Design Development Manager Jobs in Austin, TX (NOW HIRING)

Are you the person who always owns the outcome, not just your piece of the process? Do you thrive at the intersection of strategy, execution, relationships, and problem-solving? Are you energized by taking a deal from concept to reality and being the one person who knows every detail, every risk, and every opportunity along the way?

If so, LV Collective may be the perfect place for you.

We're looking for a Development Manager to serve as the through-line and ultimate deal owner across the entire development lifecycle-from initial Investment Committee approval through Issued For Construction (IFC) issuance and Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) reconciliation. This role is ideal for someone who loves bringing order to complexity, building relationships, driving accountability, and ensuring that no detail falls through the cracks.

At LV Collective, the Development Manager is more than a project coordinator. You are the central point of accountability for the deal. You'll partner with internal specialists across Entitlements, Development, Preconstruction, Construction, Investments, Design, Leasing, and Marketing while maintaining ownership of the project's schedule, budget, risks, milestones, and overall success.

The right candidate is a highly organized self-starter who can confidently manage multiple priorities, proactively identify challenges before they become problems, and effectively communicate with everyone from municipal officials and consultants to executive leadership and capital partners. You balance strategic thinking with detailed execution and thrive in a fast-paced environment where every day presents new opportunities to learn, lead, and create value.

Essentially, as the perfect candidate for this position...

• You take ownership and accountability seriously.
• You are the person who always knows the status of the deal.
• You enjoy solving complex problems before others even realize they exist.
• You can confidently manage consultants, stakeholders, and project teams while keeping everyone aligned toward a common goal.
• You thrive in a collaborative environment and know when to pull in the right experts.
• You can switch seamlessly between high-level strategy and detailed execution.
• You have exceptional communication, organization, and project management skills.
• You embrace challenges, adapt quickly, and maintain momentum through changing priorities.
• You have a serious case of GSD (Get Stuff Done).

The Development Manager owns deals end-to-end across the full LV development lifecycle - from initial Investment Committee approval through IFC drawing issuance and GMP reconciliation. The DM is the through-line of every deal: the single point of accountability that carries the deal across phases as specialists lead their respective handoffs.

Pre-Schematic Design, the DM partners with the VP, Entitlements & Development Strategy. Post-SD, the DM partners with the EVP, Development through design execution. From GMP development onward, the DM partners with the SVP, Preconstruction. Specialists lead their phase as expert partners; the DM owns the deal.

The Senior Development Manager carries the same deal-ownership scope with broader complexity, multi-deal capacity, and coaching responsibility for developing Dev Managers. As career progresses, multi-deal responsibilities grow, including complex rezoning and planned development scenarios.

Neither role leads platform-level entitlement strategy, design execution, or GC procurement - those are specialist seats. The DM and SDM lead the deal.

Successful Development Managers demonstrate a high level of ownership, organization, communication, and proactive problem-solving. They operate with a strong GSD (Get Stuff Done) mentality while balancing strategic thinking with detailed execution across complex development projects.

Deal Ownership and Through-Line Accountability

• Own the deal from initial IC approval through IFC issuance and GMP reconciliation
• Maintain a current and accurate deal status, schedule, and budget across the full lifecycle
• Surface deal-critical risks, decisions, and assumptions to specialists and executive leadership without prompting
• Carry the deal narrative - context, history, and current state - across phases without loss of fidelity
• Develop proactive phase transition reports and presentations for interdepartmental project status updates and hand-offs
• Evaluate and distribute project communications internally to ensure all LV teams remain informed on project progress
• Define and track project scope, goals, objectives, assumptions, constraints, budgets, and resource allocation throughout the lifecycle
• Develop and maintain workflow management and communication systems across project teams
• Monitor, track, and report on project deliverables and milestone progress
• Record meeting minutes, maintain action item logs, and establish accountability follow-up procedures

Entitlement Phase Execution (Pre-Schematic Design)

• Execute entitlement strategy on the deal under VP Entitlements' strategic framework - applying the platform's precedent, jurisdictional, and compromise-opportunity framework to deal-level execution
• Run community meetings, planning commission presentations, and stakeholder engagement
• Manage initial diligence: zoning analysis, utility inquiries, civil/geo-technical/environmental framing, test fits, site-specific density
• Coordinate initial consultant team selection in partnership with the VP, Entitlements

Design Execution Phase (SD through IFC)

• Carry the deal through schematic, design development and construction documents in partnership with EVP Development
• Manage architect, civil, MEP, structural, land use, and specialty consultants across the full lifecycle
• Coordinate Schematic Design with Interiors, Preconstruction, and the EVP through IFC issuance
• Resolve technical diligence (civil/utility/geo-technical/environmental validation) with consultant team
• Facilitate design reviews and knowledge-sharing sessions to align design direction, construction standards, and project execution goals
• Review project documents through all phases including Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding, and Permitting
• Proactively guide consultant teams regarding coordinated deliverables tied to approval, production, and pricing milestones
• Account for organization and distribution of project documents through all phases of work
• Quickly understand and synthesize project design and technical details as they relate to successful boutique multifamily and student housing developments

Procurement & Consultant Coordination

• Provide coordinated scope statements for consultant and professional service engagements
• Solicit, review, and present proposals for design consultants, engineering consultants, general contractors, and specialty contractors
• Develop and maintain prequalified bidder lists to facilitate organized bid opportunities and contractor evaluations
• Provide comparative fee and scope analysis utilizing current and historical project data
• Monitor and control workflow and timing of consultants and design professionals with respect to schedule impacts and budget exposure

Commercial Integration and GMP (Parallel with Design Execution)

• Partner with SVP Preconstruction on GMP development, GC selection input, and pricing reconciliation
• Integrate pricing feedback into design decisions and consultant direction
• Maintain underwriting alignment as design develops and pricing resolves; flag deviations early
• Carry the deal through GMP finalization to clean handoff for field execution
• Support phased development budget reviews, contracts, term sheets, market analysis, and value engineering efforts in coordination with Investments and executive leadership
• Identify project risks and proactively develop mitigation paths in advance of critical schedule or budget impacts
• Maintain alignment between underwriting assumptions, consultant direction, pricing feedback, and construction transition requirements

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Operate as the daily interface for Construction, Preconstruction, Interiors, and Investments on the deal
• Pull specialists in early; treat collaboration as a core competency, not an afterthought
• Maintain external relationships with municipal staff, consultants, capital partners, and community stakeholders
• Support coordination efforts between Development, Investments, Design Studio, Construction Management, Marketing, Leasing, and executive leadership teams
• Assist with internal initiatives and cross-department operational improvements
• Provide support and communication to Leasing and Marketing teams during project transitions and pre-leasing phases

Scope Boundaries

• Does not lead platform-level entitlement strategy, design execution, or GC procurement. Those are specialist seats: VP Entitlements (entitlement strategy), EVP Development (post-SD design execution and the platform), and SVP Preconstruction (GMP and commercial integration). The DM/SDM partners with each as the deal owner - leading the deal, not the platform function.
• Does not run field execution. Construction Manager owns field delivery from GMP finalization through stabilization. The DM/SDM hands off cleanly at GMP finalization while remaining the deal's owner of record through reconciliation.
• While specialist teams lead platform functions, the DM/SDM is expected to maintain working fluency across entitlement, design, preconstruction, budgeting, consultant coordination, and construction transition in order to effectively lead the deal lifecycle.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate Development, Architecture, Construction Management, Urban Planning, or related field; advanced degree a plus
• 5-7+ years of direct experience managing ground-up multifamily or mixed-use development projects from entitlement through construction close-out
• 3+ years navigating entitlement processes, municipal approvals, and permitting across multiple jurisdictions
• 3+ years managing and coordinating large consultant teams (civil, structural, MEP, landscape, etc.) with strong command of project scheduling tools
• 3+ years of hands-on experience managing development budgets, proformas, and GMP contracts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to represent LVC professionally to municipalities, capital partners, and community stakeholders

How Success Is Measured

• Schedule and budget discipline. Deal schedules within 5% of approved timeline (DM); 3% across multiple concurrent deals (SDM). Budgets within 3% (DM); GMP reconciliation within 2% of underwriting (SDM).
• Entitlement outcomes. Entitlements secured with deal thesis intact on 90%+ of deals (DM); 95%+ on Tier 3 deals (SDM).
• Cross-functional dynamics. VP Entitlements, EVP Development, SVP Preconstruction, and Director Construction describe the DM/SDM as a true partner - owning the deal, pulling specialists in for their phase as needed.
• Team development and external representation. Associates and consultants grow into next-rung readiness without constant intervention; SDM coaches at least one DM toward promotion readiness annually.
• Community, municipal, consultant, and capital partner relationships strengthened - not burned - through the deal lifecycle.
• Quality and timeliness of consultant coordination and project communication
• Ability to proactively identify risks and implement mitigation strategies before escalation
• Successful execution of project transitions between entitlement, design, preconstruction, and construction phases
• Accuracy and consistency of project reporting, schedules, and deliverable tracking

LV Associate Standards

This role, like every role at LV, is held to the six LV Associate Standards:

• Culture of Collaboration
• Doer Mentality
• Entrepreneurial Energy
• Challenges Not Problems
• Coaching Mindset
• Respect for Self and Others

LV Collective is an equal-opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. LV Collective prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. LV Collective conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.