Sounds like a dream job to me.
How would I go about getting a similar position? What skills would I need to build? You can PM me if you want.
Setting your own deadline and delivery target, that's a dream come true!
There are a few things you can do to get such a job:
(1) I am not sure what field you work in but it's a good idea to develop skills for which there is a huge demand but not enough supply. Software development is one such a field. There are more jobs than people available here in the US. Consequently, there are many high paying and lucrative opportunities. Employers also treat you a lot better as you are not easily replaceable.
(2) Look for a stable corporation that is renowned for work-life balance. That's the first thing that I look when I apply for a job. You can often get a glimpse of an organizations culture by reading reviews on website such as glassdoor. Be willing to come to a nice compromise with salary. I can probably make substantially more money if I stop caring about work/life balance. Working in a stable organization is very important as job security gives you peace of mind. I avoid industries like oil/gas as they are not very stable. I work in an insurance organization. Non profit , government or academic jobs are usually more relaxed but expect low pay. But you will have peace of mind and job security. My current organization is a nice compromise as it functions like a government agency but with pay scale of private organizations.
(3) If possible, work for a large corporation. Small companies(less than 100 employees) have too much micro management and expect a lot out of you. Avoid working for start ups unless you are just out of college and in need of some experience. Find an organization that has 5000+ employees. I had excellent experience working for an organization that had 5000 employees. My current organization has 65,000. However, the culture of organization is very important as well. So you may find an organization with 5000+ employees but cut throat culture. I worked for an organization that had 1500 employees but very supportive culture.
(4) During the interview, try to get a feel for the company. Does the manager seem nice and easy to get a long with? Does the company culture strive for work life balance?
(5) If you are a software engineer, avoid working for software companies unless you feel like the culture is nice. Otherwise you may end up being surrounded by extreme nerds who love programming so much that they stay up till 2 am in the night reading tech blogs and developing software for fun. You don't want to be surrounded by such people as you will be judged according to their performance.