Director of Land Acquisition

Director of Land Acquisition – Raw Land & Master Planned Communities

Melbourne, FL

Company Overview

Our client is a growing homebuilder with an active pipeline of master planned communities across Florida's Space Coast. We're expanding our land team to support continued growth in the Melbourne market.

Position Summary

The Director of Land Acquisition will lead land sourcing and acquisition strategy for raw land opportunities supporting future master planned communities in the Melbourne/Brevard County market. This role owns the acquisition pipeline end-to-end — sourcing deals, negotiating terms, and driving them through entitlement to construction-ready — and will play a key role in shaping the division's growth strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead land acquisition strategy for raw/Greenfield land supporting master planned communities in the Melbourne/Brevard County market
• Personally source and cultivate land opportunities through direct outreach, broker relationships, and landowner networks
• Negotiate LOIs, purchase agreements, and options with landowners and sellers
• Oversee feasibility and due diligence (zoning, utilities, wetlands, flood plain, topography, entitlement pathway) for prospective sites
• Build and present land underwriting, pro formas, and land development budgets to executive leadership for approval
• Direct the entitlement process in coordination with internal/external teams, including representing the company at municipal and county planning meetings as needed
• Develop and manage relationships with landowners, brokers, developers, and municipal/county officials across the market
• Manage and prioritize the land pipeline; report regularly to executive leadership on deal flow, market conditions, and competitive landscape
• Partner cross-functionally with development, engineering, and finance to ensure smooth handoff from acquisition through entitlement to construction
• [If applicable: manage/mentor land acquisition staff and support division growth planning]

Qualifications

• 5+ years of land acquisition experience, with a track record of leading raw land deals for master planned communities
• Prior homebuilder, developer, or land consulting experience strongly preferred
• Deep understanding of entitlements, zoning, and municipal approval processes in Florida (Brevard County experience a strong plus)
• Demonstrated success negotiating and closing land acquisitions at scale
• Established relationships with landowners, brokers, and municipalities in the local market a strong plus
• Strong land underwriting and financial analysis skills
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Bachelor's degree required (Real Estate, Business, Civil Engineering, or related field); MBA a plus

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary + performance bonus
• [Benefits package — health insurance, 401(k), PTO, etc.]