Sustainability Programs Associate – RE Tech Advisors

Job Description

RE Tech Advisors, a Legence company

RE Tech Advisors is a growing, woman-led consulting firm of over 125 ESG professionals. We deliver results at the intersection of engineering, technology, and sustainability. RE Tech has a progressive and ambitious client base that includes numerous commercial real estate portfolios, private equity investors, federal agencies, industry associations, and manufacturing companies. By joining the RE Tech Advisors team, you will work closely with recognized industry leaders who are driving national and global sustainability initiatives providing you the opportunity to realize your own professional growth objectives in the ESG arena.

Summary Description:
RE Tech is seeking a highly motivated Sustainability Programs Associate to support our commercial real estate client sustainability and Sustainability Programs. This is an exciting opportunity to join a rapidly growing consulting and advisory firm to accelerate that transition to a low-carbon future.

This position works within our Sustainability Programs Team, contributing to the development and implementation of our client Sustainability Programs that drive improved financial and environmental building performance. This position works with our client managers and support team to design and implement effective ESG and decarbonization strategies, while also supporting ESG data collection and tracking and contribute to client ESG reporting initiatives.

We are seeking people who are local to either RE Tech’s Dallas, TX or McLean, VA offices. After a successful onboarding, the position is open to a hybrid work model that include a mix of in office and work from home, as well as flex scheduling.

Essential Job Functions / Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support ESG data collection and benchmarking efforts, including, but not limited to the following.
• Onboard new properties and property teams to the client Sustainability Program.
• Review updated client property lists for new acquisitions and work with the data services team to ensure properties are successfully onboarded into the client ESG Program.
• Collect, maintain, and analyze client ESG data, including building utility data (energy, water, waste), to ensure data accuracy and ongoing monitoring and analysis of performance.
• Communicate with property teams to provide insights in the ESG data collection efforts and explain any variances in the data.
• Lead the coordination with third party providers and utility companies to support establishment of automated benchmarking.
• Oversee client and property team ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager accounts to ensure they are correct, updated, and optimized.
• Support the annual ESG survey process distributed to client property teams. Work with the data services team and track the property team survey completion progress. Communicate the survey completion status and review the ESG metrics gathered in the survey with the client.
• Work with Data Services Team and property managers to collect and provide documentation needed for annual assurance data processes.
• Independently identify client properties for case studies. Contact property teams to gather information and prepare content for the case study.
• Support client participation in industry reporting initiatives, such as GRESB, UN PRI, GRI, and TCFD.
• Support the development of client Annual Sustainability/ESG/CSR reports.
• Support the identification of client properties subject to benchmarking and/or building energy performance standards. Support property teams to ensure compliance with benchmarking mandates.
• Support client recognition opportunities, such as ENERGY STAR certification, ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, Green Building Certification Analysis, IREM CSP certifications. Track certifications in the database.
• Provide support to the ESG Program Manager on client and program management by contributing to accurate, on-time and on-budget high-quality deliverables:
• Monitor the client email inbox, responding to property manager questions and concerns, and escalating those that require manager attention and response.
• Take notes on internal and external client team calls to provide key takeaways and action items to the client manager.
• Assist the ESG Programs Manager in the generation of presentation decks.
• Work independently on routine or simple tasks.
• Work with the ESG Rotational Program staff and Data Services Team to complete work on time. Where appropriate, explain and review certain task completion by these teams.
• Conduct research and investigation into industry trends, best practices, and ESG topics, as directed.
• Properly and accurately track all of your time worked and expenses in BigTime, billing to the correct codes and using the correct labor categories.
• Follow company policies, practices, and processes.
• Perform all other duties as needed and assigned.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrate a growth mindset by living and breathing our culture of continuous learning, growing, and improving.
• Possess analytical and problem-solving capabilities. Demonstrate strong attention to detail in your work.
• Demonstrate sound business ethics, including the protection of proprietary and confidential information.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to a changing landscape and client needs, handle multiple time-sensitive priorities, excel in a fast-paced environment, and ability to pivot and adjust priorities and approaches.
• Ability to exercise judgement and self-prioritize assignments daily. Ability to proactively identify and communicate issues to the appropriate Manager, including how to address competing priorities.
• Strong interpersonal skills including courtesy, professionalism, and a cooperative attitude. Ability to effectively handle challenging interpersonal situations, including co-worker and client relationships.
• Strong written communication skills with a propensity to write in a clear, concise manner to convey points effectively, creatively, and with the appropriate tone and professionalism.
• Strong verbal communication skills, including public speaking, to effectively interact with and build confidence among internal and external contacts.
• High degree of initiative, proactiveness, drive, enthusiasm, energy, and follow through.
• Some knowledge of energy, sustainability, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and programs.
• Knowledge about RE Techs service and product offerings.
• Advanced knowledge with online collaboration and file sharing tools, such as SharePoint and Microsoft Office Suite (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).

Required Education and/or Experience:

• 2 4 years of work experience in professional services and/or a consulting environment.
• Experience supporting sustainability, ESG, energy and/or decarbonization programs.
• Experience in commercial real estate assets, in one or more of the following sectors is a plus: office, multifamily, retail, warehouse, senior care, medical office, and/or hospitality.
• Experience with ESG data collection and benchmarking with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Travel Requirements:
Periodic travel is required for the role. Travel may include travel to RE Tech offices, if remote, or between RE Tech offices (Tysons Corner, VA and Dallas, Texas) for meetings (estimate of four times per year), as well as for Legence and/or client business needs.

Additional Requirements:
In compliance with Federal law and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 22.1800, the selected candidate will be required to provide documentation that will verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States.
No sponsorship available for this position.

Health and Welfare Benefits

• Health and Welfare
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Prescription drug
• Employee assistance program
• Maternity and parental leave

Personal Benefits

• Paid vacation
• Company-paid holidays
• Volunteer time off
• Flexible/hybrid work schedule
• Annual professional development fund
• Voting leave

Financial Benefits

• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Company-paid long-term and short-term disability insurance
• AD&D insurance
• Life insurance
• One-time home office bonus

Office perks

• Snacks, coffee and Bevi drink machine
• Regular social activities
• Free on-site parking
• Free on-site gym (Tysons Corner, Virginia office)
• Dog friendly office (Dallas, Texas office)
• Metro accessible office (Tysons Corner, Virginia office, Silver Line)

About Legence

Legence, a Blackstone portfolio company, is an Energy Transition Accelerator that provides advisory services and implementation focused on financing, designing, building, and servicing complex systems in mission-critical and high performance facilities. With five decades of expertise in the built environment, Legence has a proven track record of reducing carbon emissions, implementing renewables, lowering utility costs through efficiency consumption, and making systems run better at unmatched speed and scale. To learn more about Legence and its services, visit https://www.wearelegence.com/.

Contingent Employment Statement

Offers of employment for this role may be contingent upon successfully passing a background check and/or drug screen. Execution of screens will vary based on role requirements and Company policy. All background checks and drug screens will be done in accordance with applicable federal, state, or local law.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Legence and its affiliate companies are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, other non-merit-based factors, and any other characteristic protected under applicable local, state or federal laws and regulations.
EEO is the Law

Reasonable Accommodations
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To all recruitment agencies
Legence and its affiliate companies do not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Do not forward resumes to our careers alias or employees of Legence and/or its affiliate companies. Legence and/or its affiliate companies are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes. Any third-party recruiting agreements for Legence and its affiliate companies may only be executed by Legence Holdings LLCs CHRO or Director of Talent Acquisition, without exception. All others are done without proper authorization and will not be honored. We will not be responsible for any fees under any third-party recruiting agreement not executed by said authority.

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision

Legence and its affiliate companies will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractors legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)