Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Vice President of Land Acquisitions and Development

🎯 Role Definition

The Vice President of Land Acquisitions and Development leads the company's land sourcing and entitlement strategy to secure buildable sites, minimize risk, and accelerate project delivery. This senior role combines deal origination, financial underwriting, entitlement and permitting management, and cross‑functional leadership to transform strategic growth objectives into executable development pipelines. The VP will own the land acquisition funnel, negotiate complex purchase and option agreements, manage due diligence and environmental and technical studies, coordinate with planning and permitting authorities, and structure partnerships and joint ventures to optimize capital deployment and returns.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Director of Land Acquisitions
Senior Development Manager / Development Director
Head of Real Estate Acquisitions

Advancement To:

Executive Vice President, Development
Chief Development Officer (CDO)
Head of Real Estate / Chief Real Estate Officer

Lateral Moves:

Head of Entitlements & Permitting
Director of Joint Ventures & Capital Partnerships
Head of Project Delivery

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute a scalable land acquisition and development strategy aligned with corporate growth objectives, market forecasts, and portfolio diversification goals.
Source, originate and qualify new land opportunities through proactive outreach to brokers, landowners, municipalities, and community stakeholders to build a robust acquisition pipeline.
Lead site selection and market analysis efforts, leveraging demographic, zoning, transportation, and competitive intelligence to identify high‑potential development parcels.
Negotiate complex land purchase agreements, option agreements, letters of intent (LOIs), and joint venture term sheets to secure favorable commercial and legal terms.
Oversee comprehensive due diligence programs including title review, environmental (Phase I/II ESAs), geotechnical studies, surveys, and utilities assessments to identify and mitigate acquisition risk.
Prepare, review and present financial models, discounted cash flow analyses, pro formas, and return metrics to senior leadership and investment committees to support acquisition decisions.
Structure and negotiate joint ventures, partnerships, and strategic alliances with capital partners, institutional investors, and local developers to optimize capital stacks and risk allocation.
Manage entitlement and permitting processes across jurisdictions—leading strategy for rezonings, variances, conditional use permits, and subdivision maps while coordinating with legal counsel and land planners.
Cultivate and maintain relationships with municipal planning departments, elected officials, community leaders, and neighborhood organizations to facilitate approvals and community buy‑in.
Lead cross‑functional teams (development, legal, construction, finance, environmental, and external consultants) to translate land acquisitions into shovel‑ready projects on schedule and budget.
Drive site control strategies including options, purchase and sale agreements, escrow management, and earn‑outs to protect economic upside and limit downside exposure.
Develop and implement standardized underwriting criteria, checklists, and acquisition playbooks to improve speed, consistency, and quality of investment decisions.
Manage the closing process for land acquisitions—coordinate escrow, reconciliation of title issues, lender requirements, and closing deliverables to ensure timely and compliant title transfer.
Evaluate and negotiate entitlement incentives, tax abatements, impact fee reductions, and infrastructure cost‑sharing with public agencies to improve project economics.
Conduct sensitivity analyses and scenario planning to assess land banking strategies, hold vs. develop decisions, and timing of entitlement milestones under shifting market conditions.
Monitor and report on key pipeline metrics, acquisition KPIs, and project status to executive leadership and the board; recommend corrective actions as appropriate.
Oversee land valuation, appraisal review, and acquisition budgets, ensuring disciplined capital deployment and alignment with return targets and IRR objectives.
Lead the resolution of complex legal, regulatory, and community issues, including contested hearings, appeals, and mitigation agreements.
Mentor, recruit and develop a high‑performing acquisitions and entitlements team; set goals, performance metrics, and training plans for direct reports.
Integrate sustainability, infrastructure planning, and utility coordination into site evaluation and entitlement strategies to future‑proof developments.
Coordinate with capital markets and treasury teams to align land acquisition activity with available financing, debt covenants, and balance sheet capacity.
Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of zoning codes, land use policy changes, environmental regulations (e.g., CEQA/NEPA), and regional growth plans that impact site feasibility.

Secondary Functions

Support corporate strategic planning by supplying market intelligence, competitive analysis, and scenario modeling related to land supply and demand.
Assist in periodic portfolio reviews and prioritization of secured sites for development, sale, or long‑term hold based on market cycles and capital allocation objectives.
Implement and maintain CRM and deal tracking systems for transparent pipeline management and reporting.
Represent the company at industry conferences, broker events, and municipal hearings to strengthen brand and sourcing networks.
Coordinate with the construction and development teams to transition acquired sites into project execution with clear handoffs and documentation.
Participate in investor presentations, fundraising calls, and capital partner updates to articulate land strategy and project pipeline performance.
Facilitate ad‑hoc financial modeling and sensitivity analysis for executive reviews and board materials.
Champion process improvements and technology adoption across the acquisitions function to enhance efficiency and decision quality.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced financial modeling and underwriting expertise (Excel, discounted cash flow, pro forma construction, IRR, NPV).
Deep knowledge of land use, zoning, entitlements, municipal permitting processes, and local regulatory frameworks.
Experience structuring and negotiating purchase agreements, option contracts, joint venture agreements, and complex commercial real estate contracts.
Strong due diligence acumen including title review, environmental site assessments (Phase I/II), geotechnical evaluation, surveying and utility coordination.
Familiarity with public incentive programs, tax abatement strategies, and negotiation of impact fee and infrastructure agreements.
Proficiency with deal management and CRM tools (Yardi, Argus Enterprise, Salesforce, Procore for handoffs) and GIS/mapping tools for site analysis.
Working knowledge of environmental regulations (e.g., CEQA, NEPA) and mitigation planning.
Experience with capital structuring, equity placement, lender negotiations, and demonstrating capital stacks to institutional investors.
Ability to develop and present board‑level investment memos, underwriting packages, and risk assessments.
Strong project management skills and ability to coordinate multi‑disciplinary consultants and internal teams through entitlement to closing.
Familiarity with appraisal processes, valuation methods, and market comparables for land and development projects.

Soft Skills

Executive leadership with strong people management, mentorship, and team‑building capabilities.
Exceptional negotiation and persuasive communication skills across brokers, sellers, municipalities, and capital partners.
Strategic thinker with a proactive, entrepreneurial mindset and ability to identify non‑obvious land opportunities.
High emotional intelligence and political acumen for navigating public hearings and stakeholder resistance.
Results‑driven with a demonstrated ability to close deals under tight timelines and shifting conditions.
Strong problem solving and decision making under uncertainty and complex regulatory environments.
Excellent written and verbal communication—comfortable presenting to board members and institutional investors.
Relationship builder with a large professional network across brokers, public officials, consultants, and lenders.
Detail oriented with strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple transactions concurrently.
Collaborative leader who fosters cross‑functional alignment and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Business Administration, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree such as MBA, Master of Real Estate Development (MRED), Master of Urban Planning (MUP), or comparable advanced degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Real Estate Finance
Urban Planning and Land Use
Civil Engineering
Business Administration / Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 12–20+ years of progressive experience in land acquisitions, real estate development, or related functions, with at least 5–8 years in senior leadership roles.

Preferred:

Demonstrated track record of sourcing and closing large‑scale land transactions across multiple jurisdictions and asset types (residential, mixed‑use, industrial, multifamily).
Experience running an acquisitions or entitlements organization, managing a team of acquisition professionals, and interfacing regularly with C‑suite and boards.
History of structuring joint ventures and partnerships with institutional capital and delivering attractive returns on development projects.
Proven success navigating governmental approvals, public hearings, and complex entitlement processes with measurable outcomes.
Prior experience with land banking, portfolio optimization, and integrating land strategy with development and construction pipelines.