Hire Directors of Development who own portfolio-scale development leadership — multi-project pipeline, capital-partner communication, Development Manager bench discipline, and entitlement portfolio governance. Sector-anchored across industrial, data center, healthcare, life sciences, and multifamily.
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Example candidateA structured process for the hire that anchors portfolio-scale development delivery — where getting the Director wrong doesn’t just cost a deal, it costs the Development Manager bench and the pipeline they were supposed to build.
30-minute call. Align on asset class, portfolio scale, capital-partner structure, Development Manager bench, entitlement portfolio, and start date.
Within 2 weeks we introduce 3–5 Directors of Development with delivered portfolio-scale history. References from prior CDOs, capital partners, and Development Managers included.
Every placement carries a replacement guarantee. If the hire fails within the warranty window, we run a no-fee replacement search.
Directors of Development sit between Development Manager execution and CDO strategy. Portfolio-scale delivery, capital-partner-facing composure, and Dev Manager mentor track separate a Director who compounds the platform’s pipeline from one who becomes the reason the platform loses talent.
Every Director on the shortlist has delivered portfolio-scale development history — multi-project, multi-year pipeline. Reference-verified from prior CDOs and capital partners.
Reference-verified from prior equity, JV, and lender principals on communication discipline and relationship durability.
Reference-verified retention, promotion, and culture built across Development Manager bench.
Every candidate is credential-verified, capital-partner-referenced, and matched to your platform. Anonymized examples below reflect real placement profiles.
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Example candidate.png)
Example candidate.png)
Example candidate“Director of Development” means different things across asset classes. Below are the specializations we recruit for:
We’ll help you scope the role on the call — asset class, portfolio scale, and capital-partner structure.
Director of Development hires live and die on portfolio-scale delivery, capital-partner composure, and Dev Manager mentor track. Below is what every candidate has documented before you meet them:
Reference-verified from prior CDOs and CEOs on portfolio-scale development delivery.
Reference-verified from prior equity, JV, and lender principals.
Reference-verified Dev Manager retention, promotion, and department culture built.
Verified multi-project entitlement portfolio management, municipal-reviewer relationships across metros.
Industrial, data center, healthcare, life sciences, multifamily, mixed-use. Matched to your asset class.
Director of Development, VP Development, CDO-track comp bands + promote / carry structure aligned before finalists.
Time to shortlist is typically 2 weeks from scoping call. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 3–4 weeks.
Pricing depends on engagement model. Per-role recruiting is a defined fee. Embedded is a monthly retainer. Executive search (Director-level, VP Development, CDO) is a retained fee, typically 30–35% of first-year cash comp.
Yes. Retained-search discretion, discreet outreach, and market-signal management are standard.
Yes. All mission-critical asset classes are core coverage.
CDO is C-suite — platform-scale, board-facing. Director of Development runs the Dev Manager bench and portfolio-scale execution below CDO. Often a promotion track to CDO.
Yes. Every Director of Development placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in writing at engagement start.
Yes. Team builds (CDO + Director of Development + Sr Dev Managers + entitlement leads) route through executive search plus embedded recruiting.
Generalist recruiters treat all development experience as interchangeable. iRecruit.co Director of Development recruiters verify portfolio-scale delivery, capital-partner composure, and Dev Manager mentor track — every candidate is matched to your asset class.
30-minute scoping conversation. We’ll review the Director of Development role you need, asset class, portfolio scale, and capital-partner structure — then recommend the right hire path and start sourcing.
