Quantity surveyor to property developer
A quantity surveyor already meets 33% of what the property developer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.7/ 100
1 How much of what a property developer is expected to do is already part of a quantity surveyor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the property developer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A property developer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a quantity surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- audit contractors
- contract law
- estimate profitability
- keep records of work progress
- manage contracts
- monitor contractor performance
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A property developer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a quantity surveyor background worth leading with.
- already held audit contractors information skills
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects information skills
- already held monitor contractor performance management skills
- already held estimate profitability information skills
- already held liaise with financiers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held real estate market business, administration and law
All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the property developer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- still to learn compare property values required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn maintain financial records required
- optional, not held value properties optional
- still to learn budgetary principles required
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn market research required
- optional, not held architecture regulations optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held leasing process optional
- still to learn coordinate marketing plan actions required
- still to learn create a financial plan required
- optional, not held develop energy saving concepts optional
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held oversee planning of security systems optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with legal requirements required
- still to learn follow health and safety procedures in construction required
- optional, not held use safety equipment in construction optional
- still to learn negotiate land acquisition required
- optional, not held negotiate land access optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held liaise with quality assurance optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- optional, not held provide information on properties optional
- optional, not held building systems monitoring technology optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a property developer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 budgetary principles study this
- 02 investment analysis study this
- 03 negotiate land acquisition practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held audit contractors skill
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held estimate profitability skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held monitor contractor performance skill
- already held provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- already held real estate market knowledge
- already held building codes knowledge
- already held liaise with financiers skill
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held architecture regulations optional
- optional, not held building systems monitoring technology optional
- optional, not held negotiate land access optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held develop energy saving concepts optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held leasing process optional
- optional, not held liaise with quality assurance optional
- optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held oversee planning of security systems optional
- optional, not held provide information on properties optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held use safety equipment in construction optional
- optional, not held value properties optional
30 held skills the property developer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role building construction principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
- not needed by the target role check construction compliance skill
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with construction crews skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role construction industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate construction activities skill
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role follow the statutory obligations skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer objectives skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role monitor construction site skill
- not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
- not needed by the target role perform cost accounting activities skill
- not needed by the target role prepare construction documents skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role quantity surveying knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban planning law knowledge
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn budgetary principles required
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn market research required
- optional, not held architecture regulations optional
- optional, not held building systems monitoring technology optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held leasing process optional
Other moves recorded from quantity surveyor
- construction general contractor 57% covered · moderate
- construction manager 43% covered · substantial
- installation engineer 25% covered · substantial
- contract engineer 25% covered · substantial
- construction general supervisor 24% covered · career change
- cost analyst 24% covered · substantial
- civil engineering technician 22% covered · career change
- construction engineer 20% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a quantity surveyor become a property developer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A quantity surveyor already covers 33% of what a property developer is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the property developer role treats as required.
What skills does a quantity surveyor need to become a property developer?
12 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is budgetary principles.
How hard is the move from quantity surveyor to property developer?
Its learning distance is 67.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.