Chief of Staff

We're the kind of people who do what we say we'll do.

So we won't be using big words to try to sell you on working for us, we'll just walk our talk and let you decide for yourself.

You won't see any of the usual suspects in this ad.

No "We are seeking…"

No laundry list of requirements with copy and paste JD fodder like "Big picture thinker with attention to detail".

If that's what you were hoping for, sorry to disappoint.

But if your heart-rate just went up a bit when you read that and you felt the unfamiliar feeling of hope while reading a job ad, this might be the role you've been looking for.

Yes the ad is longer than most, but we promise it will be worth the read.

Because we're looking for someone who shares our ethos that 'actions speak louder than words' we've designed a recruitment process to show you who we are and how we operate but we'll be asking for you to do the same when you apply.

If we've got your full attention, and you're tempted to skim the rest then hit Apply, hold fire and read all the way till the end, there's one super important thing you'll need to know about next steps before you do.

Who are we?

For over twenty years, AR Developments (that's us) has specialised in designing and building high quality turnkey townhouses for families and investors.

We're a vertically integrated company significantly different from our major competitors in that we not only develop land, we also design communities, build complete townhouses and sell direct to homeowners and investors. This makes our quality control second to none and streamlines the process for our customers.

Right from the start our estates and townhouses are designed with homebuyers and investors in mind.

That's why we focus on value; building high quality townhouses, in central locations, at affordable prices. It means homeowners enjoy comfortable, low maintenance living and investors can count on strong rental demand and reliable returns in all market conditions.

All of our townhouses are finished to a full turnkey standard with no hidden extras, ready to live in or rent from day one.

We have about 65 people on the team right now with 14 of them being in the office and the rest being on-site in the construction division.

With demand in South-East QLD increasing consistently we've made the decision to proactively scale the business over the coming few years which is why we've created this role.

What's unique about this role?

The Chief of Staff is a newly created role, and although we're very clear on the responsibilities you'll own, there's going to be an element of co-creation of the 'how' with the CEO which should feel exciting to the right person.

Unlike many similar businesses, the CEO and MD of ARD are self-aware, entrepreneurial and pragmatic, not stuck in the world of 'best practices' and ego-fuelled battles.

They're all about commercial results, but not at the expense of a strong, healthy culture.

Unlike a traditional CoS position this role doesn't sit across the full business, it's focused on the business support functions of HR, Admin and IT, a kind of mini shared-services division.

You'll report directly to the CEO, make a significant impact on the business, but only be responsible for four direct reports.

The business strategy is solid, proven and ready to scale. Most of the systems and processes are established, documented and working well, you're not walking into chaos.

The CEO will work closely with you to support and guide you as you take over from him and the GM who is retiring, you won't be asked to 'hit the ground running' and use ESP to figure out how things work.

But there's still room for improvement and we're very interested in exploring AI-enabled efficiency gains, so if this is a special interest area of yours, that's another plus.

For more clarity, we've put the full PD and reporting lines into the Application Pack (to get a copy just read to the end).

Are you our new Chief of Staff?

Being the right fit for this role isn't just about skills and experience so we've tried to imagine what you might be looking for too.

We want the CoS to feel like this role is a perfect fit for what they're really looking for, not just another 'job'.

Does this sound like you?

You're at an inflection point in your career, looking for impact and meaningful work but not looking for corporate red-tape or burnout.

Maybe you're coming back to work after time off to have kids, maybe you want to wind down for a few years before retirement or maybe you're just looking for a different place to do what you do best because the dynamic doesn't suit you.

You've always been a consistent achiever in life and work, whether through corporate consulting, finance, or business management roles, and now you want a chance to consolidate, to stop climbing.

You feel like you're ready to find a role where you can play to your strengths, do what you do best and use your skills to make a tangible difference in a business where you can see the direct impact of your work.

You're commercially switched on, with a strong sense of accountability and a growth mindset has been fundamental to your success.

You value being trusted and having autonomy, but you're comfortable being second-in-command, partnering closely with the CEO while driving operational discipline and enabling others to succeed.

How you show up

People you've worked with in the past describe you as someone who 'gets sh*t done'.

Descriptive words you've heard throughout your career from managers and colleagues are goal-oriented, pragmatic, solutions-focused, adaptable and dependable.

You thrive on clarity, deadlines, and outcomes.

You prefer to influence through competence and reliability rather than charisma or politics.

You can comfortably navigate some ambiguity and competing priorities without getting caught up in the detail, and becoming paralysed.

You're thick-skinned and aren't overly sensitive to direct communication styles, which are common in the construction industry.

You're a confident communicator who's naturally good at adapting your style to your audience and the situation.

There are also some dealbreakers for us, check those out in the Application Pack for you to review (read to the bottom to get a copy).

What kind of background we think you'll need to have

Of course understanding of our industry would be handy, but it can also be a drawback.

We think the combination of skills you've developed, your POV on the value of this role and your personal values are more important than industry experience, but some exposure to a project-driven or construction type business would be beneficial.

One of these scenarios might describe your background

• A Business Manager looking for a step up
• A Senior Project/Program Manager with strong cross-functional coordination skills
• A Consulting professional wanting a move into a hands-on business operations role without too much people management
• Chief of Staff in a larger business seeking a closer partnership with the CEO in a more agile environment

Ideally you have some experience in an SME or family-run businesses as the dynamics are very different from a corporate.

What we're offering (other than a salary and perks)

It's easy to compare salary packages, role titles and responsibilities, it's difficult (but more important) to get clear on the intangible things different roles offer because those are the things that can make a job brilliant or awful.

Here's our list:

True partnership with the CEO → ability to directly influence outcomes.

High impact but not the spotlight → make a meaningful contribution by implementing strategy, not needing to be the one who creates the strategy.

Start-up pace and nimbleness but without the instability and pressure → have conversations directly with decision makers, get things done and see the results without layers of red-tape and miscommunication slowing things down.

Senior role without the big team → to be part of the executive team, play to your strengths and do a little bit of people management, but your whole job isn't leading others.

A place to be real → not needing to put on a mask when you come to work, the chance to be real and work alongside others who are the same way.

No corporate hours → the end of death by Zoom meeting, hybrid schedule bingo and playing catch-up on your emails at 10pm because everybody CCs everybody else on everything that happens all day long.

What are the hours and where will you work?

It's a newly created role so we'd be lying if we said we know exactly what the hours will be, but it's a full-time salaried role so it's about getting the work done not looking busy for a set number of hours.

All our people work in the office in Hemmant because of the nature of our business and the culture we're building, this is important to us. We know it's not for everyone, but it's not up for negotiation.

Although of course if you need to work from home to be there for a tradesman or other similar reason, we're supportive and will work with you to accommodate that.

There's on-site parking and we have a very well-equipped well stocked kitchen too.

Ready to Apply?

If you got here that's a great sign.

Most ads ask you to confidently hit 'Apply Now' with far less information than we've shared, but we think you've still got questions and until we answer them we haven't earned the right to ask you to invest the time it will take to properly apply.

So we're flipping the script.

The answers to questions like who you'll be reporting to, what the culture is like, the full PD, who we're looking for and what the recruitment process is are all in the digital Application Pack we created for you.

As well as - most importantly - the link to submit your official application

To get the Application Pack just click the Quick Apply button here in Seek and it will be emailed to you within minutes.

Don't worry about the resume you submit when it asks for your details, that won't be your formal application.

The pack has been designed to be very comprehensive but if you have questions it doesn't answer please reach out to our recruitment partners by email to

PS - Applications for this role will remain open as long as the position is still listed.