Senior Investment Associate | Development & Acquisitions

Buckingham Companies•Indianapolis, IN

About The Position

The Senior Investment Associate supports the acquisition, underwriting, and execution of ground-up development and redevelopment projects from initial feasibility through construction and stabilization. The role provides hands-on exposure to development execution while building investment judgment and capital-structuring expertise. The associate partners with senior development and investment professionals to evaluate opportunities, manage risk, and support delivery of approved projects. At Buckingham, employees are encouraged to bring entrepreneurial spirit, industry expertise, creativity, and outside-the-box solutions. The company describes its investment in employees through branded onboarding and orientation, professional development programs, paid tuition and certification programs, and executive coaching. Buckingham has been recognized as a Best Places to Work awardee for consecutive years.

Requirements

At least 2 years of experience in real estate development, investments, or a related role with direct exposure to development underwriting and execution.
Demonstrated experience building and maintaining development financial models, including sensitivity and scenario analysis.
Working knowledge of zoning, entitlements, and the development process from site acquisition through construction.
Experience supporting financing and transaction execution, including exposure to capital stacks, joint ventures, and return waterfalls.
Experience with public incentive processes, including tax increment financing, abatements, or other development-related incentive programs.
Strong understanding of deal negotiation and how negotiated terms translate into underwriting assumptions and investment outcomes.
Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or a related field.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain assumptions, risks, and conclusions clearly.

Nice To Haves

Ground-up development experience in multifamily, mixed-use, or other complex real estate projects.
Deeper experience with joint venture structuring, promote mechanics, and return waterfall analysis.
Exposure to land acquisition negotiations and development-related legal documentation.
Experience preparing investment memoranda or materials for internal approvals, lenders, or equity partners.
Familiarity with working across development, construction, asset management, and capital markets teams.
Demonstrated ability to oversee or review work prepared by junior team members.

Responsibilities

Underwrite ground-up development and redevelopment opportunities from initial feasibility through investment approval.
Build and maintain development financial models incorporating budgets, schedules, operating assumptions, and exit scenarios.
Synthesize zoning, entitlement, design, construction, market, and negotiated deal inputs into feasibility conclusions.
Identify development risks and evaluate their impact on cost, schedule, and returns.
Coordinate due diligence, including zoning and entitlement review, environmental and geotechnical reports, surveys, and market studies.
Work with municipalities, consultants, and third-party advisors to advance entitlement, permitting, and incentive-related efforts.
Translate due diligence findings into underwriting adjustments and development strategy recommendations.
Support transaction execution, including land acquisitions, joint venture formations, and financing processes.
Analyze sources and uses, capital stacks, and return waterfalls across alternative financing and joint venture structures.
Evaluate the effect of leverage, pricing, timing, lender terms, and public incentives, including tax increment financing, on project returns.
Assist in preparing lender and equity partner materials and coordinate with legal counsel through closing and capitalization milestones.
Track approved budgets, schedules, and entitlement milestones during development execution.
Coordinate with architects, engineers, general contractors, and other consultants to keep execution aligned with approved business plans.
Assist with project closeout and transition to asset and property management.
Prepare investment memoranda and supporting analyses for internal approvals.
Present underwriting, development updates, and recommendations based on risk and return analysis to senior leadership and the Investment Committee.
Assist with ongoing project and investor reporting.
Track market data and trends in Buckingham target markets, including rents, absorption, construction costs, capital markets, and policy or regulatory changes.
Incorporate market insights into underwriting assumptions, feasibility analyses, and investment recommendations.
Oversee and review work prepared by Investment Analysts supporting assigned projects.
Delegate underwriting, modeling, and research tasks while maintaining accountability for analytical quality and conclusions.
Coach analysts on how development decisions affect risk, returns, and capital outcomes.