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Real Estate & Development
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Permanent placement of experienced development and construction professionals across Australia’s property sector.
Sectors We Cover
Apartment complexes, townhouse developments, and build-to-rent projects requiring experienced delivery teams from feasibility to completion.
Large-scale urban developments combining residential, commercial, and retail — staffed with professionals who understand complex stakeholder environments.
Greenfield and infill subdivision projects from acquisition through civil works, lot creation, and staged settlement.
Office, retail, and industrial developments. We source development professionals with commercial asset experience and strong financial acumen.
Industry Insight
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
Property development recruitment requires deep understanding of what each role actually does on a live project — not just a job title match.
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 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 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 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
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
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
Common questions about our property development recruitment services.
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.