Land Acquisition Manager
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Overview
Job Description
Character Companies
Land Acquisition Manager
About Us
At Character Companies, we are building the next generation of residential development in Northern Virginia. Our commitment to excellence starts long before construction begins. By identifying exceptional land opportunities, guiding projects through entitlement, and creating predictable lot pipelines, we are laying the foundation for a high growth custom and community homebuilding division. While our core business includes speculative home building and high end design build remodeling, we are now expanding into land development and community building to support our long term growth strategy.
As a Land Acquisition Manager at Character Companies, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of our pipeline. You will identify, evaluate, and negotiate new land opportunities, working directly with ownership, attorneys, engineers, landowners, municipal officials, and industry partners. You will be responsible for sourcing deals, managing feasibility studies, coordinating entitlement efforts, and moving land opportunities from concept to contract. This position is ideal for a driven, knowledgeable land professional who wants to help grow a high performing residential development company.
Key Responsibilities
Land Sourcing
Identify and pursue land opportunities through direct outreach, agent relationships, wholesalers, municipal contacts, and on the ground prospecting. Build and maintain a consistent pipeline of on and off market land deals.
Feasibility and Analysis
Conduct zoning checks, density analyses, preliminary yield studies, and highest and best use evaluations. Coordinate due diligence including environmental reports, surveys, utility availability studies, and initial engineering reviews.
Negotiation and Acquisition
Lead negotiations with landowners and brokers to structure options, purchase agreements, takedown schedules, and joint venture opportunities. Create and present acquisition packages and recommendations to ownership.
Entitlement Coordination
Work with engineers, land use attorneys, planners, and local jurisdictions to understand entitlement pathways, schedules, risks, and costs. Manage key meetings, submissions, and timeline expectations.
Relationship Management
Develop strong relationships with landowners, brokers, municipal staff, planning officials, attorneys, engineers, and industry partners. Represent Character Companies professionally and ethically in all interactions.
Internal Collaboration
Work closely with ownership, operations, and preconstruction teams to evaluate product fit, lot strategies, and development feasibility. Ensure alignment between land strategy and construction capacity.
Pipeline Management
Track and manage all acquisition opportunities, reporting progress, risks, and next steps to ownership on a weekly basis.
Key Metrics
Pipeline health
Number and quality of active land opportunities under review, under negotiation, or under contract.
Deal flow and conversions
Volume of sourced opportunities and the percentage converted into negotiated agreements or executed contracts.
Entitlement progress
Ability to move controlled land through zoning, approvals, and feasibility within targeted timelines.
Qualifications
Must have 5 plus years of experience working for a regional or national land developer or homebuilder
Strong experience in land acquisition, entitlement, or development
Deep understanding of zoning, land use, and approval processes
Strong negotiation skills and experience structuring land deals
Exceptional communication and relationship building ability
Experience coordinating due diligence and feasibility studies
Understanding of pro formas, yield studies, and financial analysis
Ability to work independently in a fast paced, target driven environment
Strong organizational and time management skills
Fluency in English
Bachelor's degree in Business, Real Estate, Planning, Finance, Construction, or related field preferred
Salary and Benefits
Full time
Compensation $130k to $160k per year, commensurate with experience and performance
Bonus opportunities based on acquisition outputs and pipeline metrics
Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
Paid time off
Professional development assistance
Referral program
Cell phone provided
Computer and iPad provided
Job Type
Full time
Schedule
8 hour shift
Monday to Friday
Work Location
In person
Automate your job search with Sonara.
Submit 10x as many applications with less effort than one manual application.