A commercial developer HR manager looks after a small office team in development, finance and leasing, plus the supers and project managers on job sites. They run hiring and onboarding and keep I-9 and E-Verify records clean. They also help leaders decide who belongs on payroll and who can work on contract.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Lead the HR function for a commercial builders/developers company by recruiting top talent, ensuring labor compliance, and fostering a positive workplace culture.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement strategic recruitment initiatives to attract and retain high-quality staff.
Oversee compliance with labor laws and industry regulations.
Foster a positive, inclusive, and productive company culture aligned with organizational goals.
Collaborate with department heads to identify workforce needs and develop tailored HR solutions.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and approve recruitment advertisements and candidate screening processes.
Conduct interviews and coordinate candidate selection processes in collaboration with hiring managers.
Monitor shifts in labor compliance and update policies as required.
Manage employee relations by addressing concerns and ensuring a supportive work environment.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
New Hire Turnaround Time: Reduce time-to-fill positions to less than 30 days.
Employee Retention Rate: Achieve and maintain a retention rate of 90% or higher.
Labor Compliance: Maintain a 100% compliance rate with local, state, and federal regulations.
Employee Satisfaction: Attain an employee satisfaction rating of >4.8 stars in internal surveys.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in HR roles, preferably within the home services or construction industry.
Strong knowledge of labor laws and HR best practices.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in commercial construction, building, or development sectors.
Proven track record in recruiting and employee relations in a fast-paced environment.
Familiarity with HRIS and applicant tracking systems for efficient HR operations.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift items up to 25 lbs.
Comfortable working in diverse office environments including occasional site visits.
Ability to navigate both office settings and construction site settings as required.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional evening or weekend events may be required for recruitment fairs or compliance training.
Minimal travel between company offices and construction sites on a weekly basis.
On-call availability in case of urgent HR or compliance issues.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $80,000 - $95,000 USD per annum, based on experience.
Performance-based bonus structure available annually.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company matching available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking organization committed to excellence, innovation, and the continuous development of our team members.
Our culture emphasizes collaboration, integrity, and a proactive approach toward personal and professional growth.
We believe that investing in our people is the key to delivering outstanding services in the home industry.
Join us to make a significant impact while advancing your career in a dynamic and supportive work environment.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Subcontractors do most of the building, so the company's own headcount stays small. Each hire weighs more, and the line between employee and contractor comes up all the time.
Two teams, two hiring markets
Office staff in development, finance and leasing often come from real estate and banking. Supers and project managers more often come from general contractors, and a rival can lure them away mid-project. Plan field hiring around each building's start date, and stay in touch with good field leaders you meet. New field hires also need to learn the owner's side of the job: lenders, leases and tenants.
E-Verify for many Florida employers
Since July 1, 2023, Florida has required private employers with 25 or more employees to use E-Verify for new hires. Each new employee must be checked within three business days of starting work for pay. The employer certifies its use on its first reemployment tax return each year and keeps the documents for at least three years. Outside Florida, look up each hiring state's own E-Verify law. Source: Florida Statutes 448.095 (2026): Employment eligibility.
I-9s for people hired far from the office
Supers are often hired for a site in another city. Employers in good standing with E-Verify may check I-9 papers remotely, under a process DHS allows: they look at copies, hold a live video call and keep the copies. If a hiring site offers it, use it for all its new hires, or only for remote ones. Never choose by citizenship, immigration status or national origin. Check the box on the I-9 that says you used it. Source: USCIS: Remote examination of documents.
Contractor or employee, case by case
Developers often bring people in on contract: an owner's rep, a scheduler, a part-time super. The IRS asks whether the company has the right to control what the work is and how it is done, weighing behavioral, financial and relationship facts. Wage law uses its own test, and the Labor Department proposed a new rule in February 2026 that isn't final. Have HR review each new contract role with counsel before work starts. Source: IRS: Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?.
Each company that hires needs coverage
In Florida, a construction business must carry workers' comp once it has one employee; most other private employers reach that line at four. The law counts for-profit building, clearing, filling and excavation as construction. So if a project LLC puts even one person, such as a site super, on its own payroll, that LLC may need coverage of its own. Decide which company employs each field hire, and have your agent confirm every one of those companies is covered. Source: Florida Statutes 440.02 (2026): Definitions.
How much commercial developer HR managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial developer HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $151,040 a year ($72.61 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $149,280 median for human resources managers in all industries. About 990 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
The template offers a yearly salary range and a performance bonus. BLS figures for HR managers include large employers with full HR departments, so the chart sits far higher than the template. At a developer this size the job is often HR for one, closer to a senior generalist, which fits the template's range better.
Commercial building contractors
$151,040$151,040 median Middle half $124,720–$187,220 10th–90th $102,880–$236,090
All industries
$149,280$149,280 median Middle half $111,110–$199,290 10th–90th $88,200–$267,810
$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial building contractors
$102,880
$124,720
$151,040
$187,220
$236,090
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
BLS doesn’t publish pay for commercial developers on their own. These figures cover nonresidential building construction, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has run HR for a construction, real estate or development company
Keeps I-9 and E-Verify records that would pass an audit
Can explain to a manager why a worker may belong on payroll, not on a 1099
Has recruited superintendents and project managers, not only office staff
Handles complaints and discipline with written records and follow-up
Teach these on the job
Each hiring state's E-Verify and new-hire rules
Your workers' comp carrier and claim steps
The HR software, payroll setup and hiring system you use
Your sites, your supers and each project's hiring needs
Your bonus plans for project and office staff
The job runs on an HR and payroll platform (Paycom, Paylocity and ADP are common), a hiring system that tracks applicants, and E-Verify online. Say in the posting whether the role runs payroll and how many states you hire in.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Hiring superintendents
You need to hire three superintendents for projects that start in two months. Walk me through your plan.
A strong answer: Defines requirements with operations, uses networks, referrals and recruiters, checks pay against the market, runs structured interviews with a site scenario, moves fast and checks references.
Behavioral · Changing field culture
Tell me about a time you changed a field culture, such as safety reporting or how supervisors treated crews, in a way you could measure.
A strong answer: Names the problem, the actions (training, supervisor coaching, recognition, consequences), and the measure that moved, such as near-miss reports, turnover or incidents.
Set each goal with the COO, working from your own hiring and turnover records rather than the template's figures.
New Hire Turnaround Time
Count the days from approving a new opening to a signed offer, with office and field roles tracked apart. Superintendent and project manager openings tied to a project start date need their own target.
Employee Retention Rate
Employees still on staff at year-end, out of everyone who worked here during the year, with office and field staff reported apart. Look hard at any superintendent who leaves mid-project.
Labor Compliance
Count findings from a quarterly self-audit: I-9s and E-Verify cases checked against start dates, a classification review on file for each contract worker, and required posters at every office and site. A finding stays open until it's fixed.
Employee Satisfaction
Survey staff twice a year without names, keeping field and office results apart. With a small staff, answers are easy to trace, so only report groups big enough to keep people anonymous.
Career path
HR coordinatorHandles onboarding paperwork, I-9s and benefits sign-up.
HR generalistCovers hiring, records and employee questions for one office or region.
HR managerRuns all HR for the office team and the field staff.
HR directorLeads HR, payroll and benefits as the company grows into new markets.
Other roles in a commercial builders & developers business
Why would a developer need an HR manager if subs do the building?
Because the people it does employ are hard to replace and spread out. A slow hire for a super can push back a building, and one contractor who should have been an employee can turn into a tax and wage problem. Many developers this size start with the office manager doing HR paperwork. Consider an HR manager once office and field staff together pass a few dozen people.
How much does a commercial developer HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $151,040 a year ($72.61 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $124,720 and $187,220 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Are salaried superintendents exempt from overtime?
It depends on their duties, not their title. Under federal rules, an exempt employee generally must pass a duties test and be paid at least a set amount on a salary basis. The executive test asks whether the person directs the work of at least two full-time employees or the equivalent, so a super who mostly directs subcontractors' crews may not fit it. Review those cases with an employment lawyer, and check state law too.
Does HR handle subcontractors' workers?
Not in the normal case. Each sub hires, pays and disciplines its own crew. HR's job is to keep it that way: site rules for everyone, but no direct orders to a sub's workers about how to do their work, and complaints routed through the sub's owner. Treating them like staff can raise joint employer questions, which the Labor Department proposed new rules on in April 2026.
How often should the HR manager be on job sites?
Weekly, as the template says, and not only when something goes wrong. A short visit to meet new field hires and hear concerns early does more than a phone call. Those visits explain the template's lifting and site lines: walking rough ground in a hard hat, taking stairs in a half-built building, carrying training gear. List them as tasks in the ad, and say you will talk through any accommodation an applicant needs.
