Senior Development Acquisitions Manager

About us

DHA was established in 1988 following passage of the Defence Housing Australia Act 1987 (DHA Act) to provide adequate and suitable housing for, and housing related services to, members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and their families. We remain committed to our purpose of providing housing, and housing related services, to ADF members and their families to support Defence's operational needs.

DHA manages an expanding portfolio of housing solutions and provides housing for over 17,200 ADF members and their families and administers rent allowance for more than 16,000 ADF members and their families in private rental accommodation. DHA provides housing related services advising on eligibility, providing posting support, and managing bookings and allocation services for all DHA provisioned housing and on-base accommodation to approximately 60,000 ADF members.

To find out more about DHA, please refer to our website or read our latest Annual Report.

About your team

The Property Group is responsible for meeting DHA's delivery objectives for high quality housing through programs such as Commercial (including Strategic Provisioning), Development and Construction, Leasing and Acquisitions, supported by Marketing and Investor Support teams.

The Strategic Provisioning team is responsible for developing and implementing new provisioning strategies to create a long-term supply of newly constructed housing for members of the Australian Defence Force, as well as procurement processes to secure suppliers and management of all Supplier Agreements.

About the role

*This role may be based in either Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney*

You will undertake complex feasibility analysis (including, but not limited to, financial, risk, and planning) to identify potential residential development and development/redevelopment projects. In doing so, you will use expertise and significant judgment to provide detailed recommendations to the Director, Strategic Provisioning and Head of Commercial.

In this role, you will have highly developed analytical and negotiation skills to resolve complex issues, manage challenging matters, identify and implement risk management processes to meet business objectives. In addition, you will demonstrate a high level of independent control to coordinate a range of activities, as well as working as part of a team. You will display high level strategic thinking, project management skills, strong communication and interpersonal skills.

The role requires excellent business acumen, customer focus, advanced knowledge of best practice methodologies, as well as the ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships with stakeholders in this challenging and rewarding role.

To be successful in this role, you will have extensive experience in the acquisition of residential land for development and construction, with advanced knowledge of relevant planning frameworks that govern urban development. The role requires extensive knowledge of due diligence and performance criteria of property financing.

Benefits for working at DHA include:

• 15.4% superannuation
• Generous leave entitlements, including 18 days personal leave and 20 days annual leave per year
• Work-life balance and flexible working options
• A positive workplace culture where you can bring your whole self to work
• Opportunities to broaden your industry knowledge and experience
• Career progression and opportunities
• ADF partner employment conditions when posting to a new location

For information on DHA's Employee Value Proposition, visit our website.

Note: All successful applicants are required to be eligible to complete a Baseline Vetting security clearance for consideration of the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA)

How to apply

Apply now via our online careers site with your current resume and a 500-word one page pitch, addressing the requirements of the role. We recommend you read the Australian Public Service Commission's Cracking the Code guidance on how to write your response. Additionally, you should consider the expected behaviours described in the Australian Public Service Commission's Integrated Leadership System at this role's level.

For further information on the position, please refer to the Candidate Information Pack through the online careers site.

Applications close: 11:55pm AEST 17 September 2025.

Any questions? Please contact James Wallace - Head of Commercial

Order of Merit

A merit pool will be established from this process which will be valid for 18 months from the date of advertising. This merit pool may be used throughout this period to fill similar positions in the event positions become vacant.

Inclusion and Diversity

DHA is committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. We welcome applications from across our community including, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those who identify as LGBTIQ+, ex-defence members, mature aged employees and carers.

RecruitAbility

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job. For more information visit:

Eligibility

Employment with DHA is conditional on successful applicants demonstrating that they are an Australian citizen and can obtain and maintain a security clearance at the required level.