Land & Development Jobs
Land buying, planning and development roles with housebuilders, developers, promoters and consultancies across the UK.
Key Land & Development Capabilities
The skills and strengths employers look for in this field.
Land Sourcing & Identification
Proactively finding off-market and on-market opportunities through landowner contacts, agents, mapping tools and local market knowledge.
Site Appraisal & Financial Modelling
Building residual land valuations and development appraisals, testing assumptions on values, build costs, planning gain and abnormals.
Planning Knowledge
Understanding the planning system, local plans, allocations, Section 106, CIL and the route to a viable, deliverable consent.
Negotiation & Deal Structuring
Agreeing option agreements, promotion agreements, conditional and unconditional contracts and overage to secure sites on favourable terms.
Stakeholder & Landowner Management
Maintaining trusted relationships with landowners, agents, promoters, solicitors, planning consultants and local authorities.
Due Diligence
Coordinating technical, legal, environmental and title investigations to de-risk acquisitions before exchange and completion.
Commercial & Contract Management
Managing budgets, board approvals, viability and the transition of sites from acquisition into the development and technical teams.
Land & Development Market Overview
Land & Development covers the front end of the property lifecycle: identifying, appraising, acquiring and securing planning consent for sites that become new homes, commercial space and mixed-use schemes. Employers range from national and regional housebuilders and PLCs to strategic land promoters, registered providers, commercial developers, local authorities and surveying consultancies.
Demand for land and development professionals is closely tied to the housing pipeline and government planning policy. Pressure to increase housing delivery, reform the planning system and bring forward brownfield and strategic land sustains steady hiring for land buyers, development managers and planning specialists, though activity is sensitive to interest rates, build-cost inflation and market confidence.
Roles split broadly between immediate (consented or short-term) land and strategic (long-term, promotion-led) land. Most positions combine commercial appraisal, deal negotiation, planning awareness and stakeholder management. Many employers value RICS or RTPI membership, but the field also draws people from planning, surveying, law, estate agency and construction backgrounds.
Land & Development Salary Guide
Indicative ranges — actual pay varies by location, experience and employer.
Indicative base salaries for permanent roles; London and the South East typically sit at the upper end. Housebuilder and PLC roles often add a car or car allowance, bonus and on-target site-completion incentives. Figures cross-checked against RICS, Glassdoor and Talent.com data (2024–2025) and should be treated as guidance, not quotes.
Live market data (11 roles with salary on the board)
Land & Development Job Roles
Common job titles and roles for Land & Development professionals.
Professional Bodies & Qualifications
RICS Membership (MRICS / FRICS)
Chartered surveyor status via the Assessment of Professional Competence; highly valued for development and land roles, especially valuation-led posts.
RTPI Membership (MRTPI)
Chartered town planner status from the Royal Town Planning Institute; relevant for land, planning and strategic land specialists.
Degree in Real Estate / Planning / Surveying
RICS- or RTPI-accredited degrees are a common entry route; relevant subjects include real estate, urban planning, geography and land management.
CIOB Membership (MCIOB)
Chartered Institute of Building membership, useful for development and technical roles bridging land and construction delivery.
Full UK Driving Licence
Effectively essential for site visits, landowner meetings and travel across a region — most land roles include a car or car allowance.
Career Path & Progression
Land Assistant / Negotiator
Support the land team with research, mapping, appraisals and pipeline tracking while learning sourcing and the acquisition process.
Land Buyer / Development Surveyor
Own opportunities end to end — appraising, negotiating and progressing sites to exchange, often working towards RICS or RTPI membership.
Senior Land Buyer / Land Manager
Lead larger or more complex acquisitions, manage strategic promotion sites and mentor junior staff across a region.
Land & Planning / Development Manager
Run the land and planning function for a region, balancing immediate and strategic pipelines and managing consultants and approvals.
Land Director
Set land strategy, sit on the board or operating committee and take accountability for the land pipeline that drives business output.
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