Real Estate Development Project Director

 About the Role

The Real Estate Development Project Director oversees the full cycle of real estate development projects, with a focus on leading the development of mixed-income residential and mixed-use developments. You'll manage all project phases from concept through design, entitlements, construction, and closeout—working closely with Homewise teams, consultants, contractors, and local authorities to deliver transformative community development projects.

This role requires strategic leadership, financial acumen, and a deep commitment to creating housing and communities that strengthen neighborhoods. You'll coordinate multidisciplinary design teams, engage communities, manage budgets and schedules, and ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget. It's leadership that shapes the future of how people live in New Mexico.

You'll Be a Great Fit If: 

• You have at least 5 years of leadership experience in real estate development, project management, or construction administration.
•  You understand mixed-income, mixed-use, and commercial development and can guide projects from concept to completion.
•  You've successfully led projects that were completed on or ahead of schedule, on budget, and with meaningful community impact. 
• You're a strong negotiator with sound political judgment and the ability to build positive relationships with local agencies and community stakeholders. You're a strategic thinker who can see the big picture while managing complex, overlapping details.
• You're a leader who inspires and supports a team of professionals across disciplines.
• You're comfortable working independently with little supervision while staying collaborative across the organization.
• You bring strong listening skills and genuinely seek to understand others' perspectives.
• You're adaptable—you adjust quickly to changing priorities, regulatory environments, and site conditions.
• You believe deeply in the mission of affordable, quality housing and its power to transform communities.

What You'll Be Doing

•  Managing feasibility studies, design development, and budget planning for assigned projects.
• Preparing project schedules and proformas in collaboration with the financial and development teams.
•  Managing contractors, consultants, and internal teams toward successful project completion.
•  Overseeing construction quality, progress, change controls, and risk management throughout project delivery.
•  Liaising with clients, local authorities, and regulatory agencies to secure necessary approvals and maintain positive relationships.
•  Reporting project progress and outcomes to senior management.
•  Identifying mission-aligned land acquisition opportunities and coordinating conceptual site planning and feasibility analysis.
•  Conducting regulatory and financial analysis of land acquisition opportunities for residential and mixed-use development.
•  Collaborating with the Senior Director of Real Estate Development to conduct regular meetings reviewing and prioritizing land acquisition activities.
•  Coordinating the planning and entitlement process, including securing approvals for annexation, zoning, development plans, and subdivision applications.
•  Establishing positive professional relationships with local jurisdiction staff to facilitate entitlement and design approvals.
• Procuring and coordinating design, engineering, and specialty consultant teams to complete the design and planning process.
•  Managing entitlement and design schedules proactively to avoid delays and mitigate risks.
•  Collaborating with the Resource Development team to secure financing, grants, and public subsidies.
•  Developing and overseeing budgets to ensure financial viability and adherence throughout project execution.

Minimum Requirements

•  Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in real estate development, project management, or construction administration.
•  Knowledge of real estate development best practices related to single-family subdivision, and mixed-use development.
•  Demonstrated ability to create successful projects completed on or ahead of schedule, on budget, with high quality and significant community impact.
•  Strong negotiating and external collaboration skills and sound political judgment.
•  Experience leading, inspiring, and supporting highly effective teams of professionals.
•  Demonstrated belief in the mission of affordable, quality housing and successful community development.
•  Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
•  Ability to travel as needed.
•  Availability to work flexible hours, including evenings or weekends, as needed.
•  Ability to navigate construction sites.
•  Must be able to occasionally lift objects up to 20 pounds.

Preferred Requirements

•  Master's degree in real estate development, urban planning, business administration, or related field.
•  Experience with mixed-income and mixed-use development projects.
•  Experience securing public financing, grants, and subsidies for development projects.
•  Experience working with nonprofit or community development organizations.

Homewise is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employees and applicants are treated with dignity and respect.