Real Estate & Development
The People Behind the Projects
HBG’s real estate and development division places the white-collar professionals who turn feasibility studies into finished projects. Development managers, QS, estimators, and project leaders — sourced through targeted permanent recruitment, not job board spray-and-pray.
Our Approach
Recruitment That Understands Development
Property development recruitment demands more than matching keywords to a CV. We know the difference between a development manager who has delivered 50-lot subdivisions and one who has run $200M mixed-use projects — and we know which one your business needs.
Development Lifecycle Expertise
We recruit across the full development lifecycle — from feasibility and acquisition through DA, construction, and settlement. Our consultants understand the milestones, the pressures, and the type of person who thrives at each stage.
White-Collar Permanent Focus
This isn't labour hire. Our real estate and development division focuses exclusively on permanent placement — sourcing experienced professionals who will stay, contribute, and grow with your business long-term.
Confidential Executive Search
Senior development hires require discretion. We run confidential search processes for development directors, heads of acquisitions, and C-suite roles — accessing passive candidates that job boards don't reach.
Market Intelligence
We know what development managers earn in Sydney vs Brisbane, which firms are scaling, and who's likely to move. Our market mapping gives you a competitive edge when hiring — and helps you retain the talent you have.
Roles We Fill
From Acquisitions to Handover
Permanent placement of experienced development and construction professionals across Australia’s property sector.
Sectors We Cover
Every Development Type, Every Market
Multi-Residential
Apartment complexes, townhouse developments, and build-to-rent projects requiring experienced delivery teams from feasibility to completion.
High-Density & Mixed-Use
Large-scale urban developments combining residential, commercial, and retail — staffed with professionals who understand complex stakeholder environments.
Land Subdivision & Masterplanned Communities
Greenfield and infill subdivision projects from acquisition through civil works, lot creation, and staged settlement.
Commercial Development
Office, retail, and industrial developments. We source development professionals with commercial asset experience and strong financial acumen.
Industry Insight
Australia’s Property Development Landscape
Australia’s property development sector remains one of the largest contributors to the national economy, with residential construction alone valued at over $100 billion annually. Population growth, sustained migration, and the ongoing housing supply shortage continue to drive demand for new residential and mixed-use developments in every capital city and major regional centre. The National Housing Accord targets 1.2 million new homes over five years, placing enormous pressure on developers to secure the experienced professionals needed to deliver at scale.
Development managers, project managers, and quantity surveyors are among the most sought-after white-collar roles in Australian construction. The competition for experienced professionals is intense, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne where large-scale urban renewal projects, build-to-rent programs, and transit-oriented developments are reshaping the skyline. Brisbane and South-East Queensland have seen a surge in development activity driven by the 2032 Olympics, interstate migration, and infrastructure investment, creating a parallel talent shortage that extends across the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast corridors.
Perth’s property market has rebounded strongly, with resource-sector wealth flowing into residential and commercial development, while Adelaide’s development pipeline has grown off the back of defence industry investment and inner-city revitalisation. In Canberra, government-driven mixed-use precincts and light rail corridor developments have created niche demand for development professionals with planning and stakeholder management expertise.
HBG operates nationally, with active recruitment across all of these markets. Our consultants track project approvals, DA lodgements, and construction commencements to identify where talent demand is building before our clients even brief us. This proactive market intelligence allows us to build candidate pipelines ahead of need, reducing time-to-fill and ensuring our clients secure top-tier development professionals before competitors.
Role Expertise
Understanding the Roles We Recruit
Property development recruitment requires deep understanding of what each role actually does on a live project — not just a job title match.
Development Manager
The development manager is the central figure in any property project, responsible for the end-to-end delivery from site acquisition through to settlement and defects liability. They coordinate architects, town planners, engineers, and construction teams while managing feasibility models, project budgets, and stakeholder relationships. A strong development manager understands planning legislation, construction methodology, and financial modelling in equal measure. In Australia, development managers typically hold degrees in property, construction management, or quantity surveying, with 8 to 15 years of progressive experience across multiple project types.
Quantity Surveyor
Quantity surveyors manage the financial side of construction projects, from early-stage cost planning and feasibility analysis through to contract administration, progress claims, and final account settlement. In the development context, QS professionals work closely with development managers to ensure projects remain on budget and that variations are captured, assessed, and negotiated properly. Australian QS professionals are typically AIQS-accredited and hold degrees in quantity surveying or construction economics. Senior QS roles on major developments command salaries well above $150,000 in Sydney and Melbourne markets.
Acquisitions Manager
Acquisitions managers identify, assess, and negotiate the purchase of development sites. They combine market analysis, planning due diligence, and financial feasibility to determine whether a site represents a viable development opportunity. This role demands deep knowledge of local planning schemes, council policies, and market conditions. The best acquisitions managers maintain extensive broker and agent networks and can identify off-market opportunities before they reach the wider market. They work closely with finance, legal, and development teams to progress transactions from initial assessment to unconditional contract.
Design Manager
Design managers bridge the gap between architectural intent and construction delivery. They coordinate the design consultancy team, manage design programs, review documentation for constructability, and ensure design compliance with BCA, NCC, and relevant Australian Standards. On large residential and mixed-use projects, design managers play a critical role in managing design changes, RFIs, and shop drawing approvals during construction. They typically hold architecture or engineering qualifications with significant experience in design coordination on complex building projects.
Compliance
Licensing & Recruitment Standards
HBG holds employment agency and labour hire licences in every Australian state and territory where licensing is required. In Queensland, we are licensed under the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2017. In Victoria, we comply with the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018. In South Australia, we hold the required labour hire licence under the Labour Hire Licensing Scheme. For our permanent recruitment division operating in real estate and development, these licences ensure that every placement we make is fully compliant with state employment legislation.
Our recruitment process for property development roles includes verification of tertiary qualifications, professional memberships such as AIQS, AIPM, and EA, reference checks with direct supervisors on recent projects, and confirmation of right-to-work status. For senior and executive-level searches, we conduct thorough background checks including directorship and insolvency searches where client policy requires.
We are members of the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association (RCSA) and operate under the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct. Our permanent placement terms include replacement guarantees, transparent fee structures, and clear engagement terms — all detailed in our standard terms of business provided at the commencement of every assignment.
National Coverage
Property Recruitment Across Australia
HBG recruits for property development roles in every major Australian market. In Sydney, we cover projects from the CBD and inner-west through to Western Sydney growth corridors including the Aerotropolis and South-West Growth Area. In Melbourne, our coverage extends from inner-city high-density projects to the growth corridors of Wyndham, Casey, and the Surf Coast. Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast are serviced as a combined South-East Queensland market, reflecting the interconnected nature of development activity across the region.
Our Perth coverage includes the metropolitan area, Mandurah, and Bunbury, while in Adelaide we recruit for both the CBD renewal precinct and the northern and southern growth areas. Canberra and the ACT are serviced with a focus on government-precinct mixed-use developments and the growing build-to-rent sector. We also place development professionals in regional centres including Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong, Townsville, and Cairns where developers are active in masterplanned community and tourism-related developments.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our property development recruitment services.
How does HBG recruit development managers differently from generalist agencies?
Unlike generalist recruiters who rely on job board advertising, our development recruitment consultants use targeted headhunting and market mapping to identify development managers with specific project experience relevant to your pipeline. We assess candidates on their track record with comparable GRV, project scale, planning complexity, and delivery methodology — not just years of experience. Our consultants understand the difference between a development manager who has delivered townhouse subdivisions and one who has managed $200M-plus high-density projects with complex staging and multiple consultancy teams. This nuanced understanding ensures we present candidates who are genuinely matched to your business and project requirements.
How do permanent placement fees work for development roles?
Our permanent placement fees are charged as a percentage of the successful candidate’s total remuneration package, inclusive of base salary, superannuation, and any guaranteed bonuses. The fee percentage is agreed upfront in our terms of business before the search commences. We operate on a success-only basis for standard searches, meaning no fee is payable until a candidate accepts an offer and commences employment. For retained executive searches targeting development directors, heads of acquisitions, or C-suite roles, a portion of the fee is payable at engagement to secure dedicated consultant resources for the assignment.
What replacement guarantee do you offer?
All permanent placements through HBG include a replacement guarantee. If a placed candidate resigns or is terminated for performance within the guarantee period, we will conduct a replacement search at no additional fee. The guarantee period and its terms are specified in our standard terms of business and vary depending on the seniority of the role. This guarantee reflects our confidence in the quality of our recruitment process and our commitment to long-term placement success, not just filling a vacancy.
Can you provide salary benchmarking for development roles?
Yes. HBG provides detailed salary benchmarking for property development roles across all Australian markets. Our data is drawn from actual placements and live candidate conversations, not survey estimates. We can advise on market rates for development managers, project managers, quantity surveyors, estimators, design managers, and acquisitions managers in your specific city and project type. This benchmarking helps our clients structure competitive remuneration packages that attract top candidates while remaining commercially sensible. We publish an annual salary guide covering development and construction roles, available on request.
How do you handle confidential searches for senior development roles?
Confidential executive search is a core capability of our development recruitment division. When a client needs to replace a development director or hire for a sensitive role without market visibility, we run a fully confidential process. The client’s identity is not disclosed to candidates until a shortlist meeting is agreed. All candidate approaches are made discreetly through our consultant network, and no advertising or job board postings are used. This approach is essential when the hire involves replacing an incumbent, acquiring a candidate from a direct competitor, or when the client does not wish to signal hiring activity to the market.
Do your consultants understand the property development lifecycle?
Our development recruitment consultants have direct industry experience and understand the full project lifecycle from site identification and feasibility analysis through to DA lodgement, construction procurement, practical completion, and defects liability. This means we can assess candidates based on where they have operated in the lifecycle, what planning and approval processes they have navigated, and how they manage the transition from development approval to construction delivery. We understand the difference between a pre-DA planning role and a post-DA delivery role, and we know which skill sets are required at each stage of a project’s life.
Hiring for Your Next Development?
Whether you need a development manager for a $50M multi-res project or a QS for your next subdivision, HBG finds the right person — not just someone available.
Confidential permanent recruitment for Australia’s property development sector.