Senior Technical Manager

Strategic land promotion lives or dies on technical judgement.

Getting a site from early identification to a consented, disposal-ready position requires more than project management. It demands a command of ground conditions, utilities constraints, transport modelling, drainage strategy, ecological risk, and the sequencing logic that holds all of it together. Miss something early, and you're either repricing at heads of terms or watching value erode through the planning process.

This is the work. And it requires a qualified QS or possible Engineer who has done it.

We are recruiting for Land Promoter to hire a Senior Technical Manager who can own the full pre-construction technical programme across a portfolio of strategic land sites, from initial site appraisal and constraint identification through technical due diligence, consultant coordination, and planning submission, to preparing the technical package that supports disposal.
The role turns on a specific set of capabilities:

Reading a site's technical risk profile early - ground investigation, flood risk, ecology, heritage, utilities and knowing which constraints are manageable and which are deal-breakers
Commissioning and directing a multi-disciplinary consultant team without losing grip on programme, cost, or output quality
Translating technical complexity into clear positions for internal stakeholders, planning authorities, and prospective purchasers
Anticipating what an LPA will require and sequencing work accordingly, not reacting to it
Producing technical packages that give a purchaser confidence, not questions

If that describes the work you've been doing, and doing well, we should talk.

Key Responsibilities

Manage the technical due diligence of prospective and secured sites
Coordinate and appoint external consultants (engineering, highways, utilities, environmental, design)
Oversee site assessments including access, ground conditions, drainage, utilities and constraints
Input into site viability and development capacity studies
Support planning promotion strategy with technical evidence and reports
Review masterplans and layouts to ensure deliverability and value optimisation
Manage project timelines, budgets and risk registers
Liaise with planning teams, local authorities and stakeholders
Provide technical input through to sale or developer handover

Candidate Profile

RICS/CIOB/MAPM
Proven experience in a technical role within residential development or land promotion
Strong understanding of pre-construction and site viability requirements
Knowledge of UK planning and technical approval processes
Experience managing multi-disciplinary consultant teams
Commercially aware and solution-focused
Strong organisational and project management skills
South East market knowledge advantageous