Senior Development Manager

Responsible for managing acquisition opportunities, the approval process, and contributing to the construction and eventual lease or sale of industrial projects in Ontario from conception through stabilization.. With the support of the BC & Alberta Development Team, this individual will guide the due diligence review of land and building acquisitions, manage and edit development proformas, review of legal contracts, manage and engage consultants and preparation, submission and negotiation for site plan approval, draft plan approval and permitting.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the land acquisitions process by reviewing zoning bylaws, restrictive covenants, design guidelines and preliminary design drawings.
• Visit prospective land opportunities to assess existing conditions, prepare a comprehensive condition assessment report, and identify any site-specific extraordinary costs.
• Review due diligence packages including geotechnical and environmental reports and obtain site preparation budgets.
• Communicate with brokerage community on a regular basis to answer questions regarding acquisitions and proposed developments.
• Meet with potential clients regarding build-to-suit purchases, leases and condo purchases.
• Lead the consultant team with submission and rezoning applications, land subdivision and development permits and coordinate with municipal planning and building departments.
• Expedite the resolution of all site plan approval or draft plan approval issues which arise to maintain project schedules and the level of quality of each project.
• Participate in the RFP process by reviewing proposals and reviewing pre-construction building specifications.
• Lead site plan, draft plan, and building permit approvals.
• Work with development team to generate building layouts for built-to-suit and speculative developments.
• Participate in design meetings to analyze plans and specifications for coordination, constructability, value engineering, and completeness.
• Establish and maintain relationships with relevant consultants.
• Assist asset management team when required.
• Assist the development team on scope and process questions throughout involvement of contractor.
• Work closely with development, construction, sales, investment, asset management and property management teams to facilitate successful projects..
• Establish key relationships with city staff in relevant jurisdictions.
• Manage development proformas as a tool to schedule, consolidate budgets, present to senior leadership and assist in making business decisions.
• Oversee and manage project budget approvals, budget management, and project reporting to ownership.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Experience as a development manager in land and building development cycles.
• Experience with reviewing proformas for purchasing, selling and leasing commercial properties.
• Experience in working with municipal departments for rezoning, draft plans, site plans and building permit applications.
• Strong understanding of legal contracts and title documents.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience as Development Manager.
• Knowledge of the SPA, Draft Plan and BP process in a variety of municipalities and other city approvals.
• Experience with land due diligence review, and managing tasks on multiple, concurrent projects.
• Post-secondary education in a related discipline.
• Excellent communication skills, combined with proven presentation experience within a senior level management group.
• A track record of establishing highly functional relationships with diverse personalities both within and outside the company.
• Proficient in Excel, Word and Outlook as well as preferred knowledge of scheduling software.
• Good knowledge of the Ontario building code.
• Ability to evaluate multiple development paths (zoning strategy, phasing, servicing approach, tenant requirements) and select the option that optimizes risk-adjusted returns.
• Ability to break complex, ambiguous development problems into manageable components
• Asks questions that expose assumptions in consultant work, municipal feedback, and internal estimates.