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Head of Development Finance

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Overview

Our client, an established lender within the Irish development finance market, is seeking a Head of Development Finance to lead origination, relationship management, and portfolio growth across residential and commercial development lending.
This is a superb opportunity for an ambitious development finance professional ready to take the next step in their career moving into a leadership role with strategic scope, autonomy, and full visibility across the lending lifecycle.

 

The Opportunity

The successful candidate will spearhead the growth of the development finance book, working closely with developers, brokers, and internal credit teams to deliver high-quality, commercially sound deals. You’ll be the face of the business in the market, driving origination while shaping lending strategy, credit appetite, and client engagement.

This role is ideal for someone currently operating at Business Development Manager level who is ready to step up into a Head of Development Finance

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Key Responsibilities

Origination & Business Development

  • Drive new business across residential and commercial development finance throughout Ireland.

  • Build and maintain strong relationships with developers, brokers, and industry partners.

  • Develop and execute a robust origination strategy in line with growth objectives.

  • Represent the business at industry events, conferences, and networking forums.

 

Deal Structuring & Execution

  • Lead initial deal assessments, feasibility reviews, and high-level financial analysis.

  • Work closely with credit and risk teams to structure deals that balance commercial return and risk.

  • Manage the end-to-end origination pipeline from initial contact to drawdown.

  • Oversee due diligence, valuations, cost reviews, and market analysis.

 

Portfolio & Risk Management

  • Ensure strong oversight of ongoing projects, monitoring progress and identifying emerging risks.

  • Maintain high-quality communication with clients to ensure successful project delivery.

  • Collaborate with asset management teams to manage any issues or deviations from plan.

 

Strategic Leadership

  • Contribute to the development of the overall lending strategy and credit appetite.

  • Identify market trends, opportunities, and competitive insights.

  • Support the development of internal processes, best practices, and origination frameworks.

  • Drive continuous improvement and support the scaling of the lending platform.

 

Skills & Experience Required

  • 5+ years’ experience in development finance, real estate lending, project finance, or a related credit/risk environment.

  • Strong network within the Irish property and development ecosystem.

  • Proven track record in originating or managing development finance transactions.

  • Excellent commercial acumen, negotiation ability, and relationship-building skills.

  • Strong understanding of development appraisals, cost plans, valuations, and feasibility analysis.

  • Ability to review, interpret, and challenge financial models and due diligence outputs.

  • Experience engaging with credit, risk, and legal teams through to deal completion.

  • Ambitious, driven, and ready to move into a leadership role with broader strategic responsibility.

  • Entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for business growth.

  • Highly organised with strong attention to detail.

  • Confident communicator with credibility in front of senior stakeholders.

  • Positive, collaborative, and capable of influencing decision-making.

  • Self-starter who thrives with autonomy

 

What’s on Offer

  • €90,000 - €100,000 base salary

  • Opportunity to build and shape the development finance function.

  • Competitive bonus, and benefits package.

  • Exposure to high-quality development projects across Ireland.

  • A supportive, growth-oriented environment with clear progression opportunities.

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