The Professionals’ Choice for Real Estate Jobs
  1. Home
  2. Find Jobs
  3. Development Director - Planning & Entitlements

Development Director - Planning & Entitlements

Salary
Competitive
Employment
Full Time
Real Estate Field
Location
Sunnyale
 CA
Postal Code
94089
Country
United States

This job is no longer active.

Description


Lendlease and Google have signed a partnership agreement to jointly undertake the master planning, entitlement and development of three new neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Mountain View, over the next 15 years, with an estimated end development value of approximately $15 billion. These three districts will be genuine mixed-use neighborhoods and will comprise of more than 15 million square feet of office, residential, retail, hospitality and community development space. Under the agreement, Google will focus on the delivery of the office components and Lendlease will be the developer, builder and owner of the residential, retail, hospitality and community components. The project will ultimately bring approximately 15,000 new units (mix of condo, multi-family, co-living and affordable housing) to a region that is in need of residential investment. Master planning has already begun and subject to planning approval, delivery of the project should begin as early as 2021.

 

This role will be accountable for managing the planning and entitlements of two major city shaping master plans in Sunnyvale and Mountain View. Fundamental to the position will also be the development and execution of the Government & External Affairs and Community Partnerships strategies. The role will be accountable for the knowledge, insight and relationships across government and industry to assist in the achievement of Lendlease’s project objectives in Sunnyvale and Mountain View. The Planning and Entitlements Director function works in collaboration with the broader LL Google Development Ventures team to ensure seamless communications, internally and externally, and alignment to the broader Lendlease and Google business strategy. Working closely with the Project Director and District Leads, Community Partnerships Managers, Entitlements DMs and Marketing, the successful candidate will navigate the entitlement, planning, and design review process  in consideration of Lendlease and Google’s policy and business positions, working across local government and to a lesser degree state government. You will have experience in building and managing strong relationships and be adept at framing the organization’s strategic views on a broad range of topics through a public policy lens with key stakeholders. You’ll have the ability to juggle priorities and deal with fast-moving situations and issues.

 

Essential Job Functions, Duties and Responsibilities

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required of personnel so classified.

 

  • Develop an overall strategy for entitlements that will enable the master plans to be approved, development rights and obligations to be vested, and an implementation strategy for subsequent major phase and sub-phase approvals for vertical and horizontal development.
  • Contribute to the preparation and filing of master planning submittals through  project approvals
  • Be highly conversant with local planning processes in general and particularly the relevant General, Specific and Precise Plans.
  • Prepare and file, in close collaboration with the District Leads, the master plan submittals and engage in meetings and correspondence thereafter to support approval of the applications 
  • Establish controls that track detailed requirements for various approvals.
  • Support the Project Director and Districts Leads to negotiate Development Agreements and Vesting Tentative Maps with the relevant municipalities.
  • Contribute to the establishment and review of development strategy and project scheduling for the project
  • Oversee the implementation of a forward-looking and highly effective government and industry engagement strategy to influence and improve policy and to ensure positive reputation and project outcomes for Lendlease
  • Proactive engagement with local government and key stakeholders in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, including carrying out a comprehensive stakeholder mapping exercise to support business objectives 
  • Provide strategic insights and counsel to senior internal stakeholders concerning issues of key significance to the Lendlease emanating from government policy with important project impacts; 
  • Collaborate with and participate in effective dialogue with relevant external stakeholders on industry-wide concerns, including key industry associations and regulators and other key real estate development and construction institutions to plan and achieve positive public policy outcomes
  • Ensure effective monitoring is in place of political and public policy changes / issues and senior leaders are briefed when necessary
  • Oversee a team to develop and implement community engagement and community partnership strategies for the two large urban development projects. Manage the team that delivers all aspects of community and stakeholder involvement and assist with coordinating support from team members and external parties.
  • Establish appropriate feedback mechanisms to ensure continuous improvement of government and industry relations activities
  • Report on the outcomes from the above feedback methodologies and make changes accordingly

Desired Capabilities

  • Show a strong understanding of planning and regulatory approval processes and issues and demonstrate a proven ability to work with regulatory bodies to achieve project objectives
  • Proven ability to design and execute government and industry relations strategy within a complex project environment
  • Proven ability to manage complex public policy and negotiate the right outcomes with the relevant regulatory or government agency
  • Significant public affairs, public policy or government relations experience at a senior level, with experience in the real estate development sector 
  • Sound political judgment and insight into local and state politics 
  • Demonstrable experience of planning and executing external engagement strategies and influencing change 
  • Experience and ability to understand public policy issues and identify risks and opportunities 
  • A well-established contacts network, including local and state politicians (not essential) and local government agencies, business and industry groups.
  • Encourages both external and internal teamwork and collaboration. Involves stakeholders, experts & other teams to achieve desired outcomes
  • Ability to analyze all relevant information & identify innovative and effective solutions to problems
  • Ability to consider the key business drivers of the project & the organization, in decision-making, understanding the implications of decisions and actions
  • Strong relationship building skills and the ability to effectively influence and motivate others as well as strong negotiation skills
  • Disciplined in planning and monitoring
  • High level of presence and personal credibility, judgement, diplomacy and charm, together with the personal style, polish and integrity of a trusted advisor
  • Comfortable working in a fast-changing environment
  • Pragmatic - a ”finisher” with an eye for detail and the ability to drive through solutions to problems and not just operate at the macro level
  • Hands-on self-starter with the combination of analytical and commercial skills to determine what needs doing - and then doing it
  • Strong influencing skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships at all levels
  • Resilience and diplomacy; the ability to manage complex stakeholders.
  • Pro-active, energetic and results-focused
  • Able to simultaneously input into the overall entitlements strategy while also executing it
  • Self-confident but also humble enough to critically appraise own work

General Background and Minimum Requirements

  • Relevant bachelor’s degree in business or property with post graduate qualifications desirable.
  • 15 years of broad real estate management experience including planning/entitlements, development management, project management, new business and construction/delivery.
  • Previous development experience in one or more market specialist sectors (office, retail, residential etc.) is preferred.
  • Robust local network.
  • Comprehensive understanding of the property industry.

Lendlease is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.
VEVRRA Federal Contractor

 
 

Experience


More than 15 years


This job is no longer active.

Development Retail Sunnyale Full Time CA Development, Planning/Entitlement, Project Management Director of Community Relations other