Land Acquisition & Development Manager

Job Description

Job Description

We are hiring a mid-level Manager to drive Stellar’s land and development pipeline — building and managing relationships with senior housing developers, sourcing and vetting new sites, underwriting opportunities, and shepherding the most promising ones from first look through advancement. This is a high-ownership seat for someone who plays the long game: keeping deals moving, staying on top of the details, and turning around sharp materials fast when the team needs them.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and manage relationships with developers active in senior housing, serving as a primary channel for sourcing and partnerships.
• Source and screen new land and development opportunities across Stellar’s core and target markets, running preliminary go/no-go feasibility screens so leadership time focuses on live deals.
• Lead site selection and market analysis using NIC MAP and other research tools to identify supply-demand gaps and prioritize where Stellar should pursue new development.
• Build and maintain financial models and underwriting for prospective sites and deals.
• Maintain the development pipeline and deal tracker, providing regular status updates to the Director of Acquisitions and leadership.
• Prepare screening memos and partner-facing materials for opportunities worth advancing.
• Partner with internal development leadership on entitlements and due diligence, building working knowledge of zoning, entitlement, and site diligence processes (with development leading execution).
• Coordinate with the Director of Acquisitions on capital-partner considerations as deals progress (capital relationships are led by the Director).
• Represent Stellar at industry events such as ASHA, NIC, and Argentum as a sourcing and relationship-building channel.

• 1–2 years of experience in land/site selection, real estate acquisition, or deal underwriting.
• Strong financial modeling and analytical skills (advanced Excel).
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, real estate, business, or a related field.
• Demonstrated diligence and follow-through — the ability to keep multiple deals moving without dropping details.
• Responsiveness and a strong sense of ownership; able to deliver high-quality materials on short timelines.
• A long-term mindset and genuine interest in building a career in senior housing development.

• 1–2 years of senior living or healthcare real estate experience — not required; we will teach the right person the seniors space.
• Familiarity with NIC MAP, Argus, GIS, or similar market and underwriting tools.
• Exposure to entitlements, zoning, or site diligence.

• Base salary: $80,000–$90,000, commensurate with experience.
• Performance bonus: Tied to development fees on projects advanced and closed, consistent with Stellar’s development team incentive structure (specifics provided at offer).
• Benefits:
• Unlimited PTO
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Professional growth opportunities within a growing organization

Stellar is in a high-growth phase and invests in people who grow with the company. This role offers meaningful exposure across acquisitions, development, and capital markets — and a real opportunity to expand responsibilities over time for someone who delivers.

Senior living is entering one of the most significant demand cycles in its history. As the baby boomer generation ages, the 80+ population is expanding rapidly, and demand for senior housing is outpacing new supply. Construction has been constrained by elevated costs and financing rates, and even projects that pencil face long timelines to delivery — so the gap between demand and available inventory is widening, not closing.

Industry data from NIC MAP point to a multi-year supply-demand imbalance as new construction lags behind population aging. The largest owners in the sector are leaning in hard: Welltower’s Co-President and Chief Investment Officer, Nikhil Chaudhri, has characterized the current environment as rich with capital deployment opportunities and a robust investment pipeline, even amid market volatility.

The reality is that the industry is already behind — and the operators and developers who secure the right sites now will define the next decade of growth. This role exists because Stellar intends to be one of them.

About Stellar Senior Living

Stellar Senior Living is a senior housing owner-operator headquartered in Midvale, Utah, operating a portfolio of approximately 41 independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities across the Intermountain West and Southwest — with core markets in Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, and Boise. Over the past several years, Stellar has grown from 8 to 41 communities through a disciplined mix of acquisitions, joint ventures, and ground-up development, in partnership with institutional capital partners.