, due diligence, zoning and entitlements, design, construction, lease-up, stabilization, and disposition or long-term ownership strategies.
Direct market feasibility and financial analysis, including development budgets, operating projections, investment returns, and sensitivity analyses.
Structure projects to achieve investment return objectives while managing execution and operating risks.
Oversee project design and product positioning to ensure competitiveness, operational efficiency, and alignment with resident needs and market demand.
Coordinate with internal construction, finance, legal, investment, and asset management teams on project execution.
Maintain executive oversight of development schedules, budgets, project risks, and investment performance.
Recruit, develop, and lead a national team of real estate development professionals.
Establish accountability, performance expectations, and measurable objectives across the development organization.
Provide strategic direction and mentorship to regional development leaders and project-level development professionals.
Determine organizational structure and staffing needs as the platform expands geographically.
Foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial, results-oriented culture emphasizing disciplined execution, financial performance, and long-term value creation.
Serve as the senior executive responsible for the overall performance and growth of the senior housing development business.
Collaborate with capital markets and investment teams on project capitalization, including institutional equity, joint ventures, construction financing, and other capital sources.
Provide development expertise, market intelligence, underwriting, and investment analysis for capital raising and financing activities.
Cultivate and maintain relationships with institutional investors, private equity firms, family offices, lenders, and other capital partners.
Support preparation and presentation of investment opportunities, development strategies, and financial projections to investment committees and external capital partners.
Work with capital markets, legal, and investment teams to evaluate and negotiate transaction structures, joint ventures, and financing terms.
Monitor project-level and portfolio-level investment performance against financial objectives.
Coordinate with corporate leadership and capital markets to evaluate capital requirements, establish development priorities, and execute the national pipeline.
Develop and maintain relationships with senior housing operating companies and management partners.
Evaluate and select operating partners based on performance, market expertise, financial strength, and strategic alignment.
Collaborate with operating partners on building design, unit mix, amenity programming, staffing considerations, and operational efficiency.
Maintain an understanding of operating economics for Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care, including occupancy, rental rates, care revenue, labor costs, operating margins, and stabilization timelines.
Ensure development strategies account for state licensing, regulatory considerations, and operational complexities.
Monitor industry trends, operating models, and resident expectations to identify opportunities for innovation and competitive differentiation.
Collaborate with executive leadership on business plans, annual budgets, development targets, and long-term strategic priorities.
Provide regular reporting on pipeline activity, capital requirements, market opportunities, project execution, and platform performance.
Represent Gilbane at industry conferences, investor meetings, strategic partnership discussions, and other senior housing forums.
Leverage Gilbane’s development, construction, and capital markets capabilities to create competitive advantages and drive growth.