What does a land development manager do?
The primary role of a land development manager is to approve and review land development requirements in a real estate business. The land development managers supervise field and section engineering operations. They handle engineering and construction professionals to meet corporate and project goals in time. It is their job to find and negotiate land acquisition for the property development programs of businesses. The skills necessary in carrying out this job include communication, negotiation, marketing, and knowledge in real estate.
Land development manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real land development manager resumes:
- Manage HOA's from inception to assigning management control to resident board.
- Lead development efforts with aggressive time-lines on many web-base java projects in a dynamic environment concluding in successful on-time deliveries.
- Handle payroll for staff and workers.
- Collaborate with CPA for year-end tax reporting.
- Assist company CPA on tax planning for all partners.
- Operate and maintain skid steer, trailers, and mowing equipment.
- Maintain lawns and landscape beds, including mulching, planting, pruning, weed removal, and mowing.
- Prepare bi-weekly payroll, including withholding deposits and payroll returns.
- Provide oversight and direction on domestic and international projects impacting commercial markets, including conducting competitive assessments base on project results.
- Prepare bi-weekly payroll, including withholding deposits and payroll returns.
Land development manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Land Development Managers are proficient in Civil Engineering, Project Management, and Construction Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Initiative, Speaking skills, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Land Development Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Civil Engineering, 12%
Negotiate contracts with and actively direct various civil engineering and other development related contract service firms.
- Project Management, 11%
Fulfilled diverse project management duties, including proposal development, budget management, employee supervision and client relations.
- Construction Management, 7%
Contract Management * Construction Management - Civil Improvements * Financial Management * Planning and Entitlement
- Development Projects, 7%
Keynote Accomplishments & Responsibilities * Effectively managed all operations of two major housing development projects running concurrently.
- Due Diligence, 7%
Perform due diligence investigation on potential communities and prepare feasibility reports and budgets.
- Site Development, 4%
Served as Land Development Manager, whereby provided overall supervision of the site development-contracting division.
Common skills that a land development manager uses to do their job include "civil engineering," "project management," and "construction management." You can find details on the most important land development manager responsibilities below.
Technical skills. land development managers are also known for technical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to land development manager responsibilities, because "construction managers must have an applied knowledge of concepts and practices common in the industry, such as construction technologies, contracts, and technical drawings." A land development manager resume example shows how technical skills is used in the workplace: "identified cause of paving proof roll failures and obtained geotechnical summary letter for support. "
Business skills. Another skill commonly found on land development manager job descriptions is "business skills." It can come up quite often in land development manager duties, since "construction managers need to prepare and follow project budgets, hire and manage staff, and coordinate with other workers and managers." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day land development manager responsibilities: "spearheaded the business development and land function for a 400+ development drilling program in the d-j basin codell niobrara resource plays. "
The three companies that hire the most land development managers are:
- D.R. Horton32 land development managers jobs
- Toll Brothers16 land development managers jobs
- Lennar14 land development managers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable land development manager resume templates
Build a professional land development manager resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your land development manager resume.
Compare different land development managers
Land development manager vs. Director of construction
A Director Of Construction is responsible for supervision of all construction-related projects. They review project progress, address issues, and adjust schedules and budgets.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a land development manager are more likely to require skills like "civil engineering," "engineering design," "hoa," and "autocad." On the other hand, a job as a director of construction requires skills like "oversight," "general contractors," "capital projects," and "direct reports." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Directors of construction really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $127,615. Comparatively, land development managers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $92,495.directors of construction tend to reach similar levels of education than land development managers. In fact, directors of construction are 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Land development manager vs. General contractor
The job of general contractors is to oversee the day-to-day operations of projects in the organization. General contractors are considered seasoned experts when it comes to home improvement. They provide the material, equipment, labor, and services for a construction project. Often, they hire specialized subcontractors who will be working on some part of the construction work. They should have attained a bachelor's or associate's degree in construction management. Their experience in the industry is highly coveted.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that land development manager responsibilities requires skills like "civil engineering," "project management," "development projects," and "due diligence." But a general contractor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "plumbing," "safety regulations," "drywall installation," and "construction projects."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. General contractors tend to reach lower levels of education than land development managers. In fact, they're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Land development manager vs. Construction superintendent
A construction superintendent's role is to oversee all construction plans and operations, ensuring quality completion within a specified timeframe. Some of their responsibilities are to inspect all sites, coordinate with contractors and engineers, manage the budget and expenditure, purchase necessary materials and equipment, and make schedules. Aside from producing daily progress reports, a construction superintendent also addresses issues and concerns should there be any. Furthermore, they must implement all safety regulations and policies to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a land development manager is likely to be skilled in "civil engineering," "development projects," "due diligence," and "site development," while a typical construction superintendent is skilled in "construction sites," "safety program," "quality standards," and "punch list."
Construction superintendents earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $99,237. Comparatively, land development managers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $92,495.Most construction superintendents achieve a lower degree level compared to land development managers. For example, they're 5.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Land development manager vs. Construction coordinator
A construction coordinator is in charge of overseeing the workforce and the workflow on a construction site, ensuring that all operations adhere to the standards, deadlines, budgets, and goals. Typically, it is their responsibility to liaise with clients and other professionals, organize work schedules, delegate tasks, and conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work. Furthermore, as a construction coordinator, it is essential to implement the safety rules and regulations to maintain a healthy and safe work environment for everyone.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between land development managers and construction coordinators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a land development manager might have more use for skills like "civil engineering," "development projects," "due diligence," and "site development." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of construction coordinators require skills like "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "construction projects," and "customer service. "
In general, construction coordinators earn the most working in the energy industry, with an average salary of $65,498. The highest-paying industry for a land development manager is the manufacturing industry.construction coordinators reach similar levels of education compared to land development managers, in general. The difference is that they're 2.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of land development manager
Updated January 8, 2025
