PROJECT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER(REAL ESTATE)

Vacancy: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Location: Victoria Island, Lagos

Job Type: Full-Time 

About our client

Our client is a Lagos-based premium real estate development company with a track record in residential delivery and a growing portfolio across Lagos. They are currently in active pre-construction on a premium residential development in Lagos and are looking for an exceptional Project Development Manager to join the team at a pivotal stage of execution.

The Role

This is a senior, high-ownership position that spans the full spectrum of development management and project management and reports directly to the Managing Director. The ideal candidate will take full responsibility for day-to-day project execution, managing a coordinated team of top-tier Lagos consultants, driving the planning approval process, leading contractor procurement, and overseeing construction delivery through to practical completion and handover.

The right candidate will think commercially like a developer and operate technically like a construction professional — protecting the developer's returns while ensuring the project delivered on time, to specification, and within budget.

This is not a coordination role. We are looking for someone who takes initiative, anticipates problems before they surface, and holds consultants and contractors to account without being told to. The right candidate will be given significant autonomy and direct access to senior leadership from day one.

You will be the single point of accountability between the Managing Director and the entire project delivery team. You must be equally comfortable in a boardroom reviewing financial reports and on a construction site interrogating reinforcement placement. Both are part of this job.

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Construction Phase

– Own day-to-day management of all project consultants — architect, structural engineer, MEP engineer, and quantity surveyor — ensuring each is performing to their agreed scope and programme

– Chair fortnightly consultant coordination meetings, issue formal minutes within 24 hours, and track all action items to closure

– Maintain and update the master project programme at all times, identifying critical path items, flagging risks proactively, and proposing mitigations before they become issues

– Drive the LASPPPA planning approval process end-to-end — prepare submission packages with Arc 9, manage the submission, follow up with the authority, and track approvals through to receipt

– Coordinate soil investigation results with the structural engineer and ensure findings are properly incorporated into the foundation design

– Ensure all consultant drawings are coordinated across disciplines — no clashes between architectural, structural, and MEP drawings before tender

– Manage the full tender process — work with HOS Consult to prepare Bills of Quantities, develop a contractor longlist, issue tender packages, evaluate submissions, conduct interviews, and prepare a formal award recommendation to the MD

– Review and interrogate all consultant fee invoices against agreed scopes and milestones before any payment is released — nothing is paid without your sign-off and the MD's approval

– Prepare a concise weekly written project report to the MD covering: programme status, risks and mitigations, budget position, decisions required, and upcoming milestones

– Support the MD on investor and buyer due diligence requests — site visits, project briefings, progress updates

– Establish and manage all project documentation systems — drawing registers, decision logs, correspondence files, approval trackers Construction Phase

– Manage contractor mobilization — site hoarding, security, temporary services, welfare, and logistics

– Chair weekly site progress meetings with the contractor, issue minutes, and track all site instructions and variation orders

– Conduct regular site inspections — minimum twice weekly during active construction and maintain a formal site inspection log recording observations, deviations, and instructions issued

– Identify and escalate deviations from drawings, specification, or programme immediately

— do not allow non-conforming work to proceed or be covered up

– Witness all critical construction stages before they are concealed — reinforcement placement before concrete pours, waterproofing installations, MEP first-fix before finishes, façade installation

– Manage the Site Engineer's daily reporting — review site diaries, address issues raised, and escalate to the MD where required

– Review and certify contractor payment applications against actual work completed on site

— nothing is certified that has not been independently verified

– Manage the variation and change control process — all variations must be priced, approved in writing, and tracked against the project budget before instruction

– Monitor and manage the construction programme against the agreed baseline — flag any slippage and drive recovery where required

– Manage the defects process through practical completion and into the defects liability period

— ensure all defects are recorded, instructed for repair, and signed off

– Coordinate handover process — ensure all as-built drawings, O&M manuals, warranties, and certifications are received from the contractor before final payment is released Commercial & Financial

– Track the project budget in real time — maintain a live cost report showing committed costs, forecast final costs, and variance against budget

– Manage project cash flow against the agreed payment schedule — flag any cash flow pressures to the MD in advance

– Identify and manage commercial risks — contractor claims, scope creep, market price movements — and maintain a risk register

– Ensure all contracts — consultant appointments and construction contract — are properly executed before work commences and that all parties are performing to their contractual obligations

– Support the MD in financing conversations with lenders and investors — prepare project progress reports, cost reports, and programme updates as required by funders

What We Are Looking For

Experience & Qualifications

– Minimum 7–10 years of experience in real estate development, construction project management, or a closely related field in Lagos — with demonstrable experience across both pre-construction and construction phases

– At least 2 completed mid-to-high-rise residential projects (minimum 8 floors) as lead PM or development manager, from design development through to practical completion — references from these projects will be required

– Direct experience managing architect-led multi-disciplinary consultant teams — you must have run coordination meetings, managed drawing programmes, and resolved inter-discipline clashes

– Proven experience managing the LASPPPA planning approval process — you know the submission requirements, the process, the timeline, and the people

– Direct experience managing construction contracts — you must have run tender processes, managed contractors on site, certified valuations, and administered variation orders

– Experience on premium residential projects in Lagos is strongly preferred — you understand the finish standard, the buyer expectations, and the quality controls required

– Professional qualification preferred — PMP, PRINCE2, or a relevant degree in construction management, civil/structural engineering, architecture, or project management

Technical Skills

– Ability to read, interrogate, and identify deviations from architectural, structural, and MEP drawings independently — this is non-negotiable

– Ability to interrogate a Bills of Quantities and a contractor's payment application and identify errors, inflated rates, or uncompleted works

– Working knowledge of construction methods, materials, and sequencing for high-rise reinforced concrete residential construction in Lagos

– Proficiency in project management software — MS Project, Primavera, or equivalent —for programme management

– Strong Microsoft Office / Google Workspace skills for reporting, tracking, and correspondence

– Existing relationships with reputable Lagos residential contractors and knowledge of the contractor market at this project scale

Personal Qualities

– Commercially driven — you understand that this is a business and that every decision has a financial consequence

– Proactive and decisive — you surface problems early and come with solutions, not just issues

– Exceptional written and verbal communication — your reports, emails, and meeting conduct will represent the organization to consultants, contractors, investors, and buyers

– Uncompromising on quality — you do not accept substandard work, you do not let things slide, and you do not allow the contractor to pressure you into certifying work that is not complete

– Highly organized — you can manage multiple workstreams simultaneously without dropping the ball

– Trustworthy and discreet — you will have access to commercially sensitive financial information, investor details, and project strategy

– A self-starter who does not need to be micromanaged — you own your responsibilities and deliver without being chased

What We Offer

– Competitive salary:commensurate with experience and demonstrable track record

– Comprehensive health insurance coverage

– Pension contribution in line with Nigerian Contributory Pension Scheme requirements

– Direct reporting line to the Managing Director

– Full ownership and accountability from day one — this is not a support role

– Opportunity to grow with the company into a senior leadership position as the portfolio scales

– Exposure to the full development cycle — from design and approvals through to sales, financing, construction, and handover — on a single high-profile project

Application

Interested and qualified applicants should send CVs to Show email using SPDM-QR-26 as subject