Title: Sustainability Associate
Location: Boca Raton, FL (Full Time / In Office)
About Kayne Anderson Real Estate
Kayne Anderson Real Estate is a leading real estate investment firm, managing $22 billion in assets across opportunistic equity, core equity, and real estate debt, with sector expertise in medical office, seniors housing, off-campus student housing, multifamily housing, self-storage, and light industrial. Kayne Anderson Real Estate is part of Kayne Anderson, a $43 billion alternative investment management firm with more than 41 years of experience in the real estate, credit, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
With more than 130 professionals, Kayne Anderson Real Estate has consistently demonstrated its ability to bring more to an opportunity than equity capital, enhancing a project’s overall performance and quality by incorporating best practices and effective alternatives in the design, construction, financing, and operation of investments. The firm’s entrepreneurial spirit and resilient culture, combined with a reputation for quick response, firm commitment, and timely execution, has solidified Kayne Anderson Real Estate’s reputation and resulted in strong relationships with developers, owners, operators, financing sources, and other intermediaries. (As of June 30, 2026)
Position Overview:
The Sustainability Associate supports the execution and integration of Kayne Anderson Real Estate's sustainability strategy across its real estate portfolio. This role serves as a key coordinator for the firm's sustainability reporting efforts, including the annual GRESB and PRI submissions. The Associate works with third party consultants to ensure timely, accurate, and complete disclosures and to drive year over year performance improvement. The Associate also supports fund level and investor reporting, including responses to LP sustainability questionnaires and due diligence requests (DDQs). Beyond reporting, the role manages energy, water, and emissions data across the portfolio. It supports regulatory compliance with evolving building performance and disclosure requirements and helps embed sustainability objectives into the firm's investment and asset management processes. The Associate represents the firm in industry working groups and initiatives, staying current on emerging sustainability and climate regulations, standards, and best practices.
Strong understanding of investment process or asset management is strongly preferred. This person will report to the Senior Managing Director of sustainability for Kayne Anderson Real Estate.
Requirements
Essential Job Functions (Duties/Responsibilities):
Sustainability Strategy Integration
- Support the incorporation of sustainability objectives across the firm, partnering closely with investment and asset management teams
- Contribute to the identification and evaluation of sustainability-related risks and opportunities across the investment lifecycle
- Help translate high-level sustainability goals into actionable initiatives at the asset and portfolio level
Reporting & Engagement
- Oversee and manage the annual GRESB reporting process, coordinating with third-party consultants to ensure timely, accurate, and complete submissions
- Support reporting on sustainability asset-level performance and initiatives, including sustainability questionnaires, due diligence requests, and other investor-facing materials
- Represent the firm in industry working groups and initiatives such as ULI Greenprint
- Stay current on emerging trends, standards, and best practices in real estate sustainability
Energy Data & Regulatory Compliance
- Manage energy, water, and emissions data using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, maintaining data accuracy and producing performance reports
- Gather, validate, and organize asset- and entity-level data required for reporting
- Analyze utility and consumption trends to support benchmarking and identification of opportunities for improvement
- Streamline data collection, reporting workflows, and other recurring processes including building and maintaining Power BI dashboards
- Assist with sustainability and energy-related regulatory compliance across the portfolio (e.g. Building Performance Standards)
Skills/Abilities:
- 3-7 years of experience in sustainability, real estate, or energy management
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field preferred (Sustainability, Environmental Science, Data Science, Business)
- Advanced knowledge of energy data management and tracking, including hands-on experience with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
- Detail oriented and strong organizational skills
- Experience with sustainability reporting standards and frameworks (preferably GRESB, PRI, GHG Protocol).
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with ability to explain complex data and content in a clear and impactful way
- Knowledge of building performance standards and emerging regulations/reporting guidelines related to sustainability and climate
- Ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, industry working groups, and subject matter experts internally and externally
- Exhibits a high level of responsiveness, sense of urgency and ability to work creatively and analytically to deliver results
- High level of proficiency in creating and maintaining dashboards, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Relevant professional credentials (e.g., LEED AP) a plus
Benefits
- Competitive medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Flexible spending accounts (dependent care, healthcare, limited purpose FSA)
- Accident and Critical Illness insurance
- Long Term Disability insurance
- Competitive 401(k) benefits
- Pet healthcare savings program
- Member’s Only Healthcare - healthcare navigation
- WellHub - corporate wellness platform
- $10,000 lifetime reimbursement for family forming services (e.g. IVF, adoption, surrogacy)
- Rocket Lawyer legal benefits
- Reimbursement of professional society memberships and exam fees
- Up to $10,000 matching annually for contributions to qualified non-for-profit organizations
- Parental leave
Employment with the company is contingent on the applicant being able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States at the time of hire.
Equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.