Assistant Development Manager

Job Brief: Assistant Development Manager

Salary $70,000 - $80,000 Package inline with experience.

Key responsibilities

1. Feasibility and acquisition

• Prepare and update feasibility models (Estate Master or Excel) covering yield, costs, revenue, margin and residual land value
• Run site due diligence: zoning, LEP/DCP controls, SEPPs, title, easements, contamination, flooding and heritage
• Prepare investment and board papers for client approval

2. Design and approvals

• Procure and manage consultants: architect, planner, engineers, QS, BCA, access, fire and others
• Coordinate design development against the brief, budget and program
• Lodge DA, modification, CDC and CC submissions through the NSW Planning Portal
• Track and close out conditions of consent, s7.11/7.12 contributions and authority requirements
• On Class 2 projects, confirm that registered design practitioners have provided design compliance declarations under the DBP Act 2020

3. Product, finishes and inclusions

• Develop and maintain the finishes schedule with the architect and interior designer, including the base spec, colour schemes and upgrade options
• Select and manage fittings and appliances, including supplier quotes, samples, lead times, warranties and substitutions
• Keep the inclusions list consistent across contract schedules, sales collateral and construction documents

4. Sales, marketing and leasing

• Appoint and manage selling and leasing agents, including agency agreements, commission structures and weekly reporting
• Manage marketing campaigns and sales collateral: brochures, renders, floor plans, display suite, website and signage
• Ensure collateral matches the approved design and inclusions, so no promise is made that the project can’t keep
• Track sales and leasing against feasibility revenue targets, and report on price, absorption and incentives
• Coordinate contracts for sale, deposits and settlements with solicitors and agents
• Manage leasing, from deal approvals and lease documentation through to tenant fitout coordination, ongoing tenant liaison and handover to the property manager

5. Purchaser changes and upgrades

• Run the purchaser variations process: requests, pricing, approvals, cut-off dates and payment
• Assess each change for its cost, program and compliance impact before approval, particularly on Class 2 work
• Issue approved changes to the builder through the Superintendent, and track them through to completion
• Keep a purchaser register as the single source of truth for each unit’s selections and variations

6. Procurement

• Help prepare tender documents, contract schedules and special conditions (AS 4000, AS 4902 or bespoke)
• Manage tender clarifications, prepare comparisons and recommend a contractor

7. Delivery

• Monitor the contractor’s progress, quality and safety reporting
• Review variations, EOT claims and payment claims with the Superintendent and QS
• Maintain the budget, cost-to-complete and cash flow forecast
• Keep the risk, issue and decision registers current

8. Completion and handover

• Coordinate practical completion, defects, occupation certificates and as-builts
• Run purchaser pre-settlement inspections and close out their defects
• Hand over to purchasers, tenants, the property manager or strata, and close out consultant and authority accounts

Across all stages

• Write monthly client reports and meeting minutes
• Chair consultant meetings when the Development Manager is absent
• Keep project records audit-ready

The finishes and purchaser-change items now sit before procurement. Locking them in early keeps the tender priced on a fixed spec and limits variations later. Sales and leasing run alongside stages 2–8.

Career pathway and offer The expected path is to Development Manager within 2–4 years, based on demonstrated ability to run projects independently.

• Mentoring from Development Directors across the full project lifecycle
• Exposure to client-side, Superintendent and development roles on the same projects
• Support for further study or memberships (AIPM, UDIA, API)