Permanent Recruitment
Your Next Key Hire Starts Here
Harrison Barratt Group’s permanent division specialises exclusively in construction and building services recruitment. We place project managers, site managers, engineers, estimators, contract administrators, and foremen into roles that shape Australia’s built environment — with 250+ permanent placements and counting.
250+
Permanent Placements
128,000+
Candidates in Database
5
Offices Across AU & NZ
860+
Active Clients
Who We Place
Construction & Building Services Professionals
From site-level foremen to project directors overseeing $500M+ pipelines — we recruit across every level of the construction hierarchy.
Project Leadership
- Project Managers
- Senior Project Managers
- Project Directors
- Development Managers
Site Management
- Site Managers
- Site Supervisors
- Foremen
- General Foremen
Engineering
- Project Engineers
- Design Engineers
- Structural Engineers
- Services Engineers
Commercial & Contracts
- Contract Administrators
- Estimators
- Quantity Surveyors
- Commercial Managers
Building Services
- Fire Protection PMs
- Mechanical PMs
- HVAC Engineers
- Electrical PMs
Support & Coordination
- Project Coordinators
- Design Managers
- Planning Managers
- HSE Managers
Our Process
From Brief to Placement in 5 Steps
A rigorous, transparent process designed to find the right person — not just a warm body. Every step is built around reducing your hiring risk and saving your time.
Role Briefing
We meet with the hiring manager to understand the role, project pipeline, team culture, and non-negotiable requirements. No generic job specs — every brief is built from scratch.
Targeted Search
Our specialist recruiters search our database of 128,000+ candidates, LinkedIn Recruiter, SEEK, and our industry network. We headhunt passive candidates who aren't actively looking but would move for the right opportunity.
Screen & Shortlist
Candidates are interviewed in depth — technical capability, project history, cultural fit, and salary expectations. You receive a shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates with detailed profiles within 5–7 business days.
Interview & Selection
We coordinate interviews, manage candidate expectations, handle counter-offers, and provide market intelligence on salary benchmarking. Our job is to keep the process moving.
Offer & Onboarding
We manage the offer negotiation, reference checks, and transition timeline. Our relationship doesn't end at placement — we check in at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months to ensure both sides are satisfied.
The HBG Difference
Specialist Knowledge, National Reach
Generalist recruiters waste your time. Our permanent team lives and breathes construction — it’s all we do.
Construction-Only Recruiters
Our permanent division recruits exclusively for construction and building services. Every recruiter on the team has deep sector knowledge — they understand project lifecycles, contract structures, and what separates a good PM from a great one.
128,000+ Candidate Database
Eight years of specialised construction recruitment has built us one of the largest candidate databases in the industry. Many of our placements come from candidates we already know — people we've placed before, or have been tracking for years.
Speed Without Shortcuts
Initial shortlists delivered within 5–7 business days. We move fast because we already know the market — not because we skip due diligence. Every candidate is thoroughly vetted before you see their profile.
Replacement Guarantee
Every permanent placement comes with a replacement guarantee. If a candidate leaves or doesn't work out within the guarantee period, we replace them at no additional cost. We stand behind every hire.
Sectors
Deep Expertise Across Construction
We don’t just recruit “for construction” — we specialise within it. Our recruiters are aligned to specific sectors so they understand the nuances of each market: who’s winning work, what projects are coming, and where the talent gaps are.
With 860+ active clients and relationships across Tier 1, 2, and 3 builders, we have the network and insight to match the right person to the right opportunity — every time.
Commercial
New Build & Fitout
Tier 1 to boutique
Residential
Multi-Res & High-Density
Apartments to masterplans
Civil
Infrastructure & Utilities
Roads, rail, tunnels, bridges
Building Services
Fire, Mech, HVAC, Elec
Specialist subcontractors
Market Intelligence
Construction Salary Guide
Benchmark your team’s salaries against the market. Our latest salary guide covers project managers, site managers, engineers, estimators, contract administrators, and more — across commercial, residential, civil, and building services sectors in NSW, QLD, VIC, and WA.
Free download. Updated quarterly with live market data from our placements.
Market Insights
The Construction Talent Landscape
Australia’s construction industry faces a well-documented skills shortage that shows no sign of easing. The pipeline of infrastructure and residential projects across the eastern seaboard alone is valued in the hundreds of billions, yet the pool of experienced project managers, site managers, and engineers has not grown at the same pace. Retirement of senior professionals, limited apprenticeship completions in the building services trades, and increasing project complexity all contribute to a market where top talent has significant choice over where they work.
In this environment, a reactive approach to recruitment does not work. Posting a job ad on SEEK and waiting for applications will not surface the senior project manager who is happily employed at a Tier 1 builder but open to the right opportunity. Finding those candidates requires proactive headhunting, deep market knowledge, and genuine relationships built over years of sector-specific recruitment. That is exactly what HBG’s permanent division delivers.
Salary inflation in construction has been significant over recent years, particularly for project managers and estimators working on large-scale commercial and civil projects. Candidates with strong track records on projects valued above $50 million are commanding packages well above what many employers expect, and counter-offers from incumbent employers are increasingly common. Without accurate, real-time salary data, hiring managers risk pitching offers that are rejected before they reach the negotiation table. HBG provides salary benchmarking data drawn from our own placement history and market surveys, ensuring your offers are competitive from day one.
We also advise clients on non-monetary factors that influence candidate decisions, including project pipeline visibility, career progression pathways, flexible working arrangements, vehicle and phone allowances, and company culture. In a competitive market, the total value proposition matters just as much as base salary, and we help you articulate yours effectively.
Common Questions
Permanent Recruitment FAQs
Straightforward answers to the questions hiring managers and HR leaders ask most about our permanent recruitment service.
What are your recruitment fees, and how are they structured?
Our permanent recruitment fees are calculated as a percentage of the candidate's total fixed annual remuneration, which includes base salary, superannuation, and any guaranteed fixed allowances such as a vehicle allowance. The exact percentage depends on the seniority and complexity of the role, and is agreed upfront before any search begins. We do not charge retainers or upfront fees for standard contingency searches — you only pay when you hire a candidate we have introduced. For retained or exclusive search assignments, a different fee structure applies and is discussed during the briefing stage.
What is your replacement guarantee, and how does it work?
Every permanent placement made by {COMPANY.shortName} comes with a replacement guarantee. If the placed candidate resigns or is terminated for cause within the guarantee period, we will conduct a replacement search at no additional fee. The length of the guarantee period is specified in our terms of engagement and varies by role seniority. This guarantee reflects our confidence in the quality of our shortlisting and vetting process, and it ensures you are not left carrying the cost of a hire that does not work out. We also conduct structured check-ins at one week, one month, and three months to identify any concerns early and address them before they become problems.
How long does the recruitment process typically take from brief to placement?
For most mid-to-senior construction roles, you can expect to receive an initial shortlist of three to five qualified candidates within five to seven business days of the briefing meeting. The total time from brief to accepted offer typically ranges from three to six weeks, depending on interview scheduling, notice periods, and client decision-making timelines. We move quickly because our recruiters already have deep networks in the construction market — we are not starting from scratch on every search. For urgent or hard-to-fill roles, we can accelerate the process further by deploying multiple sourcing channels simultaneously.
How do you source candidates, and do you headhunt passive talent?
We use a multi-channel sourcing strategy that goes well beyond job board advertising. Our primary channels include our proprietary database of 128,000+ candidates, LinkedIn Recruiter for targeted headhunting, SEEK and industry-specific job boards, referrals from our existing network, and direct approaches to passive candidates who are not actively job searching. In construction, the best candidates are rarely on the open market — they are employed, performing well, and not browsing job ads. Reaching these individuals requires a consultative approach: understanding what would motivate them to consider a move, presenting the opportunity in context, and managing the conversation with discretion.
Do you offer confidential search services?
Yes. We understand that some recruitment situations require absolute discretion — whether you are replacing an underperforming incumbent, restructuring a project team, or hiring for a new division before a public announcement. Our confidential search service ensures that your organisation's identity is not disclosed to candidates until you authorise it. We present the opportunity in enough detail to gauge genuine interest without revealing the employer, and only share your company name once candidates have been vetted and have confirmed their willingness to proceed. All confidential searches are managed by a single dedicated recruiter to minimise information exposure.
How do you benchmark salaries for construction roles?
Our salary benchmarking is based on real placement data from our own assignments, combined with broader market intelligence gathered through candidate conversations, client feedback, and industry salary surveys. We track salary movements across project managers, site managers, engineers, estimators, contract administrators, foremen, and building services professionals in each state. When we brief you on a role, we provide a recommended salary range based on the specific requirements, project value, location, and current market conditions. This data-driven approach ensures your offer is competitive enough to attract top talent without overpaying relative to the market.
Find the Right Person — Not Just Any Person
A bad hire costs more than a vacancy. Let HBG’s specialist construction recruiters find the candidate who will deliver on your projects, fit your culture, and stay for the long term. Replacement guarantee included.
Specialist construction recruitment since 2018. ABN 81 638 914 824.