Senior Vice President – Senior Housing Development

Overview

Gilbane Development Company is seeking an accomplished and entrepreneurial Senior Vice President – Senior Housing Development, to lead and expand its national senior housing development platform. This executive will be responsible for establishing and executing the strategic vision, building and leading a high-performing development team, and driving the identification, capitalization, development, and successful delivery of senior housing communities across the United States.

 

The platform will encompass the full continuum of senior housing, including Active Adult (55+), Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care communities, as well as integrated campuses offering multiple levels of care.  The Executive Director, Development - Senior Housing will have national responsibility for the platform, with an immediate emphasis on expanding development opportunities in Utah, Texas, Florida, and Virginia.  The ideal candidate will bring a minimum of 20 years of progressive real estate experience, including at least 10 years directly involved in senior housing development, along with a demonstrated track record of originating, capitalizing, and executing successful projects. This individual must combine strategic leadership, entrepreneurial thinking, strong financial acumen, and deep knowledge of the senior housing industry.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Platform Growth

• Develop and execute a comprehensive national growth strategy for Gilbane’s senior housing development platform.
• Establish and implement market-specific development strategies, initially prioritizing Utah, Texas, Florida, and Virginia.
• Identify opportunities across the full spectrum of senior housing, including Active Adult, Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and continuing care or integrated senior living communities.
• Establish annual and long-term development objectives, including pipeline growth, capital deployment, project starts, and investment performance.
• Evaluate demographic trends, market fundamentals, competitive supply, operating performance, and evolving consumer preferences to identify attractive development opportunities.
• Build and maintain a scalable national development platform supported by disciplined investment underwriting, execution processes, and strategic relationships.

Development Origination & Execution

• Lead the sourcing, evaluation, underwriting, entitlement, capitalization, and execution of senior housing development opportunities nationwide.
• Oversee the full development lifecycle, including site selection, land acquisition, feasibility analysis, due diligence, zoning and entitlements, design, construction, lease-up, stabilization, and disposition or long-term ownership strategies.
• Direct market feasibility and financial analysis, including development budgets, operating projections, investment returns, and sensitivity analyses.
• Ensure development projects are structured to achieve established investment return objectives while appropriately managing execution and operating risks.
• Oversee project design and product positioning to ensure communities are competitive, operationally efficient, and aligned with resident needs and market demand.
• Coordinate with internal construction, finance, legal, investment, and asset management teams to ensure successful project execution.
• Maintain executive-level oversight of development schedules, budgets, project risks, and investment performance.

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Recruit, develop, and lead a national team of real estate development professionals responsible for sourcing and executing senior housing projects.
• Establish clear accountability, performance expectations, and measurable objectives across the development organization.
• Provide strategic direction and mentorship to regional development leaders and project-level development professionals.
• Determine organizational structure and staffing requirements as the platform expands into additional geographic markets.
• Foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial, and results-oriented culture emphasizing disciplined execution, financial performance, and long-term value creation.
• Serve as the senior executive responsible for the overall performance and growth of the senior housing development business.

Capital Markets & Investment Management

• Collaborate with Gilbane’s capital markets and investment teams to support the capitalization of senior housing development projects, including institutional equity, joint venture structures, construction financing, and other appropriate capital sources.
• Provide development expertise, market intelligence, project underwriting, and investment analysis to support capital raising and financing activities.
• Assist in cultivating and maintaining relationships with institutional investors, private equity firms, family offices, lenders, and other capital partners active in senior housing.
• Support the preparation and presentation of investment opportunities, development strategies, and financial projections to internal investment committees and external capital partners.
• Work collaboratively with the capital markets, legal, and investment teams in evaluating and negotiating transaction structures, joint venture arrangements, and financing terms.
• Monitor project-level and portfolio-level investment performance to ensure alignment with established financial objectives.
• Coordinate with corporate leadership and the capital markets team to evaluate capital requirements, establish development priorities, and support the execution of the national senior housing development pipeline.

Senior Housing Operations & Strategic Partnerships

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with established senior housing operating companies and management partners.
• Evaluate and select operating partners based on demonstrated performance, market expertise, financial strength, and alignment with the company’s investment strategy.
• Collaborate with operating partners throughout the development process to optimize building design, unit mix, amenity programming, staffing considerations, and operational efficiency.
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the operating economics of Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care communities, including occupancy, rental rates, care revenue, labor costs, operating margins, and stabilization timelines.
• Ensure development strategies account for applicable state licensing requirements, regulatory considerations, and operational complexities associated with different senior housing product types.
• Monitor industry trends, emerging operating models, and evolving resident expectations to identify opportunities for innovation and competitive differentiation.

Executive Leadership & Corporate Collaboration

• Serve as the primary senior housing development executive within Gilbane Development Company.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to establish business plans, annual budgets, development targets, and long-term strategic priorities.
• Provide regular reporting on development pipeline activity, capital requirements, market opportunities, project execution, and overall platform performance.
• Represent Gilbane at industry conferences, investor meetings, strategic partnership discussions, and other senior housing industry forums.
• Leverage Gilbane’s broader development, construction, and capital markets capabilities to create competitive advantages and drive growth.

Qualifications

Experience

• Minimum 20 years of progressive professional experience in real estate, with substantial experience in development, investment, and project execution.
• Minimum 10 years of direct senior housing development experience, including meaningful involvement in Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and/or Active Adult development.
• Demonstrated success originating, capitalizing, and executing ground-up senior housing developments.
• Proven experience leading and managing teams of real estate development professionals across multiple geographic markets.
• Extensive experience evaluating development feasibility, structuring complex transactions, managing project capitalization, and overseeing development execution.
• Strong understanding of senior housing operating models, financial performance drivers, and relationships between real estate development and community operations.
• Established industry relationships with senior housing operators, institutional capital partners, lenders, landowners, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Experience presenting investment opportunities and strategic business plans to executive leadership, investment committees, and institutional investors.

Leadership & Professional Competencies

• Entrepreneurial executive with demonstrated ability to build, lead, and scale a national real estate development business.
• Strong strategic vision combined with a hands-on, execution-oriented leadership style.
• Exceptional financial and analytical capabilities, including expertise in development underwriting, capital structuring, and investment return analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, and retain high-performing development professionals.
• Strong negotiation skills and experience managing complex development transactions and partnerships.
• Comprehensive understanding of senior housing market fundamentals, demographic drivers, regulatory environments, and competitive dynamics.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to balance growth objectives with disciplined investment decision-making and effective risk management.
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally, particularly within the platform’s initial target markets.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Construction Management, or a related field required.
• MBA or other relevant advanced degree preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing multiple senior housing product types, including both age-restricted Active Adult communities and needs-based senior living communities.
• Demonstrated track record of managing a substantial, multi-market senior housing development pipeline.
• Direct development experience and established industry relationships in Utah, Texas, Florida, and/or Virginia.
• Experience structuring joint ventures and investment partnerships with institutional capital providers.
• Experience developing integrated senior living campuses or communities incorporating multiple levels of care.
• Familiarity with senior housing licensing and regulatory requirements across multiple states.
• Prior executive leadership experience within a nationally recognized senior housing developer, owner, operator, or institutional real estate investment platform.

 

Salary to be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience of the applicant, as well as the internal equity and alignment with the team.

 

Gilbane offers an excellent total compensation package which includes competitive health and welfare benefits and a generous profit-sharing/401k plan. We invest in our employees’ education and have built Gilbane University into a top training organization in the construction industry. Qualified applicants who are offered a position must pass a pre-employment substance abuse test.

 

Gilbane is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or disability status. Click here to view the physical demands and working conditions required to perform this role. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

 

Note to Recruiters, Placement Agencies, and Similar Organizations: Gilbane does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our jobs alias, website, or to any Gilbane employee. Gilbane will not pay fees to any third party agency or firm and will not be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. Unsolicited resumes received will be considered property of Gilbane and will be processed accordingly. 

 

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