Essex Property Trust is an industry-leading real estate investment trust (REIT) seeking motivated college students for their paid summer internship program in Development. As a Development Intern, you will support the team in sourcing, entitling, and executing multifamily development projects, gaining exposure to the full development lifecycle.
Responsibilities
Support Financial Analysis Activities
Assist in preparing and updating basic financial models used to evaluate development opportunities
Help compile project budgets, gather data, and prepare schedules for feasibility, entitlement/design, and construction phases
Support pipeline organization and tracking by maintaining spreadsheets and updating internal reports
Assist With Site Identification & Due Diligence
Help gather information on potential development sites through market research and desktop analysis
Assist cross functional teams by organizing due diligence materials such as zoning documents, maps, reports, and consultant feedback
Support the review process by helping compile checklists, summaries, and comparison tables
Conduct Market & Zoning Research
Research market trends, comp data, and local economic indicators to support internal decision making
Assist in reviewing zoning codes, development requirements, and entitlement processes across target markets
Help maintain and organize a library of market data, zoning summaries, and relevant local policies
Support Entitlement, Design & Project Execution Tasks
Work closely with Project Managers, Directors, and VPs to support entitlement-related tasks, including helping prepare presentations, reviewing zoning references, and coordinating information from stakeholders
Assist in the review process of architectural and construction documents by organizing materials, logging revisions, and helping prepare comments
Help coordinate with consultants—architects, engineers, contractors—by tracking proposals, invoices, and change orders for alignment with budgets
Assist in preparing investment memos, presentations, and project documentation by collecting project inputs and formatting materials
Qualification
Required
You must be enrolled in a four-year accredited undergraduate program or a Master's Program, majoring in Real Estate, Finance, Economics, Business, Construction Management, Urban Planning, Architecture, Engineering, or a related field
Rising seniors (Class of 2027) or Master Program students are encouraged to apply
Prior internship, project-based work, or campus involvement related to real estate development, construction management, planning, or data analysis is strongly preferred
Experience applying analytical or research skills in a professional or academic setting is a plus
Strong written and verbal communication, analytical thinking, curiosity, organization, and the ability to interpret information with guidance
Basic quantitative skills and comfort with detail are important
Comfortable with core Excel functions (e.g., SUMIFS, XLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, IF/AND/OR), pivot tables, basic data cleaning (duplicates, formatting, missing values), Conditional Formatting, and structured tables
Experience organizing datasets and building simple sensitivities is a plus
Interest in real estate development, finance, design, and project management
Ability to work collaboratively with multiple departments and partners
Strong attention to detail and a willingness to learn new skills
Proactive curiosity — asking questions, seeking clarity, and taking initiative in tasks
Preferred
Medical
Dental
Vision
Paid parental leave
401k employer match
Excellence rewards
Wellness programs
12 paid holidays
15 PTO days
Housing discount of 20%
Essex Property Trust, Inc., is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages
