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.
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Example candidateA 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.
60–90 minute session with CEO and board or sponsor. Align on succession context, deal pipeline, capital-partner situation, comp architecture, and confidentiality.
Discreet outreach across a targeted candidate universe. Shortlist of 3–5 CDO candidates with detailed board memos, references, and independent 360 diligence.
Final CEO/board slate with succession-plan integration. Replacement guarantee protects the placement through the transition window.
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.
Every CDO candidate has delivered ground-up development lifecycle history — land selection, entitlement, capital-partner interface, and delivery. Not GC-side executives re-titled.
Reference-verified capital-partner relationship discipline: equity partners, JV partners, mezz lenders, institutional capital. Referenced from prior capital-partner principals.
Verified multi-year, multi-project program governance at the platform level. Referenced from prior CEOs and program sponsors.
Every candidate is board-referenced, capital-partner-vetted, and matched to your platform context. Anonymized examples below reflect real retained-search profiles.
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Example candidate.png)
Example candidate.png)
Example candidate“Chief Development Officer” means different things across platform types. Below are the retained-search specializations we handle:
We’ll help you scope the mandate on the CEO / board kickoff — succession context, deal pipeline, and capital-partner situation.
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:
Reference-verified from prior developer principals: land, entitlement, capital-partner interface, and delivery.
Reference-verified from prior equity, JV, and lender principals.
Verified multi-year, multi-project program governance at the platform level.
Reference-verified from prior boards, capital-plan sponsors, and audit committees.
Verified platform-growth or AUM-growth track record where applicable.
Base + variable + LTI + equity + promote structure aligned before finalist interviews.
Time to CEO / board-facing shortlist is typically 4–6 weeks. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 60–120 days.
All CDO searches are retained. Fee is typically 30–35% of first-year cash comp.
Yes. Retained-search discretion is standard.
Yes. All owner-side and platform types are core coverage.
We reference-verify with prior equity, JV, and lender principals on communication discipline and relationship durability.
Yes. Every CDO placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in the retained-search agreement.
Yes. Team builds (CDO + Director of Development + Sr Dev Managers + entitlement leads) route through executive search plus embedded recruiting.
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.
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.
