SBR Jobs recruits land, development and horizontal construction leadership for master planned community developers, land developers and homebuilders across California. Specialized direct-hire recruiting, project managers to presidents. California, since 1997. Never staffing, never temp.
Your master plan has a tentative map. Your land leader has a retirement date.
A master planned community runs for ten or twenty years. The people who carried it through entitlements, the development agreement and the first phases of infrastructure carry decades of relationships with cities, counties, agencies and landowners. When one of them retires or leaves, that knowledge walks out with them, and the next phase depends on who replaces them.
The leaders who can run land development at that scale are few and employed. SBR maps everyone in the market who has delivered comparable communities, calls them one at a time with a real story about your project, and reports to you every week until the offer is accepted.
Who we recruit for
Master planned community developers
Land, development, finance and construction leadership for developers entitling and building out large communities.
Homebuilders
Land acquisition, forward planning, land development and division leadership for public and private builders. Homebuilder recruiting.
Land developers and investors
Development Managers and owner-side leadership for land developers, land bankers and capital partners. Developer recruiting.
Horizontal and site work contractors
Project Managers, Superintendents and Estimators for grading, utilities and infrastructure contractors building out master plans.
Roles we place
- VP of Land Development
- Director of Land Development
- VP of Land Acquisition
- Director of Land Acquisition
- Forward Planner
- Entitlement Manager
- Development Manager
- Land Development Project Manager
- Land Development Superintendent
- Horizontal Construction Manager
- Owner’s Representative
- VP of Development
- Division President
What land and development leaders earn in 2026
Annual base salary ranges from SBR’s 2026 California Construction Salary Guide, built from our own placements, offers and counteroffers. Bonus and long-term incentives are negotiated on top.
| Position | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Division President (homebuilder) | $258,960 | $342,300 |
| VP of Land Acquisition | $227,850 | $287,280 |
| VP of Land Development | $204,750 | $234,360 |
| Owner’s Representative | $170,560 | $212,100 |
| Director of Land Acquisition | $136,500 | $208,440 |
| Forward Planner | $113,905 | $144,160 |
More roles are in the 2026 California Construction Salary Guide.
What the market is telling master plan developers
- Succession is the real risk. The land leaders who entitled today’s communities are retiring. Name the next VP of Development while the current one is still there to teach them.
- Local jurisdiction knowledge does not transfer from a resume. Someone who has taken a project through your county’s process is worth more than a bigger title from another market.
- Horizontal talent is thin. Land Development Superintendents and Project Managers who can run grading, utilities and infrastructure across multiple phases are some of the hardest seats we fill.
- Homebuilders and developers are hiring from the same pool. Your offer has to win on the whole package and the project, not just base salary.
How an SBR search runs
Intake with the hiring authority
The seat, the community, the phase you are in, the jurisdictions and the team.Market map
Everyone who has delivered comparable land development work, calibrated with you before any calls go out.Direct, confidential outreach
One at a time, peer to peer. Your company name never appears on a posting.Weekly reporting through the offer
Who is in process, who declined and why, and what the market is saying. We stay through offer, resignation and start date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you recruit for master planned community developers in California?
Yes. SBR Jobs recruits land, development and construction leadership for master planned community developers, land developers and homebuilders across California, on a direct-hire basis only, from project managers to presidents.
Which land development roles do you place?
VPs and Directors of Land Development, VPs and Directors of Land Acquisition, Forward Planners, Entitlement Managers, Development Managers, Land Development Project Managers and Superintendents, Horizontal Construction Managers, Owner’s Representatives and Division Presidents.
Do you recruit for horizontal construction?
Yes. SBR recruits for both vertical and horizontal construction. On the horizontal side that means mass grading, wet and dry utilities, streets, parks and community infrastructure leadership for developers, homebuilders and site work contractors.
Where do you recruit?
All of California, with the deepest networks in the Sacramento region, Placer County, the Central Valley, the Bay Area and Southern California master plan markets. Executive seats statewide.
Is this direct hire only?
Yes. Permanent, direct-hire placement is all we do. We do not provide temp, contract or staffing.
How do we start a search?
Call 424-352-6241 or use the Start Hiring page at sbrjobs.com/start-hiring/. We run an intake call, map the market, and report to you weekly until the offer is accepted.
Name your next VP of Development before you need one
Tell us the role, the community and the timeline. We will tell you what the talent pool looks like and what it will take to win in it.
Call 424-352-6241 Start a searchSBR Jobs · Silicon Beach Recruiter · 2100 21st Street, Sacramento, CA 95818 · 424-352-6241
