Director of Development

Director of Development

• Location: Los Gatos, CA
• Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Overview

• Lead end-to-end land entitlement efforts for assigned projects/clients — from early feasibility and due diligence through conceptual design, applications, approvals, development permits, and conditions of approval compliance — coordinating internal and external stakeholders, consultants, and public agencies.

Responsibilities

• Own the entitlement strategy and schedule
• Build and maintain entitlement roadmaps, critical path schedules, project budgets and milestone trackers across multiple concurrent projects.
• Define approval pathways (e.g., zoning/GP amendments, CUP/SDP, variances, tentative/final maps, development agreements) and drive execution.

• Lead agency + jurisdiction coordination
• Serve as primary point of contact with planning/public works/building departments and other applicable agencies.
• Serve as primary point of contact for elected and appointed officials.
• Plan for public hearings and discretionary approvals; coordinate submittals, resubmittals, responses to comments, and conditions of approval.
• Monitor jurisdictional agendas.

• Manage consultants and technical workstreams
• Direct architect, civil engineering, land planning, traffic, environmental.
• (CEQA/NEPA if applicable), survey, geotech, and other specialty consultants.
• Run weekly coordination meetings; track action items; ensure deliverables are complete, accurate, and on time.

• Community Engagement
• Serve as primary point of contact for all community stakeholders.
• Drive due diligence and risk management.
• Coordinate title/survey review, constraints mapping, utility availability, access/easements, and other entitlement-relevant diligence.
• Identify entitlement risks early (schedule, cost, political/community, environmental/regulatory) and propose mitigation plans.

• Client leadership and communication
• Lead client updates and executive-ready reporting; translate technical/agency feedback into clear decisions and next steps.
• Anticipate client needs, keep stakeholders aligned, and maintain strong client satisfaction.

• Budget, scope, and contract management
• Develop and manage entitlement budgets; track burn vs. plan; support forecasting.
• Support consultant procurement and contract negotiations; manage change orders and scope clarity.
• Prepare project proformas.

• Cross-functional internal coordination
• Partner with acquisitions/development, design, construction, and finance teams to ensure entitlement aligns with pro forma assumptions and project objectives.

• Documentation and process excellence
• Maintain clean project records: entitlement log, submittal packages, correspondence, conditions tracker, and decision history.
• Improve internal SOPs/templates for entitlement planning, submittals, and reporting.

What success looks like

• Approvals are secured on or ahead of schedule, with minimized surprises and well managed risk.
• Clients and stakeholders feel confidently guided through an often complex and political process.
• Consultants are coordinated, accountable, and producing high-quality deliverables.
• Conditions of approval and permit requirements are tracked and closed out efficiently.

Qualifications

• 7+ years experience managing land development / real estate development projects, with direct ownership of entitlement/permitting milestones.
• Demonstrated experience leading discretionary approvals with local jurisdictions (planning/zoning, site plan, subdivision/platting, permits).
• Strong project management capability: schedule, scope, budget, meeting cadence, documentation, and stakeholder management.
• Proven ability to lead consultants and drive deliverables to completion.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting to agencies, clients, and internal leadership.
• High organization, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Preferred experience

• Experience on projects requiring environmental review (CEQA/NEPA) and multi-agency permitting.
• Experience across multiple asset types (residential, mixed-use, industrial, commercial, education, sports/entertainment, corporate campus, data center, and infrastructure).
• Real estate development lifecycle familiarity (feasibility → entitlement → design → financing → construction support).
• Formal PM training/certification (PMP) or equivalent experience.
• Strong Excel/financial literacy for development budgeting and forecasting.
• Strong capability with Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, NotionAI

Key skills and competencies

• Entitlement strategy + sequencing
• Agency and stakeholder relationship-building
• Consultant management
• Risk and issues management
• Clear, proactive communication
• Negotiation and conflict resolution
• Detail orientation without losing the “big picture”

Working style / expectations

• Leads their own portfolio of projects with minimal supervision.
• Proactive in surfacing risks and proposing solutions.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and jurisdiction-specific processes.

Schedule, travel & availability

• This is a full-time, hybrid role, expected to be in office 3 days a week. Daytime and nighttime meetings and events may be required. Some weekend work may be needed for public hearings, community events, or project related work. Limited travel.

Compensation & benefits

• $150,000 – $200,000 per year commensurate with experience.
• 401K, Profit Sharing, Defined Benefit Retirement Plan
• Medical Insurance
• Discretionary performance-based bonus

EEO statement

Morley Bros., LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Employment decisions are made without regard to actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age (40 and over), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, reproductive health decisionmaking, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. These protections also apply to any combination of protected characteristics and to association with a person or group with an actual or perceived protected characteristic.

We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities and for pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, and sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, consistent with applicable law.

Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process may contact [email protected]. We prohibit retaliation against anyone who requests a reasonable accommodation, reports discrimination or harassment, participates in an investigation, or otherwise exercises rights protected by applicable law.