From landlord to developer: The executive talent gap in Australia’s housing crisis

The Community Housing Providers (CHP) sector in Australia is currently navigating its most significant evolution in a generation. In early 2026, we have moved beyond “doing more with less.” We are now witnessing the industrialisation of the sector. With the HousingAustralia Future Fund (HAFF) Round 3 now officially open—targeting the delivery of the final 21,350 homes of the national 40,000-home goal—the stakes have never been higher. But as the sector pivots from being traditional “landlords” to “at-scale developers,” a massive capability gap has emerged at the executive level.

The challenge for 2026 isn’t just a shortage of bricks and mortar; it’s a shortage of “bilingual” leaders who can speak both the language of social impact and the language of institutional-grade development.

The new national voice: a sector unified

This industrial shift is reflected in the peak bodies themselves. In 2025, the sector reached a milestone with the merger of CHIA National and PowerHousing Australia to form Australian Community Housing (ACH).

This move wasn’t just administrative; it was a strategic consolidation to create a unified national voice. As ACH’s inaugural CEO, Mark Degotardi, noted upon his appointment, the scale of the current crisis demands a coordinated response that brings together the best of policy expertise and large-scale delivery capability. For recruiters and Boards, this merger signals a more sophisticated, professionalised landscape where the expectations for executive performance are now aligned with those of the broader commercial property industry.

The new executive blueprint

The “standard” CHP leadership profile is being rewritten in real-time. This shift is not an observation from the recruitment frontline; it is a sentiment echoed by the industry’s own research. In a recent workforce outlook, the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) stated:

“Delivering an ambitious strategy for social and affordable housing will require purposeful attention to the development and growth of this workforce… financial and project development professionals need to learn to navigate a very different financial environment.”

To thrive in this “different environment,” Boards are now hunting for a specific set of high-stakes capabilities:

• Capital stack sophistication: It’s no longer just about government grants. Leaders must now navigate complex blended-finance models, including private-equity partnerships and the new “Partnerships at Scale” (Stream 4) HAFF requirements.
• The development/operations hybrid: There is an urgent need for executives who can manage a $1B+ construction pipeline without losing sight of trauma-informed tenancy management.
• ESG as a financial tool: Sustainability has shifted from “nice-to-have” to a mandatory reporting requirement for CHPs seeking private investment. We are seeing a rise in Chief Sustainability Officers who treat decarbonisation as the key to unlocking cheaper institutional capital.

Executive salary trends: the cost of “development dna”

Supported by Johnson Recruitment’s real-time salary benchmarking data, in 2026, the traditional NFP salary discount is rapidly evaporating. As CHPs move into direct competition with the private sector for HAFF-funded projects, the financial benchmarks for leadership have moved:

The “Scarcity Premium”: Salaries for Development and Growth leads have risen by 8–12% over the last 18 months. Furthermore, Boards are increasingly implementing Long-Term Incentive (LTI) structures—tied to “keys in doors” and capital efficiency—marking a radical departure from the flat salary structures of the past.

The bottom line

The organisations that “win” Round 3 of the HAFF won’t just be the ones with the best land holdings; they will be the ones with the leadership teams capable of managing industrial-scale growth. The transition from Landlord to Developer is non-negotiable. For Boards, the question is no longer about whether you can manage your current portfolio—it’s about whether your leadership team has the DNA to build the one the country actually needs.

Are you looking to bolster your leadership team for the next phase of the HAFF?

As specialist CHP recruiters, these are conversations we’re increasingly having with executive leaders across Australia — particularly as organisations map their talent requirements for 2026 and beyond.

If these themes resonate with your organisation, it may be a good time to reflect on whether your executive team has the structure, skills and leadership capability needed for the next phase of growth.

If you’d like to talk about how the CHP talent market is evolving — or what capability your organisation might need in the coming years — we’d always welcome the conversation. Contact Barry Vienet on 0427 406 325 or Alex Cooper on 0472 510 848 for a confidential discussion.