JEV Consulting - Our client, a Home and Lifestyle Company, is recruiting a visionary person with a passion for transforming ideas into reality and creating unique lifestyle communities to fill the position below:
Job Title: Head, Integrated Designs & Development Solution (Architect)
Location: Lekki, Lagos Employment Type: Full-time
Join us if
You are self-driven and don’t require micromanagement
You see responsibilities, not just tasks or jobs
You are passionate about delivering exceptional value
You demonstrate both humility in failures (Mirror) and credit-sharing in successes (Window)
You align with our core values of Commitment, Faith, Positive Attitude, Innovation, Teamwork, and Integrity
Summary
We are looking for a Head, Integrated Design and Development Solutions (HIDDS) who will spearhead the establishment and growth of the Integrated Design and Development Solutions Strategic
Business Unit (IDDS-SBU) at GroupCo. This role blends strategic business development with architectural and design leadership, requiring a visionary professional capable of
Conceptualizing, designing, and delivering unique lifestyle communities and real estate products. These initiatives will span internal developments for GroupCo as well as external engagements for third-party clients.
The HIDDS will serve as the accountable business owner for all GroupCo-led development projects, ensuring that each initiative is conceptually sound, architecturally innovative, commercially viable, and positioned for profitable sale. This includes full responsibility for conceiving, designing, and delivering GroupCo’s flagship residential offerings under the Citi-Dream Homes brand.
The HIDDS will ensure that all creative, architectural, and development activities deliver unique customer-driven value solutions throughout the dream home and lifestyle value chain and across our customers’ lifecycles from ideation and land acquisition through construction, handover, and long-term usability.
The role also calls for strong leadership in innovation, digital transformation (e.g., BIM, virtual walkthroughs, AI-assisted design), and environmentally responsible practices. In addition, the HIDDS is expected to actively leverage personal branding and thought leadership to position the IDDS-SBU as a visible and influential player across GroupCo and within the broader real estate and design ecosystem
Responsibilities Strategic Setup and Development:
Establish the SBU: Lead the setup of the Integrated Design and Development Solutions SBU, including defining its structure, offerings, and strategic plan.
Strategic Planning: Develop and implement the SBU’s strategic plan, ensuring alignment with GroupCo's overall mission and business objectives.
Policy Development: Create policies, processes, and best practices to enhance operational efficiency and foster innovation within the SBU.
Commercial Ownership and Strategic Accountability: Serve as the commercial owner of GroupCo’s residential and mixed-use development projects, with responsibility for aligning architectural strategy, financial modeling, and delivery planning to ensure long-term market viability and profitable disposition.
Citi-Dream Homes Ownership: Serve as the lead architect and commercial steward for all Citi-Dream Homes projects, ensuring alignment with brand standards, customer aspirations, and market positioning across all GroupCo communities.
Growth Opportunities: Identify and seize opportunities for expanding services to third-party clients beyond GroupCo’s estates, driving business growth and market reach.
Digital Transformation: Drive innovation and digital transformation initiatives within the SBU to improve service delivery and competitive advantage.
Leadership and Team Building:
Team Recruitment and Development: Build and mentor a high-performing multidisciplinary team (e.g., architects, designers, business development professionals).
Culture Building: Promote a culture of collaboration, creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement aligned with GroupCo’s values.
Performance Management: Establish performance expectations, provide coaching and mentoring, and conduct regular team evaluations.
Capacity Building: Design and implement development plans to build internal capacity and leadership pipeline.
Land Acquisition:
Site Identification: Collaborate with the Head of Sales & CRM SBU to evaluate land needs in attractive.
Land Negotiations: Negotiate and secure suitable land parcels based on recommended specifications.
Stakeholder Management: Manage relationships with landowners, brokers, and government officials.
Architectural Design and Conceptualization:
Visionary Design: Lead the architectural visioning and conceptual design of unique lifestyle communities and dream homes.
Smart Living Solutions: Incorporate modularity, expandability, and digital integration in all design work.
Sustainability Focus: Champion sustainable and culturally sensitive architectural practices.
Third-Party Projects: Pursue external architectural consultancy engagements and develop compelling design proposals.
Collaboration and Project Viability:
Internal Engagement: Work with SBUs to assess financial viability and bankability of projects and facilitate early design-stage input from other SBUs to ensure feasibility and downstream coordination
Professional Network: Coordinate with external professionals (architects, engineers, etc.) to ensure successful execution.
Advisory Services: Promote feasibility and concept development services to third-party clients.
Design Coordination:
Technical Drawings: Oversee the production of technical drawings in collaboration with engineers.
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with building codes, safety standards, and environmental guidelines.
Permits and Regulatory Compliance:
Entitlement Management: Navigate entitlement processes and development approvals.
Zoning and Permits: Ensure zoning, environmental, and permit compliance before project execution.
Stakeholder Relations: Maintain working relationships with local authorities and regulatory agencies.
Site Possession and Preparation:
Site Possession: Take formal possession of acquired or allocated development sites, ensuring that all legal, contractual, and administrative requirements are fulfilled.
Comprehensive Site Evaluation: Conduct detailed site evaluations to assess topography, soil conditions, environmental constraints, access roads, existing vegetation, and other physical factors that may influence project planning and execution.
Challenge Identification and Resolution: Identify potential development challenges such as drainage issues, utility access limitations, and zoning constraints. Collaborate with internal SBUs and external consultants to resolve them early in the project lifecycle.
Site Preparation Planning: Develop and approve comprehensive site preparation plans in coordination with architects, civil engineers, and environmental consultants. Plans should include clearing, grading, soil stabilization, and drainage provisions.
Execution of Site Preparation: Oversee the implementation of all site preparation activities, including:
Clearing vegetation, trees, and debris; demolishing any existing structures or obstructions where necessary
Managing grading activities to shape the site for optimal construction and ensure proper water runoff and foundation stability
Regulatory and Environmental Compliance: Ensure all site prep work complies with applicable environmental laws, health and safety regulations, and local construction codes.
Transition Coordination: Work closely with the Construction & Project Management SBU (CPM-SBU) to ensure a seamless transition from site readiness to commencement of construction.
Project Monitoring and Quality Assurance:
Monitoring Systems: Establish and implement robust systems to track the progress and quality of all projects executed by the Construction and Project Management SBU (CPM-SBU), including both those conceptualized by the SBU and those commissioned by third-party clients.
Timeline and Milestone Planning: Collaborate with the CPM-SBU to define and review project timelines, milestone schedules, and quality benchmarks at the planning and kickoff stages.
Progress Tracking: Monitor implementation progress against agreed timelines and budgets, ensuring proactive identification and resolution of delays or deviations.
Project Review Coordination: Participate in regular project review and site coordination meetings with the CPM-SBU and relevant stakeholders to assess progress, troubleshoot issues, and support course corrections as needed.
Quality Standards Enforcement: Define, document, and enforce quality standards for materials, workmanship, and finishing across all projects, ensuring alignment with GroupCo’s brand promise and professional standards.
Site Inspections: Conduct periodic site inspections (independently and jointly with CPM-SBU teams) to verify adherence to design specifications, safety protocols, and regulatory compliance.
Continuous Improvement: Use feedback and lessons learned from completed projects to improve future planning, design, and execution processes.
Landscape and Interior Design:
Design Leadership: Guide the visioning and integration of landscape and interior design across all SBU developments.
Sustainability and Culture: Ensure designs reflect sustainability goals, cultural relevance, and functional harmony.
Collaboration: Collaborate with landscape architects, interior designers, and the CPM-SBU to ensure seamless design implementation.
Third-Party Contracts: Actively pursue and manage third-party contracts for landscape and interior design services.
Business Development for External Clients:
Service Expansion: Identify and pursue third-party opportunities for architectural design, landscape and interior design, site feasibility studies, and development consulting.
Client Engagement: Represent the SBU in engagements with private developers, corporate clients, and other stakeholders.
Proposal Management: Develop service proposals, deliver client presentations, and negotiate contracts.
Relationship Management: Build and maintain long-term client relationships that support repeat business and referrals.
Internal Coordination: Collaborate with internal teams to package, price, and deliver competitive service offerings.
Showcasing Capabilities: Showcase SBU capabilities through networking, industry events, and digital platforms.
SBU Marketing with Personal Brand:
Thought Leadership: Leverage personal brand and thought leadership to position the SBU as a top-tier provider of creative and development services.
Digital Presence: Use social media, content creation, and public speaking to enhance SBU visibility.
Networking: Actively generate leads through events, industry forums, and professional networks.
Stakeholder Engagement:
Internal Relations: Serve as the primary liaison with other SBUs, executive leadership, and support teams to ensure project success.
External Relations: Build strategic relationships with external consultants, regulatory agencies, clients, and service providers.
Advocacy: Represent the SBU's interests in key discussions, negotiations, and decision-making forums.
Financial Oversight:
Budgeting: Develop and manage the SBU's annual budget, ensuring alignment with strategic and operational priorities.
Performance Monitoring: Track financial performance indicators such as revenue growth, cost efficiency, and profitability.
Financial Strategy: Adjust business strategies based on financial data to improve margins and operational sustainability.
Profitability and Financial Alignment: Ensure that project designs, budgets, and delivery strategies are structured to meet GroupCo’s financial targets, particularly for developments intended for profitable sale to external buyers or investors.
Reporting and Analysis:
Performance Reporting: Prepare and submit regular activity reports, financial updates, and project reviews for management.
Operational Analysis: Use operational data and market intelligence to identify challenges, trends, and opportunities.
Continuous Improvement: Apply insights from reporting and analysis to support strategy refinement and operational improvement.
Requirements
Education: Bachelor's degree in Architecture (Master’s degree preferred.
Experience: Minimum of 3-5 years of post-qualification experience in real estate, architectural services, or business development.
Technical Skills: Proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Lumion, and other architectural software.
Digital Collaboration Tools: Familiarity with project planning and design collaboration platforms (e.g., Trello, Asana, Miro) for managing interdisciplinary workflows and coordination.
Leadership and Management: Proven ability to manage multidisciplinary teams and complex projects.
Communication: Strong interpersonal, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills
Innovation: Ability to integrate digital tools and sustainable practices in design and execution.
Key Competence and Attribute:
Strategic Vision and Planning: Long-term strategic thinking and execution alignment with business goals.
Creative and Technical Excellence: Ability to generate innovative, client-aligned design solutions.
Leadership and Influence: Empowering leadership and credible influence across internal and external stakeholders.
Collaboration and Communication: Effective cross-functional collaboration and clear communication.
Customer Focus and Commercial Insight: Strong understanding of market needs and client satisfaction drivers.
Financial Acumen: Sound financial planning, budgeting, and cost management abilities.
Adaptability and Resilience: Flexibility in dynamic environments and readiness to tackle challenges.
Integrity and Professionalism: Ethical conduct and alignment with GroupCo's values.
Digital Fluency: Proficiency with digital platforms, tools, and marketing strategies.
Work Environment and Conditions:
Work Culture: Dynamic, fast-paced, and c innovation-focused.
Travel Requirements: Travel to project sites, client meetings, and industry events.
Work Hours: Flexible working hours, including evenings or weekends when necessary.
Regulatory Interface: Regular interaction with regulatory bodies and compliance systems.
Compensation
The FAO’s compensation reflects the operational and financial stewardship responsibilities of the role. It includes both fixed and performance-tied elements:
Base Salary: A fixed monthly salary aligned with the FAO's accountability for financial systems integrity, compliance, and fiscal reporting.
Performance Bonus: Quarterly or annual bonus tied to timely reporting, audit readiness, successful tax compliance, and execution of financial planning responsibilities.
Value Share: Participation in a value pool derived from ACRC's support service fees - especially those related to budgeting assistance, audit preparation, fundraising documentation, or investor liaison efforts coordinated by the FAO.
Benefits: Inclusion in ACRC’s enterprise benefits program health insurance, pension, leave entitlements, training sponsorships, and digital finance tools.