Associate Development Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Associate Development Manager – Retail Site Development

Dallas, TX | Up to $100K Base

A Dallas-based commercial real estate development firm is seeking an Associate Development Manager to help manage ground-up retail and horizontal mixed-use development projects across the U.S.

This is a strong opportunity for someone with a civil engineering, construction management, or commercial development background who wants to move further into the owner/developer side of retail real estate.

The ideal candidate has experience with retail site development , especially projects involving big-box retailers, multi-tenant shopping centers, pad sites, strip centers, or similar commercial retail developments . This person does not need to be a senior development executive, but they should understand how to coordinate civil design, permitting, municipal approvals, schedules, consultants, and construction milestones.

What You’ll Do

In this role, you will help coordinate retail development projects from early due diligence through construction completion. You will work closely with internal leadership, civil engineers, architects, municipalities, tenants, contractors, and other consultants to keep projects moving forward.

Responsibilities include managing development schedules, tracking entitlement and permitting milestones, coordinating civil and architectural design teams, supporting due diligence, monitoring development budgets, and helping identify project risks before they become major delays.

You will be involved in zoning, site plan approvals, permitting, environmental reports, surveys, geotechnical work, utility coordination, floodplain reviews, tenant requirements, and construction-related coordination.

Ideal Background

The best fit is someone with approximately 5 -7 years of experience in one or more of the following areas:

Civil engineering for commercial or retail site development

Retail development coordination

Land development

Entitlements and permitting

Ground-up shopping center, pad site, or big-box retail projects

A degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Real Estate Development, Architecture, Finance, or a related field is preferred.

What Matters Most

We are looking for someone who understands the moving pieces of retail development: civil plans, city approvals, site feasibility, consultant coordination, schedules, budgets, and tenant requirements.

This role is especially well-suited for a civil engineer or project manager who has supported retail development projects and wants to take on broader development responsibility without stepping into a senior executive-level role.

This is a hands-on development coordination role, not a senior development director position. The best fit is someone earlier to mid-career who has strong retail site development exposure and wants to grow on the owner/developer side.

Compensation

This role offers compensation up to $100,000 base salary , depending on experience.