Development Manager, Land Development

From our first lot in Cambridge, Ontario, to residential, commercial, and recreational developments in 18 cities across North America, Great Gulf Group has grown into a diversified real estate organization with over 45 years of experience.
While our portfolio has evolved, our commitment remains the same: building great spaces that inspire the people who live, work, and play in them. Today, our multi-faceted business spans commercial, mixed-use and residential development, construction management, software, engineering, panelized manufacturing, architecture, and hospitality.
All companies under the Great Gulf Group umbrella are united by one simple goal: the pursuit of greatness. It’s achieved every day through the passion and dedication of our people. If you’re excited to build meaningful solutions and make an impact, we’d love to hear from you!
Join a team helping shape residential communities across assigned regions in Ontario. Great Gulf is seeking an experienced
Development Manager, Land Development
to join our team in
Toronto, ON. This is an opportunity for a results-driven development professional to lead the delivery of assigned residential communities, owning the schedule and land development budget from acquisition and entitlements through site servicing and final municipal assumption. You will play a key role in guiding projects across the full development lifecycle and supporting the successful delivery of new communities.
Key Responsibilities
Oversee assigned community projects as the development lead internally and externally.
Manage and direct the development approval processes, including Master Planning, Official Plan Amendments, Draft Plan Approvals, Zoning approvals in accordance with Great Gulf’s Business plan objectives and timelines.
Retain and manage the consultant team on each project and hold them to fee, scope and schedule.
Manage the municipal relations with municipal staff and politicians and other levels of governmental agencies to affect the land use entitlements.
Prepare and manage civil, utility and landscape tenders, including scope, bid list, bid evaluation, post-tender negotiation, contract preparation and award.
Negotiate with and manage contractors on price, schedule, changes and claims.
Manage active servicing and construction work on site, including site servicing, grading, roads and underground, coordinate contractors, utilities and third-party infrastructure providers, and liaise with municipal inspectors to resolve deficiencies.
Management of project scope, maintaining schedules and project budgets to maintain company's business plan objectives.
Prepare land feasibility studies and quarterly budget updates and flag variances. Identify schedule and cost risks early, propose the recovery, and escape as soon as they are known.
Prepare internal corporate reporting as required and/ or partner correspondence and reporting.
Review and approve consultant and contractor invoices, maintain cost control against the approved budget, and manage change orders and claims, documenting the commercial position.
Manage securities and letters of credit, including the reduction schedule, and track development charge obligations, credits, front-funding and municipal grant program requirements for the region.
Drive each community, including legacy projects, to final municipal assumption and final letter of credit release.
Represent Great Gulf in landowner groups, cost‑sharing agreements and regional allocation and servicing capacity programs.
Coordinate with the Senior Planner and Planner on entitlement and approvals as workstreams within the project schedule, with clear dates and deliverables, and provide engineering and construction input for applications, conditions and agency review.
Escalate to the President where an entitlement approach and a delivery schedule cannot both be satisfied.
Coordinate with internal departments, housing, sales and marketing, resort as required.
Assist with due diligence of potential new acquisition projects as required, with servicing, engineering, cost and schedule-to-first-lot input.
For the resort communities, source and manage large landscape construction contracts, including scoping, tendering, contractor negotiation and site oversight, in coordination with the Resort group.
What You Bring
Minimum 7 years' experience in land development delivery in the private sector working for a land developer/home builder, or similar related experience.
Degree or diploma in Business Management, Commerce, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Civil Engineering Technology, Real Estate and Housing, or related discipline. A planning degree will be considered with a demonstrated record of construction and tendering delivery.
Experience running servicing and civil tenders from scope through to award and negotiating subdivision agreements and clearing draft plan conditions.
Experience taking communities through end-to-end process from acquisition to municipal assumption and letter of credit release.
Working knowledge of municipal engineering standards, servicing approvals and the development charge framework in Ontario.
Proven experience managing and reporting on a project schedule and budget, with strong budget management skills to monitor and track all project costs and rigorously scrutinize fees, pricing and change orders.
Drives with assertion and is process-minded, challenging schedule assumptions from consultants, contractors and peers and building workback schedules for each project.
Comfortable on an active construction site. Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to negotiate firmly with contractors and consultants and administer contracts closely.
Demonstrates strategic thinking, strong business acumen, and proven analytical skills, and is detail oriented, professional, and self-motivated, with the ability to anticipate and plan for each step of the development process.
Experience in MS Office systems, with strong proficiency in Microsoft Project for schedule development and tracking, and working knowledge of AI tools to support analysis, scheduling and reporting.
Must have a demonstrated sense of urgency and a competitive, results-driven approach, be able to work independently, bring a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and an ability to lead and adapt.
Strong belief in continuous learning, and the ability to thrive in a team-oriented environment collaborating effectively with others while supporting the goals of the business.
Strong organizational and time management skills to multi-task and consistently meet all deadlines.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal). Proactive problem recognition and resolution, with the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges as they arise.
The Following Are Considered An Asset
P.Eng. or PMP designation, and GTA and Southern Ontario municipal experience.
Experience with landscape construction contracts (resort communities).
Experience with cost-sharing agreements and landowner group participation.
Work Arrangement
Hybrid role with an expectation of regular in-office attendance, and travel within the GTA to project sites and external meetings.
Construction site conditions apply, including outdoor work and personal protective equipment as required.
Compensation
Pay Range: $130,000 – $150,000 plus a short-term incentive payment.
Vacancy Status
New vacancy
Why Join Great Gulf?
Opportunity to work for a leading real estate development company.
Exciting projects and challenging opportunities to develop high-profile residential, commercial, and mixed‑use developments.
Competitive salary and benefits package.
Dynamic and collaborative work environment.
Commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
Great Gulf Group of Companies is committed to providing a fair and equitable work environment and encourages applications from qualified women, men, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, and persons with disabilities. As per the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Great Gulf Group of Companies will accommodate the needs of applicants with disabilities throughout all stages of the selection process. If you need accommodation during the recruitment process, please advise Human Resources.
To be eligible to apply for this position you must be legally entitled to work in Canada. We do not accept international applicants without a valid work permit. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only successful candidates will be contacted.
Please note that all hiring decisions are made directly by our team. We do not rely on automated AI screening tools in our recruitment process.
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