A national search is underway for industry experts to lead a raft of major projects at South Australia’s lead development agency as it prepares to break ground on billions of dollars of state-significant developments.

Renewal SA is seeking more than 30 key and supporting appointments to help realise this once-in-a-generation growth, including roles delivering the $1 billion Southwark Grounds housing development and new positions to help drive expansion across its defence and industrial portfolios.

More than $700 million in private sector investment is expected to be unlocked this financial year alone, while Renewal SA plans to invest more than $340 million in capital across its projects, representing almost 350 per cent growth in spend over three years.

The agency’s holdings are over $1 billion in assets and its landbank accounts for over 30 per cent of South Australia’s industrial land, much of which is strategically located around key centres set to deliver large-scale defence projects supporting the nation’s sovereign capability and the AUKUS alliance.

Renewal SA’s major projects pipeline include:

• The $1 billion redevelopment of the former West End Brewery site now renamed Southwark Grounds.
• Major inner-city projects in partnership with private sector developers totalling more than $1 billion end value including the transformation of the former Adelaide Bus Station site (Tapangka on Franklin) and a significant tower project on Adelaide’s prime cultural boulevard North Terrace.
• The nationally significant $200 million Deep Maintenance and Modification Facility (DMMF) adjacent to the Royal Australian Air Force base at Edinburgh.
• Significant housing developments in Adelaide’s south (Noarlunga/Onkaparinga Heights) and inner suburbs (Prospect/Seaton) as part of a residential housing delivery pipeline exceeding 5,500 homes over the next six to eight years.
• One of Australia’s biggest and most successful affordable housing developments Playford Alive at Munno Para in Adelaide’s north with a new 17-hectare extension now delivering more than 1,480 homes with more releases anticipated.
• The long-term urban development project at Bowden which is entering its final stages.
• On behalf of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, direct delivery of a new state-of-the-art Innovation Centre at Lot Fourteen, Adelaide’s central hub of innovation, set to accelerate growth in defence, space, critical technologies and cyber industries.
• Delivery of new housing on land strategically acquired through Commonwealth defence land transfer and university merger transactions.
• A strong pipeline of residential partnership projects and land sales.

Shane Wingard, Acting Chief Executive of Renewal SA said that beyond this powerful stream of work, there was an equally long project pipeline.

He said significant growth was expected over the next decade in line with government priorities to increase housing supply and support expanding industries.

“Now is a key time for people to join Renewal SA as we enter a period of growth unlike anything in our history,” Mr Wingard said.

“In 2020, we were managing four large-scale projects and a handful of partnerships. Today we have more than 20 trading projects and about a dozen active partnership agreements, and there is much more to come.”

Mr Wingard said defence would continue be a key focus for Renewal SA following delivery of the DMMF, a strategic partnership between the State and the Australian Government, in 2026.

The DMMF will service and modify defence aircraft, support international defence partnerships and secure long-term economic growth for the State while creating hundreds of jobs in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.

“The DMMF is one of our biggest projects to date,” he said.

“We’re close to the finish line, on budget and ahead of schedule. I see this as a clear indicator of our strategic capability and readiness to take on large and complex projects.

“Our growing defence and industrial credentials reflect the scale of our upcoming work and the calibre of people we need on our team to succeed.”

The latest recruitment drive follows a steady incline since the start of the decade, when Renewal SA reported a full-time equivalent headcount of 128. Mr Wingard said that number is now closer to 190.

“Our workforce has grown by about 50 per cent in five years,” he said.

Candidates are also being sought for roles in finance, technology, sales and marketing to support the project delivery teams.

Renewal SA describes itself as an employer of choice with a thriving culture and genuine opportunities for growth.

“I started here in development manager roles and have worked my way up since 2006 with a short break in the private sector in between,” Mr Wingard said.

“It’s a place full of opportunity for the right candidates – a place where careers can be grown.”

Renewal SA is the South Australian government’s property development agency, a state-owned statutory corporation reporting to an independent board and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development.

It anticipates driving more than $1 billion in investment activity this financial year through its projects and partnerships, which is in addition to its significant revenue generated through commercial activities for government.