Real Estate · Development Director
Development Director executive search.
Retained Development Director search for major real estate schemes across residential, commercial, living, life sciences and specialist sectors.
What the role is
A short definition.
A Development Director leads a real estate development scheme or portfolio — from land acquisition and planning through design, construction, delivery and ultimate stabilisation. The role combines commercial acumen (feasibility, capital deployment, JV structuring) with technical and delivery oversight (planning, design, construction, cost management) and stakeholder management (landowners, local authorities, funders, community).
Core responsibilities
What we assess candidates against.
- Scheme feasibility, land acquisition and planning strategy
- Design and consultant team leadership
- Construction procurement and contractor management
- Capital structuring, funding and JV negotiation
- Programme, cost and quality oversight across delivery
- Stakeholder management — landowners, planners, LPAs, funders, community
When to run this search
Typical triggers.
On the launch of a new scheme or portfolio; on a change of ownership requiring a development leadership refresh; on entry into a new sector (living, life sciences, logistics); on the departure of an incumbent Development Director.
How we search
The specific approach we take.
Retained. Candidate pools include sitting Development Directors at comparable developers, senior Project Directors ready for the step-up, and (for major mixed-use or infrastructure-adjacent schemes) executives from Tier 1 contractors or multidisciplinary consultancies. Every mandate is led by a partner with real estate development sector fluency.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you handle Development Director searches for major mixed-use schemes?
Yes. Major mixed-use schemes are a specialism — the candidate profile requires experience across multiple asset classes plus master-planning fluency.
Can you support living sectors (BTR, PBSA, Later Living) development leadership?
Yes. Living sectors development is one of the fastest-growing areas of senior real estate hiring and a distinct specialism.
Do you recruit for life sciences and data centre developments?
Yes. Life sciences real estate and data centre developments require specific technical and operational knowledge; we handle these with sector-specific search partners where relevant.
How long does the search take?
Fourteen to eighteen weeks brief to accepted offer is typical.
How is compensation structured?
Base, cash bonus tied to scheme milestones (planning, funding, delivery, sale), and equity or performance-share participation in developer-side roles.
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