HIRE TALENT  /  LEADERSHIP & EXECUTIVE  /  CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Construction Executive Search

Hire a Chief Development Officer

Retained CDO search for developer platforms, health systems, higher ed, and capital-programs institutions — ground-up development lifecycle judgment, capital-partner interface, multi-project program governance, and board-facing composure. Confidential outreach, board-referenced.

Hire a Chief Development Officer → How it works
Photo of a Vetted CDO CandidateExample profile
Gregory S.
Vetted Specialist
Leadership & Executive
Chief Development Officer
ULI · NAIOP · Capital Markets
Sector coverage
8 mission-critical sectors
Data center · Healthcare · Life sciences · more
Engagement type
Retained executive search
Confidential outreach, board-referenced
Geography
US + EMEA
Active CDO network in both markets
Placement warranty
Replacement guarantee
Every C-suite placement
How It Works

Hire a CDO in 3 steps

A structured retained-search process for the C-suite development seat — where getting the CDO wrong doesn’t just cost a deal, it costs the capital-partner relationships and platform trajectory.

Step 01

CEO / board kickoff

60–90 minute session with CEO and board or sponsor. Align on succession context, deal pipeline, capital-partner situation, comp architecture, and confidentiality.

Step 02

Retained-search shortlist

Discreet outreach across a targeted candidate universe. Shortlist of 3–5 CDO candidates with detailed board memos, references, and independent 360 diligence.

Step 03

Board slate & placement

Final CEO/board slate with succession-plan integration. Replacement guarantee protects the placement through the transition window.

Why iRecruit.co for CDO Hires

What makes our CDO shortlist different

Chief Development Officers anchor the platform’s deal pipeline and capital-partner relationships. Ground-up delivery history, capital-partner-facing composure, and multi-project program governance separate a CDO who compounds the platform from one who becomes the reason capital partners diligence the next fund elsewhere.

01

Ground-up delivery verified

Every CDO candidate has delivered ground-up development lifecycle history — land selection, entitlement, capital-partner interface, and delivery. Not GC-side executives re-titled.

02

Capital-partner-facing composure

Reference-verified capital-partner relationship discipline: equity partners, JV partners, mezz lenders, institutional capital. Referenced from prior capital-partner principals.

03

Multi-project program governance

Verified multi-year, multi-project program governance at the platform level. Referenced from prior CEOs and program sponsors.

Meet Vetted CDO Candidates

The caliber of Chief Development Officer you’ll interview

Every candidate is board-referenced, capital-partner-vetted, and matched to your platform context. Anonymized examples below reflect real retained-search profiles.

Vetted SpecialistMale CDO - industrial platformExample profile

Andre B.

Industrial Developer Platform CDO
  • CDO of $6B AUM industrial developer platform
  • Institutional-capital-partner relationships across 3 fund cycles
  • Grew platform from $1.5B to $6B AUM
ULINAIOPCapital Markets
Vetted SpecialistFemale CDO - health systemExample profile

Valeria C.

Health System Chief Development Officer
  • CDO of academic medical center system, $3B capital plan
  • Multi-hospital + AMC portfolio governance
  • Board of Trustees + CFO reporting rhythm
ASHEBoard-FacingCapital Programs
Vetted SpecialistMale CDO - higher edExample profile

Connor D.

Higher Ed Chief Development Officer
  • CDO of Tier-1 R1 university, $1.8B campus master plan
  • Board of Trustees + Regents reporting rhythm
  • Bond-issuance discipline across 3 issuance cycles
APPABoard-FacingBond-Support
CDO Specializations

Match the CDO specialty to your platform

“Chief Development Officer” means different things across platform types. Below are the retained-search specializations we handle:

Industrial Developer CDO
Industrial platform CDO
Hire for this specialty
Data Center Developer CDO
Colo / operator platform CDO
Hire for this specialty
Life Sciences Developer CDO
Life-sciences campus CDO
Hire for this specialty
Health System CDO
Health-system capital-programs CDO
Hire for this specialty
Higher Ed CDO
University master-plan CDO
Hire for this specialty
Municipal / Airport CDO
Airport / civic capital-programs CDO
Hire for this specialty
Multifamily Developer CDO
Multifamily platform CDO
Hire for this specialty
PE-Sponsored CDO
PE portfolio company CDO
Hire for this specialty
Director of Development
Portfolio-scale development leader
Hire for this specialty
CEO (peer role)
C-suite CEO placements
Hire for this specialty
CFO (peer role)
C-suite finance leader
Hire for this specialty
Confidential CDO Search
Retained, board-referenced
Hire for this specialty

Not sure which CDO specialty fits?

We’ll help you scope the mandate on the CEO / board kickoff — succession context, deal pipeline, and capital-partner situation.

Hire a Chief Development Officer →
Vetting Criteria

What we verify on every CDO candidate

CDO hires live and die on ground-up development history, capital-partner composure, and multi-project governance. Below is what every candidate has documented before you meet them:

Ground-up development history

Reference-verified from prior developer principals: land, entitlement, capital-partner interface, and delivery.

Capital-partner composure

Reference-verified from prior equity, JV, and lender principals.

Multi-project program governance

Verified multi-year, multi-project program governance at the platform level.

Board-facing composure

Reference-verified from prior boards, capital-plan sponsors, and audit committees.

Platform-growth history

Verified platform-growth or AUM-growth track record where applicable.

Compensation & architecture fit

Base + variable + LTI + equity + promote structure aligned before finalist interviews.

FAQ

Hiring a Chief Development Officer: frequently asked questions

How long does a CDO retained search take?

Time to CEO / board-facing shortlist is typically 4–6 weeks. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 60–120 days.

What does a CDO retained search cost?

All CDO searches are retained. Fee is typically 30–35% of first-year cash comp.

Do you handle confidential incumbent-replacement CDO searches?

Yes. Retained-search discretion is standard.

Do you place across developer platforms, health systems, higher ed, and municipal owners?

Yes. All owner-side and platform types are core coverage.

How do you screen for capital-partner composure?

We reference-verify with prior equity, JV, and lender principals on communication discipline and relationship durability.

Do you offer a placement guarantee?

Yes. Every CDO placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in the retained-search agreement.

Can you build the full development leadership team?

Yes. Team builds (CDO + Director of Development + Sr Dev Managers + entitlement leads) route through executive search plus embedded recruiting.

How is iRecruit.co different from a generalist executive-search firm?

Generalist ES firms lack sector delivery fluency at the CDO level. iRecruit.co CDO recruiters verify ground-up development history and capital-partner composure — every candidate is matched to your platform.

Ready to hire

Talk to a construction CDO search partner

60–90 minute CEO / board kickoff. We’ll align on succession context, deal pipeline, capital-partner situation, and confidentiality — then start the retained-search process.

Hire a Chief Development Officer →
Related: Director of Development hiring  ·  CEO hiring
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