VP Land Acquisition and Development

Overview:

Ashton Woods is more than just a home builder. From the sale of our first home in 1989 to recently being named Builder of the Year by Builder Magazine, our focus has always been on blazing new trails and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in homebuilding. Ashton Woods, the #1 private home builder in the United States, markets its homes through its two award-winning brands, Ashton Woods and Starlight Homes. The Ashton Woods brand is known for designing thoughtfully curated, inspired homes for people who love design. The Starlight Homes brand builds homes specifically for the first-time homebuyer, offering affordable homes with well-executed designs and quality finishes for buyers looking to make the dream of home ownership a reality. The company’s commitment to innovation and continually evolving to meet the needs of the market is a key reason we are one of the most celebrated home builders in the nation, winning hundreds of national and local industry awards in product and community design, architecture, merchandising, sales, marketing, and customer service. We believe that what we accomplish together is greater than what we deliver individually. Our team members have inspired the shared values we embrace in all decisions and actions: Unwavering Integrity, Trail Blazing, Bold Action, Collective Compassion, and Unconditional Respect.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Ashton Woods sells new homes in Atlanta, Austin, Charleston, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Antonio, and Tampa.

 

Position Overview:

 

The Vice President of Land Acquisition and Development is a critical member of the division leadership team. This role is responsible for providing the division with undeveloped land and finished lots enabling it to accomplish its sales, settlements, profitability, and growth targets as established in the division strategic plan. The VP of Land Development works with the management team to ensure the sales, marketing and construction requirements are met on each land deal. The VP of Land Development works closely with the land acquisition team to identify land that aligns with the company’s strategic plan and be able to accurately provide development cost estimates to the acquisition team to facilitate reliable underwriting in support of all division acquisitions.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the land acquisition and development departments; ensure that they are competently staffed and functional. Identify land opportunities, which do not satisfy the division’s objectives, but have potential profit opportunities through the resale process.
• Identify land that aligns with the strategic plan and be able to coordinate the acquisition, zoning, and development processes.
• Negotiate price and terms of property acquisitions to ensure the division has a competitive edge in our respective target sub-markets. Land needs to be acquired on terms that meet or exceed our financial requirements.
• Partner with zoning attorneys, our real estate attorney, developers (both in-house and outside) and local regulatory agencies to ensure that the division’s risks are eliminated or mitigated.
• Identify opportunities for the division to buy and “flip” land at a profit for the division. Manage any lot or land sale functions within the division.
• Participate in the creation of the division strategic land acquisition and development planning process. Help guide the process to competitive acquisition targets that although rare, are possible to find.
• Actively look for niche land positions requiring direct contracting from owners, to include assemblage opportunities and joint venture scenarios.
• Develop good contracts with the local developer community to provide the division with option deals in good subdivisions at competitive prices.
• Manage the zoning and permitting processes. Ensure that we get the best possible density and conditions from the process – ensure our contracts are linked to these results.
• Ensure that we budget for and control our land acquisition budget to include due diligence and research.
• Partner with civil engineers and other design professionals to ensure that the approved construction plans provide the highest quality community at the most economical cost of construction.
• Ensure that all lots built provide the most efficient and cost-effective building pads for homebuilding.
• Manage land development contractors work to ensure that lots are completed on or ahead of schedule.
• Manage construction budgets to align with business plan contribution targets.
• Coordinate with local government inspectors regarding development construction issues.
• Manage the construction of amenity areas, entrance concepts, and land development plans.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, real estate, construction management, finance, or related field required.
• Master’s degree in business, finance, real estate, or related field preferred.
• At least five years of experience in land acquisition, divestiture and land development construction management.
• Realtor or Broker’s license preferred.
• Experience with MS Office Products (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and ability to learn other computer programs.

 

Knowledge of:

• Residential real estate laws and zoning regulations
• Contract language and the ability to identify critical deal points
• Broker networking
• Supply/demand analysis and demographic mapping
• Local residential housing markets
• Land development process
• Basic financial analysis and proforma creation.
• Deal structures: option contracts, mezzanine financing, joint ventures, assemblages, and land banking
• Topographical effects on development

 

Typical Physical and Mental Demands:

• Must be able to read, write, and speak fluently in English. Spanish language skills are helpful
• Employees in the position are required to be able to hear and have sufficient vision to utilize all office equipment
• Use of hands and fingers is required to utilize standard office equipment
• Use of feet and legs required to walk, climb and maneuver within construction sites

 

These physical requirements are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions if requested.

 

Working Conditions:

Work is generally performed in the field, i.e., home building construction sites. Occasional work will be performed in a typical office environment and may involve the use of a typical office environment using standard office equipment. Work is typically active in nature, but some sitting may be required. Fast paced environment subject to numerous schedule and priority changes and short notice activity.