Character Companies

Land Acquisition Manager

About Us

At Character Companies, we are building the next generation of residential development in Northern Virginia. Our commitment to excellence starts long before construction begins. By identifying exceptional land opportunities, guiding projects through entitlement, and creating predictable lot pipelines, we are laying the foundation for a high growth custom and community homebuilding division. While our core business includes speculative home building and high end design build remodeling, we are now expanding into land development and community building to support our long term growth strategy.

As a Land Acquisition Manager at Character Companies, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of our pipeline. You will identify, evaluate, and negotiate new land opportunities, working directly with ownership, attorneys, engineers, landowners, municipal officials, and industry partners. You will be responsible for sourcing deals, managing feasibility studies, coordinating entitlement efforts, and moving land opportunities from concept to contract. This position is ideal for a driven, knowledgeable land professional who wants to help grow a high performing residential development company.

Key Responsibilities

Land Sourcing

Identify and pursue land opportunities through direct outreach, agent relationships, wholesalers, municipal contacts, and on the ground prospecting. Build and maintain a consistent pipeline of on and off market land deals.

Feasibility and Analysis

Conduct zoning checks, density analyses, preliminary yield studies, and highest and best use evaluations. Coordinate due diligence including environmental reports, surveys, utility availability studies, and initial engineering reviews.

Negotiation and Acquisition

Lead negotiations with landowners and brokers to structure options, purchase agreements, takedown schedules, and joint venture opportunities. Create and present acquisition packages and recommendations to ownership.

Entitlement Coordination

Work with engineers, land use attorneys, planners, and local jurisdictions to understand entitlement pathways, schedules, risks, and costs. Manage key meetings, submissions, and timeline expectations.

Relationship Management

Develop strong relationships with landowners, brokers, municipal staff, planning officials, attorneys, engineers, and industry partners. Represent Character Companies professionally and ethically in all interactions.

Internal Collaboration

Work closely with ownership, operations, and preconstruction teams to evaluate product fit, lot strategies, and development feasibility. Ensure alignment between land strategy and construction capacity.

Pipeline Management

Track and manage all acquisition opportunities, reporting progress, risks, and next steps to ownership on a weekly basis.

Key Metrics

Pipeline health

Number and quality of active land opportunities under review, under negotiation, or under contract.

Deal flow and conversions

Volume of sourced opportunities and the percentage converted into negotiated agreements or executed contracts.

Entitlement progress

Ability to move controlled land through zoning, approvals, and feasibility within targeted timelines.

Qualifications

Must have 5 plus years of experience working for a regional or national land developer or homebuilder

Strong experience in land acquisition, entitlement, or development

Deep understanding of zoning, land use, and approval processes

Strong negotiation skills and experience structuring land deals

Exceptional communication and relationship building ability

Experience coordinating due diligence and feasibility studies

Understanding of pro formas, yield studies, and financial analysis

Ability to work independently in a fast paced, target driven environment

Strong organizational and time management skills

Fluency in English

Bachelor's degree in Business, Real Estate, Planning, Finance, Construction, or related field preferred

Salary and Benefits

Full time

Compensation $130k to $160k per year, commensurate with experience and performance

Bonus opportunities based on acquisition outputs and pipeline metrics

Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance

Paid time off

Professional development assistance

Referral program

Cell phone provided

Computer and iPad provided

Job Type

Full time

Schedule

8 hour shift

Monday to Friday

Work Location

In person