The Role...
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is the single point of accountability for all property development activity across Soho House & Co worldwide. Based in London, the CDO owns the development lifecycle end-to-end. Inclusive of, Acquisition, Design and Construction for every new House, hotel and mixed-use site globally. The role is accountable for turning the group's growth strategy into a deliverable, well-governed pipeline with accountability for overall timescales.
This newly consolidated role gives the business clear ownership of development outcomes — on programme, on budget, and on brand — from site identification through to opening handover. Given the scale and complexity of the US pipeline, deep, hands-on US development expertise is essential.
Key Responsibilities...
Single point of accountability for global development
Own the full development lifecycle end-to-end — Acquisition, Design and Construction — for every project globally, acting as the single escalation point for status, risk and decision-making.
Consolidate currently fragmented regional development functions into one global operating model, with clear standards, governance and reporting into the Executive Committee and Board.
Build and maintain a global pipeline tracker and reporting cadence that gives the CEO, CFO and Board a single, reliable view of every project's status, budget and risk.
Establish and chair the global development approvals framework, including sign-off on development briefs and budgets ahead of Board submission, and set financial authority levels for regional development teams.
Acquisition & site strategy
Lead site identification, feasibility and appraisal for new Houses and related developments, partnering with Real Estate, Finance and Operations.
Structure and negotiate development agreements, leases, joint ventures and construction contracts with landlords, developers and investment partners.
Own capital appraisal and investment-case development for new sites, working closely with Finance on returns, funding and board approval requirements.
Own legal due diligence and negotiate global Framework Agreements with preferred contractors, consultants and suppliers, ensuring consistent commercial terms across markets.
Design & construction
Oversee design development and construction delivery across all markets, ensuring every project is true to Soho House brand, design language and member experience standards.
Set and enforce global development standards, playbooks and specifications, adapted appropriately for local planning, building and cultural context.
Manage architects, designers, general contractors and specialist consultants, ensuring robust project controls on programme, cost and quality.
Programme, budget and risk ownership
Hold end-to-end accountability for capital budgets across the global development portfolio, including cost control, forecasting and variance management.
Identify, own and mitigate development risk — planning, regulatory, construction and commercial — across multiple jurisdictions and legal frameworks simultaneously.
Ensure robust health & safety, sustainability and compliance standards are embedded in every project from design through to completion.
Establish and own a global change-control framework, ensuring material scope, cost or programme changes are escalated, approved and tracked consistently across every project and region.
Own the development-to-operations handover process globally, ensuring operational readiness and pre-opening requirements are consistently met before launch.
Global market leadership
Act as the senior executive owner of the global development pipeline, bringing direct, current expertise in global planning, permitting, construction and delivery models.
Build and maintain relationships with global developers, landlords, contractors and local authorities to support continued growth.
Leadership & stakeholder management
Build, lead and develop a high-performing global development…