About The Land Development Agency

The Land Development Agency (LDA) is a key Government Commercial Semi-State Body that delivers affordable and social housing on State and other lands. It is overseen by an independent board of directors and is funded with €5 billion of equity capital committed by the Government. It is also permitted to borrow up to €1.25bn.

The LDA has commenced construction on various state sourced lands and is currently working on 25 plus direct delivery projects that can deliver over 15,000 homes. It is also delivering affordable housing by working with the private sector on an initiative called ‘Project Tosaigh’, which will yield a further 8,000 homes on land provided by housebuilders.

Additionally, the LDA is working on large-scale longer-term strategic areas by master-planning and bringing forward planning applications in locations such as Limerick Colbert Quarter, the Cork Docklands and Sandy Road in Galway.

The LDA is underpinned by a positive, collegiate, ‘can do’ culture based on our core values of Integrity, Results, Collaboration, Sustainability and Innovation. Our team is around 180 people and growing rapidly.

The Role

The Assistant Development Manager role will offer the right candidate an exciting opportunity to join the Development Team, who form part of a wider Agency of leading LDA professionals (incl. Cost, Investment, Legal, Planning, Construction & Asset Management). All Agency departments work closely together to deliver a wide range of residential and regeneration projects across the country. The Assistant Development Manager role is embedded into a Development Team Pod, who will be responsible for managing and driving multiple projects forward across the full lifecycle of development (incl. appraisal, acquisition, design, planning, procurement and delivery). The role offers an individual the opportunity to take their previous industry experience to the next level and develop the skills & knowledge required to deliver large-scale affordable housing projects.

Being part of a Development Team Pod, guided by a Senior Development Manager, creates a thriving team environment where an emphasis is placed on the Assistant Development Manager’s exposure, support and professional growth. The ideal candidate will have worked in at least one area of the development lifecycle for a minimum of 2 years (PQE), have the relevant technical qualifications, but most importantly show the work ethic and adaptability required to play an important role in delivering landmark projects. The LDA are committed to encouraging and supporting career development progression through tailored mentoring and on/off the job training. Within the Agency there is a track record of successful career progression by candidates who can demonstrate that they have a strong interest in the housing and development sector, have strong communication skills, problem solving abilities and are eager to learn.

The LDA are uniquely positioned in the housing and development sector as one of the largest agencies who have a long term intertest in delivering affordable & sustainable homes. This in turn supports the creation of thriving communities and delivers a positive social impact.

This Assistant Development Manager role plays an important part in delivering this goal.

Key Responsibilities

The Assistant Development Manager will be assigned to projects that may be at various stages across the lifecycle and will be required to support their Development Pod and the wider Project team by carrying out the following day-to-day tasks:

• Preparing development briefs including project scope and deliverables, programme, budget and design team scopes of services.
• Undertaking initial site feasibility and capacity studies, identifying development opportunities and constraints.
• Appoint design teams to projects, other professional service providers and construction contractors (incl. scope definition, preparation of tender docs and tender evaluation).
• Preparation of planning applications, statutory applications and tracking the discharge of planning conditions and other necessary consents.
• Managing and coordinating the design team activities through the planning, design, tendering and pre-construction phases.
• Administering and managing of all project documentation, including, contracts, monthly project reports, development budgets, project registers and trackers, records of meetings
• Coordinating and liaising across all development functions seeking inputs from both internal and external project teams and key stakeholders
• Any other duties assigned from time to time.

In addition, the successful candidate will be expected to support and actively contribute to wider business development & corporate strategy initiatives. The successful candidate will also be expected to maintain the LDA’s Core values at all times.

Person Specifications / Requirements

• At least 2 years PQE in a relevant area of the property development sector.
• Demonstrable willingness to take on new responsibilities and the ability to work unsupervised or as part of a team within a well-defined project organisation structure.
• Has experience of the development and planning process is an advantage.
• Familiar with the use of normal business software, including Microsoft Office
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, especially in the making and delivery of reports on delegated activities
• Be a proactive team player and a supportive and engaged colleague
• Has a keen interest in the development process and developing skillsets like:
• Development and Project management
• Contractual, commercial and financial competence
• Building & managing stakeholder relationships
• Demonstrating commercial acumen and an understanding of viability & cost drivers and the impact on budgets would be an advantage
• Demonstrating technical knowledge and an understanding of technical principles such as the planning system, construction buildability, technical solutions and value engineering would be an advantage
• Having good organising skills; ability to manage multiple tasks and willingness to ask for help when needed
• Having the ability to communicate with focus, simplicity and clarity, adapting to audience.
• Commitment to developing new skills and embracing new challenges.
• Ambition to meet and exceed the highest level of industry standards.

The Land Development Agency (LDA) is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promote and support a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we endeavour to provide reasonable accommodations where requested.