Director, Development

Job Summary

The Director of Development is responsible for managing the development and execution of projects. This position oversees underwriting, entitlements, incentives, capital structure, design and development of both ground‑up and adaptive projects, ensuring alignment with the company’s overall development and investment objectives.

• Collaborate with senior leadership to shape and implement the overall development strategy for the District Detroit and future opportunities.
• Provide strategic leadership across all development disciplines, including parking, highest‑and‑best‑use analysis, due diligence, entitlements, capital structure, design, and construction.
• Oversee the creation and management of development concepts, plans, and budgets to ensure all projects are delivered on schedule and within budget.
• Lead the full development and construction lifecycle from approval through turnover to operations.
• Manage acquisition and execution of new ground‑up developments and upgrade/rehabilitation of existing sites.
• Lead internal and external consultants through pre‑development, entitlement, financing, due diligence, and construction phases.
• Manage public financing opportunities, obligations and covenants, ensuring alignment with the overall development strategy.
• Liaise with public and private community stakeholders, government officials, and company leadership.
• Prepare and present to committee members on project status, value creation, risks, budget and design.
• Provide leadership in capital deployment and deal structuring, including debt, equity, joint ventures and other capital approaches.

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate development, business administration, economics, finance or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of commercial real‑estate development sector experience.
• Deep knowledge of the local Downtown Detroit real‑estate market.
• Proven track record of completing projects.
• Comprehensive understanding of real‑estate strategies, planning, development, construction, transactions and project management.
• Solid grasp of real‑estate finance.
• Demonstrated understanding of acquisition and due diligence, entitlements, zoning, environmental issues and incentives.
• Highly persuasive and credible, able to earn trust of peers, stakeholders and leadership.
• Strong leadership, planning, management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously with minimal supervision.
• Strategic thinker capable of developing and implementing processes and plans.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.

The position is primarily office‑based but requires occasional site visits and travel.

Olympia Development of Michigan is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law. The company will strive to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants who require them.