What is the role of a Real Estate Development Manager?
The Real Estate Development Manager is involved from the early stages of project structuring all the way through to the delivery of the building. Their role is to supervise and coordinate all activities related to the development and management of a real estate project—from its conception to completion—ensuring that objectives, timelines, and budgets are met.
What are the responsibilities of a Real Estate Development Manager?
The responsibilities of a Real Estate Development Manager are diverse.
- Whether it’s residential, office, retail, or hospitality, they are responsible for defining the type of development best suited to the site and its environment.
- Supported by a team of specialists—architects, interior designers, engineering firms, acoustic consultants, lawyers, and other advisors—they lead the project, from filing the building permit to overseeing the permitting process, and managing the overall project design.
- They work with all stakeholders, including Business Engineers, Site Engineers from GA’s Enterprise division, and the project management team.
- They are also in charge of establishing the project schedule and financial plan.
- They collaborate with the marketing and communications team to create sales and promotional tools, and they appoint real estate agents to lease or sell the project.
- The Real Estate Development Manager oversees all contracts with service providers and is responsible for managing the budget, timeline, and all contractual commitments.
What skills and qualities are required for a Real Estate Development Manager?
A Real Estate Development Manager must have strong analytical and synthesis skills, as well as good listening and problem-solving abilities.
They must also be comfortable working with numbers, as they are responsible for the financial performance of real estate development operations, which often involve high stakes.
How to become a Real Estate Development Manager at GA Smart Building, and what are the career prospects?
There are several educational paths that lead to this role, offering a range of career opportunities.
Graduates of engineering schools or university-level master’s programs are most commonly recruited. A minimum of 5 years’ experience in the technical management of real estate development projects is highly valuable.
Common career advancements include becoming a Program Director or Head of Real Estate Development.
Ophélie, Real Estate Development Manager at GA Smart Building
After studying at INSA Lyon and the Faculty of Information Technology at CTU in Prague, with a focus on civil engineering and urban planning, I entered the real estate development sector and gained several years of experience before joining GA Smart Building. What I value most about GA are the people and company culture. It’s a human-scale firm where many employees are also shareholders. Working at GA also means gaining cross-functional experience and taking on a lot of responsibility—which is highly motivating.
A Day in the Life of Ophélie, Real Estate Development Manager at GA Smart Building
Start of the day
Attend project monitoring meetings with clients on-site. Walk the construction site to assess the actual progress of the project.
10:00 AM
Lead the site meeting with the client, architects, and Site Engineer from the Enterprise division. Coordinate all stakeholders to address ongoing project issues and ensure alignment on the project’s evolution.
1:30 PM
Lunch with a designer, then one hour to catch up on and reply to emails.
2:30 PM
Video call with our Business Engineers and Construction Economists based at headquarters in Toulouse. Discuss an active call for tenders and define the actions needed to respond.
4:00 PM
Write up the site meeting minutes from the morning and send them to all relevant stakeholders. Review financial summaries of other ongoing projects and check the status of building permit applications.
End of the day
Visit a building currently being marketed for lease or sale. On-site, join the real estate agents we’ve partnered with to give a tour to a potential tenant or buyer.