Associate, Sustainability
Location
London, United Kingdom
Business
Starwood Capital Group is a leading global private investment firm with a primary focus on real estate. Since its inception in 1991, Starwood Capital Group has raised over $90 billion of capital, and currently has approximately $130 billion of assets under management. Through a series of commingled private opportunity funds, Starwood Property Trust (STWD), and Starwood Real Estate Income Trust (SREIT), the Firm has invested over $280 billion across virtually every category of real estate globally.
The Role
Starwood Capital Group is seeking a highly motivated Associate to join its global Sustainability team in London. The team is deliberately lean, and you will report to the Head of Sustainability, who is also based in London. While the role is based in our London office, the remit is global. You will support sustainability programme management across the firm's US, EMEA and APAC real estate portfolios, working closely with acquisitions, asset management, investor relations, and legal and compliance teams, as well as third-party operating partners, property managers and external advisers across all regions.
On a two-person team supporting a global portfolio, this is a role with unusual scope for its level. You will own workstreams outright rather than support them, and your work will be visible to senior leadership. The successful candidate will be expected to manage competing priorities, take ownership of complex initiatives, and operate effectively without the support structure of a larger team.
This role offers the opportunity to help shape and execute sustainability and responsible investment initiatives across a diverse global real estate portfolio at a leading private investment firm. It also provides direct exposure to the investment process, including sustainability due diligence, business plan development, and asset-level value creation across new and existing investments. As the Sustainability function continues to evolve, the Associate will play a key role in modernizing the team's operating model through the thoughtful application of technology and AI-enabled solutions to enhance efficiency, analysis and decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Programme Design
- Maintain the firm's responsible investment policies and procedures, and develop tools and guidance to help investment professionals apply them.
- Stay abreast of emerging trends and innovative approaches to sustainability-driven value creation, and support internal knowledge sharing and capability building across teams.
- Monitor and interpret sustainability regulations across the UK, EU, US, and APAC, and support compliance efforts at both the firm and portfolio level.
- Lead efforts to modernize the sustainability function through technology-enabled and AI-assisted workflows, supporting areas such as data validation, regulatory compliance and portfolio analytics.
Portfolio Integration
- Partner with acquisitions teams globally to assess sustainability considerations during investment due diligence.
- Work with asset management teams to identify initiatives that enhance asset performance and long-term value, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, building certifications and operational improvements.
- Lead engagements with portfolio company management teams, operating partners and property managers to identify, prioritize and execute value creation opportunities.
- Support the assessment of physical and transition climate risks across the portfolio.
Data, Reporting and Investor Communications
- Own sustainability data collection, validation and analysis across the global portfolio, working with asset management teams, operating partners, property managers and external consultants.
- Improve internal databases, dashboards and reporting tools, including identifying opportunities to leverage technology, AI and automation to streamline manual processes.
- Manage the firm’s participation in GRESB and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).
- Draft investor-facing materials, including fund-level sustainability reporting, pitch decks, due diligence questionnaires, and the firm's annual Sustainability Report.
- Support engagement with current and prospective investors on the firm's sustainability and responsible investment approach, including participating in investor meetings and responding to investor enquiries.
Candidate Profile
This role is best suited to someone with hands-on experience across many of the responsibilities described above who is comfortable taking ownership of complex workstreams and operating with limited supervision in a fast-paced, global environment.
Required
- 4+ years of experience in a fast-paced, multifaceted sustainability, responsible investment or related role within a real estate, private equity, investment management or consulting firm with global exposure.
- Bachelor's degree with a strong academic record.
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with exceptional attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
- Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools and large language models (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT) to improve research, analysis, workflow efficiency and document production.
- Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders across functions.
- A self-starter with the ability to manage complex workstreams independently and with limited supervision.
Preferred
- Familiarity with relevant sustainability frameworks and regulations, including GRESB, UN PRI, GHG Protocol and PCAF; TCFD, SFDR, UK SDR, CSRD and the EU Taxonomy; EPC and MEES; U.S. Building Performance Standards and benchmarking regulations; and California SB 253 & 261.
- Experience working with real estate sustainability and utility data management platforms used for property sustainability reporting, analytics and performance management.
- Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in engineering, environmental science, real estate, finance, economics or a related discipline.
- A second European language.
