Vice President - Land Development

Pape-Dawson•Savannah, GA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Pape-Dawson’s Savannah office, established in 2025, offers civil engineering, landscape architecture, and surveying services. The Vice President will provide senior leadership for the Savannah land development team, focusing on the office's growth. This role involves leading complex residential land development projects, nurturing client relationships, mentoring staff, and driving business development in the Savannah market. The ideal candidate is a seasoned seller/doer with extensive experience in large-scale residential development and single-family communities, actively engaged in client relations and project delivery. This leadership position aims to establish the Savannah office as a regional partner. Experience with public-sector clients is highly desirable.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering or a related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited program.
Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Georgia
Minimum of 15 years of progressive civil engineering and land development experience; 20 or more years is preferred.
Extensive experience in residential land development, including large-scale residential and single-family development projects.
Demonstrated experience managing projects from initial concept and entitlement through design, permitting, and construction support.
Proven seller/doer background with established client and industry relationships.
Demonstrated success leading, mentoring, and developing teams.
Strong preference for experience supporting public-sector clients and working with municipalities, counties, authorities, or other governmental agencies.
Demonstrated ability to balance senior-level leadership with direct involvement in client service and project execution.
Strong business development, proposal, presentation, and client interview skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage clients, public agencies, internal leadership, and project teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience serving public-sector clients is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide senior leadership for the Savannah land development team and support the continued growth of the office.
Lead, mentor, and develop a team including project managers, project engineers, designers, and technical staff.
Direct complex residential land development projects from planning and conceptual design through final design, permitting, construction, and closeout.
Maintain direct ownership of key client relationships and serve as a trusted advisor to developers, public agencies, municipalities, and industry partners.
Lead projects involving large-scale residential development, single-family communities, infrastructure, utilities, drainage, and related civil engineering services.
Provide technical oversight and ensure the quality, schedule, budget, and profitability of project delivery.
Serve as Engineer of Record, as appropriate, and certify plans and documentation in accordance with applicable requirements.
Mentor project managers and senior staff while supporting career development, succession planning, recruiting, and retention.
Drive business development activities, including client outreach, relationship development, pursuit strategy, proposals, RFQs/RFPs, interviews, and fee development.
Develop and maintain relationships with public-sector clients, including municipalities, counties, authorities, and other governmental agencies.
Collaborate with regional and company leadership regarding staffing, resource allocation, operational priorities, and market strategy.
Represent Pape-Dawson through professional associations, industry organizations, civic groups, and community events.
Ensure consistent application of company design, production, quality control, and project management standards.