Business Development Manager — US Real Estate Developer Market

About Gehl

Gehl is a global urban strategy and design firm focused on creating places for people, grounded in a Life-First Approach to how cities and buildings should serve daily life. We work with cities, developers, institutions, and civic organizations to shape public life and the built environment through a human-centered lens, setting us apart from traditional AEC firms and shaping how deeply we engage with CRE clients through the full lifecycle of a project.

In North America, we are growing our work with leading real estate developers and long-term owners on complex urban projects — mixed-use districts, retail environments, transit-oriented development, and large-scale redevelopment and repositioning initiatives. This role exists to support and accelerate that growth.

The role

We're hiring a Business Development Manager dedicated to Gehl's North American real estate developer market. This person will support the full BD function for this vertical — proposals, marketing, lead generation, and pursuit support — working closely with our Real Estate Developer Portfolio Director and other supporting Directors.

This is a hands-on, execution-focused role for someone with a strong foundation in BD who wants to specialize in real estate and urban development. You'll deepen your knowledge of the developer market, build relationships across the ecosystem, and play a central role in how Gehl wins work with this client type.

What you'll do

Pursuit support. Help shape pursuit strategies, prepare briefing materials for client meetings, follow up on conversations, and keep momentum across the long sales cycles typical in our work.

Proposal development and management. Lead the production of proposals for developer pursuits — coordinating with Directors on scope and strategy, drafting and editing content, managing timelines, and ensuring proposals are sharp, on-brand, and on time.

Lead generation and outreach. Track developers, projects, and opportunities across the North American market. Conduct outreach, set up meetings, and help generate the conversations that feed our pipeline. Support Directors in cultivating relationships over time.

Industry presence. Represent Gehl at events like ULI, developer convenings, and targeted industry gatherings. Build your own network alongside the firm's.

Marketing for the developer market. Develop and maintain marketing materials, case studies, and collateral tailored to the developer audience. Identify speaking opportunities, awards, publications, and content moments that build Gehl's profile with this audience.

Pipeline and market intelligence. Maintain visibility into target developers, active opportunities, and relationship status across the team. Track market trends, competitor moves, and emerging projects worth pursuing.

What success looks like

• Deep and growing fluency in the North American developer market, including its key players, business models, priorities, and decision-making dynamics.

• A clear and actionable understanding of the market and opportunity landscape, identifying priority developers, sectors, geographies, relationships, and emerging opportunities.

• A stronger marketing presence with the developer audience, increasing awareness of Gehl’s capabilities, work, and point of view.

• More systematic, timely, and effective outreach to prospective clients, creating a consistent rhythm of engagement and follow-up.

• A measurable increase in qualified conversations and relationships generated for Directors and other senior leaders.

• A healthy, well-managed pipeline of developer opportunities, with clear visibility into prospects, relationships, next steps, and conversion.

• High-quality, competitive proposals delivered consistently and on time, supported by strong coordination across teams.

• Measurable contribution to growth in the developer business, demonstrated through pipeline growth, proposal conversion, win rate, and ultimately new work secured.

Who you are

We're open to a range of backgrounds — BD or marketing roles at AEC firms, real estate developers, consultancies, or adjacent industries. What matters most:

• Commercially minded — understands that BD is about winning work, not just activity

• Relational and externally oriented — comfortable in a room of developers

• Strong writing and proposal skills

• Organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple pursuits at once

• Genuine curiosity about cities, real estate, and urban development

• Self-directed and able to operate with light oversight

Typically 5–7 years of relevant experience. Background in real estate, urban development, AEC, or strategic consulting is a strong plus.

Location and compensation

Gehl's U.S. offices are based in San Francisco and New York. This search is national, and the role is remote-eligible for the right candidate. The anticipated salary range for this position is $90,000 - $130,000 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including the selected candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, and geographic location. Gehl also offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Apply for the job

Do you want to join our team as our new Business Development Manager — US Real Estate Developer Market? Then we'd love to hear about you!