Land Development Specialist

The Land Development Specialist is responsible for securing and managing legally sound and commercially viable land rights, and land use approvals for SolarAfrica's solar PV projects. The role leads land due diligence, land use planning and permitting activities, ensuring compliance with applicable legislation and municipal requirements while reducing development risk and supporting project development.

The position plays a critical role in project origination and development by conducting land and spatial assessments, screenings, identifying risks, constraints and opportunities, coordinating stakeholder engagement, and facilitating infrastructure access requirements. Through the application of GIS and spatial analysis, the role supports informed site selection, risk-based decision-making and efficient progression of projects through development, permitting, grid connection and financial close milestones.

In addition, the role contributes to the development of scalable land management processes, spatial datasets and reporting systems that improve project screening, development efficiency and long-term portfolio growth.

Position of the job in the organisation

The Land Development Specialist will report directly to the Environmental and Land Manager.

Principal responsibilities

Land Acquisition and Rights Management

• Secure necessary land rights, municipal approvals, wayleaves, servitudes, and assist with option-to-lease agreements and any other land related approval/agreement required for project development and grid infrastructure.
• Assist with negotiations to finalise option agreements with landowners. Build and maintain strong relationships with landowners, communities, government agencies, and other stakeholders to facilitate site acquisition, project development activities, agreements and permitting.
• Maintain accurate land rights records, obligations, agreement registers, and permit trackers utilising digital management systems to monitor validity periods, renewal requirements, conditions, and compliance obligations.
• Identify, assess and proactively mitigate land-related risks that may impact project timelines, permitting, project milestones and/or project financial close.
• Leverage GIS, land information systems and digital tools to support land identification, tracking and portfolio management activities.

Land Due Diligence, Screening and Spatial Assessment

• Lead due diligence and fatal flaw analysis/assessment processes on prospective sites in collaboration with legal, engineering, and environmental teams.
• Verify land ownership, tenure, land claims status, title deed restrictions, servitudes and other encumbrances, providing recommendations on outstanding land rights issues, mitigation measures and specialist investigations required.
• Assess site accessibility, infrastructure proximity, development constraints and opportunities to support project viability.
• Review applicable municipal bylaws, plans Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs), energy strategies, and planning policies to determine project viability, impacts and permitting requirements.
• Analyse land planning requirements, including land use, zoning, and surrounding development patterns, land use planning and building plan approval processes, special economic zone or renewable energy zone classifications, and other ancillary permits identified through constraints mapping.
• Procure specialists based on due diligence findings and coordinate and manage external specialists, including town planners, land surveyors, conveyancers and other land-related consultants.
• Utilise GIS, spatial analysis tools and automated screening methodologies to improve site assessment efficiency, consistency and decision-making.
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve GIS datasets, land screening tools, constraints mapping processes and digital land management systems to support scalable project origination and development.

Permitting and Regulatory Compliance

• Manage land-related permitting and approval processes/applications, including rezoning, consent use, subdivision, consolidation, , ancillary permits (DMRE, DALRRD, land claims, SANRAL, provincial/national roads, municipal services), and other statutory approvals required for project development.
• Serve as the primary interface with municipalities, government departments, and regulatory authorities for land-related planning and permitting matters.
• Coordinate the securing of servitudes, rights of way and infrastructure access agreements for roads, transmission lines, distribution networks, substations and other project infrastructure.
• Coordinate with land surveyors, conveyancers, and legal advisors to facilitate the registration of notarial servitudes, long-term lease agreements, and other land rights through the Deeds Office.
• Monitor permitting conditions and regulatory obligations throughout development, construction and operations, ensuring ongoing compliance.
• Maintain digital permit trackers, approval registers and workflow systems to improve visibility, compliance management and reporting efficiency.

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

• Coordinate and support engagement with landowners and communities, traditional authorities, and other affected stakeholders.
• Facilitate land access discussions, consent processes and stakeholder negotiations required to advance development activities.
• Support the management of land-related grievances, enquiries and stakeholder commitments in accordance with company procedures and ESG requirements.
• Ensure land acquisition is aligned with ESG objectives, social license as well as project budget.

Data Management, Reporting and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain accurate land acquisition, permitting, servitude and stakeholder databases to support portfolio management and decision-making.
• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports and performance metrics that provide visibility of project status, risks, constraints and critical path activities.
• Generate data-driven insights and recommendations to improve project screening, development efficiency and risk management.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes through automation, AI-enabled analysis, digital workflows and standardisation of land development activities.
• Participate in project meetings and interface with all relevant departments to support integrated project delivery.
• Perform any other duties reasonably associated with the role and required to support departmental and organisational objectives.

Experience & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Geography, Town Planning, Property Development, or related field.
• 5+ years' experience in infrastructure or energy project development
• Strong knowledge of South African tenure systems (private, communal, state)
• Strong Geographic Information Systems (GIS) experience and capability.
• Familiarity with SPLUMA, zoning legislation, and municipal processes.
• Legal literacy with exposure to land/property/contract law
• Valid driver's licence and willingness to travel when necessary
• Fluent in English

Specific attributes

• Strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills
• Highly organised with ability to manage multiple concurrent timelines
• Attention to detail in legal documentation and land records
• Clear communicator and cross-functional collaborator
• Proactive, adaptable, and solutions-oriented
• Committed to renewable energy, development impact, and ESG principles.

Desirable attributes

• MS Project or project scheduling software experience
• Prior municipal stakeholder engagement experience
• Additional languages relevant to project sites preferred
• Valid professional registration - South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN)
• Digitally driven mindset
• ERP/MS Dynamics experience

What Does Success Look Like?

By 3 Months

• I will be fully onboarded and proficient in the SolarAfrica's systems, processes, reporting requirements, templates, and project workflows.
• I will have completed land screenings and due diligence assessments for all allocated Utility and Behind-the-Meter projects, with findings accurately documented and communicated.
• I will have established productive working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and be familiar with all project role players.
• I will be actively supporting the identification, negotiation, and management of land access agreements, with all activities accurately maintained and tracked within the land access register.
• I will have a solid understanding of the project development lifecycle, project milestones and technical review process across both Utility and Behind-the-Meter projects. I will also have a solid understanding of the interaction between land, environmental, engineering, projects and project development teams.
• I will have identified opportunities to improve land screening, reporting and tracking processes through the use of GIS, automation and digital tools.

By 6 Months

• I will independently manage land acquisition and land development activities across assigned Utility and Behind-the-Meter projects with minimal support and/or oversight.
• I will have progressed all required rezoning, land use, consent use, and municipal approval processes for allocated projects, while effectively managing critical path risks and dependencies.
• I will have identified and progressed servitudes and right-of-way requirements, supporting negotiations and stakeholder engagement where required.
• I will maintain accurate, up-to-date land access registers, permitting trackers, due diligence reviews, and project dashboards. Ensuring reliable reporting on project status, risks, and key milestones.
• I will have successfully coordinated landowner, municipal and community engagement activities and proactively managed land-related project risks. I will have implemented improved digital workflows, reporting tools or GIS-based processes that enhance the efficiency and quality of land development activities.

By 12 Months

• I will have secured or substantially progressed all required land rights, access agreements, servitudes and associated approvals required to support projects and project development milestones across my assigned portfolio.
• I will have established and effectively managed external service providers, including the preparation of RFQs, RFPs, scopes of work, SLAs, performance monitoring and contractor vetting.
• I will have driven the completion of land use approvals, servitude registrations, lease agreements, and other land-related approvals required to advance projects towards financial close, support projects and project development and support construction readiness.
• I will proactively identify, manage, and mitigate land-related risks to support permitting, environmental approvals, financing milestones, and project delivery timelines.
• I will ensure that all project land records, agreements, approvals and supporting documentation are complete, accurate, audit-ready and stored within approved company systems.
• I will have developed and embedded scalable land development processes, GIS datasets, automated trackers and reporting systems that improve project screening, risk management and portfolio oversight.
• I will be recognised as a trusted subject matter expert who contributes to continuous improvement, supports cross-functional teams and strengthens SolarAfrica's land development capability.

Core Values

We hire, reward, and recognise our team against these values. It is imperative that you believe in these values and demonstrate them consistently.

• We are passionate and proud of what we do.
• We communicate candidly, especially when it is difficult.
• We take the initiative, share our mistakes, and grow together.
• We are dependable and take accountability.
• No one person is bigger than the solution - no egos.

We are currently only considering candidates based in South Africa with valid working rights. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applications from outside the country at this time.