The Amherst Group of companies comprise of leading real estate investment and advisory firms with a mission to transform the way real estate is owned, financed and managed. Amherst leverages its proprietary data, analytics, technology, and decades of experience to seek solutions for a fragmented, slow-to-evolve real estate ecosystem and to materially improve the experience for residents, buyers, sellers, communities, and investors. Today Amherst has over 1000 employees and $14.1 billion in assets under management.
Over the past decade, Amherst has scaled its platform to become one of the largest operators of single-family assets and has acquired, renovated, and leased more than 46,000 homes across 32 markets in the U.S. The firm delivers customized, stabilized cash-flowing portfolios of assets to its investors, wrapped in all the ongoing services required to manage, own, and finance the asset including property management, portfolio management, and a full capital markets team. In addition to its single-family rental platform, Amherst’s debt business pursues two distinct credit strategies in mortgage-backed securities and commercial real estate lending. Over its 25-year history, Amherst has developed a deep bench of research and technology talent, and leverages data and analytics at every stage in the asset lifecycle to improve operations and preserve long-term value for our investors and the more than 188,000 residents the firm has served.
Job Overview
The Expense Management Analyst plays a key role in Amherst’s investment lifecycle by reviewing, validating, and approving property repair and renovation expenses. This role ensures financial accuracy, operational consistency, and adherence to Amherst’s construction and quality standards.
Key Responsibilities
Review, analyze, and validate Scopes of Work (STOWs) to ensure all repair and renovation costs align with budget expectations, investment criteria, and company policy.
Identify potential concessions on acquisitions and cost-saving opportunities while maintaining quality standards and operational timelines.
Collaborate daily with Construction and Sales & trading teams to verify scope accuracy, confirm estimates, and ensure timely approval and execution of repairs.
Evaluate supporting documentation such as bids, quotes, photos, and vendor reports to ensure data accuracy and visual consistency with field conditions.
Track project-level expenses through completion, ensuring alignment between projected and actual costs, and escalate significant variances when required.
Perform market-based analysis using internal and external data sources to validate repair pricing and ensure competitive alignment.
Assist in building and maintaining dashboards and financial tracking tools in Microsoft Excel to monitor performance, highlight trends, and improve visibility into expense management metrics.
Partner with Underwriting, Portfolio Management, and Construction leadership to ensure that expense-related insights inform investment and operational decisions.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives aimed at standardizing processes, enhancing data quality, and closing performance gaps across regions.
Expect to work in the Heredia, office four days a week.
Job Requirements
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Construction Management, or a related field.
0–2 years of professional experience in financial analysis, expense management, or construction cost review.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (including data validation, pivot tables, and basic modeling).
Ability to analyze and interpret data from multiple systems (Property Manager, Salesforce, Tableau, Revue).
Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Availability to work onsite in Heredia, Costa Rica four days per week.
Preferred Qualifications
Prior experience in real estate, construction, or asset management industries.
Familiarity with property manager software, Salesforce, or other workflow management systems.
Understanding of construction cost structures and budget management.
Experience with Tableau or similar data visualization tools.
Advanced Excel skills (e.g., dashboard creation, lookups, and data analysis functions).
Proficiency in English equivalent to CEFR Level C1 or C2.
Functional and Behavioral Skills
Functional Skills:
Analytical Accuracy: Ability to review financial and operational data to ensure expense alignment and compliance with internal standards.
Process Execution: Execute standardized review workflows (Initial Concession, Final Approval, Change Request/SDI) consistently across assigned regions.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Construction and other teams to clarify or adjust scopes and maintain operational efficiency.
Data Validation: Review repair estimates, line-item costs, and documentation for completeness and accuracy.
Escalation Management: Identify over-budget repairs and initiate FSA escalations as required.
System Proficiency: Navigate tools such as Property Manager, Salesforce, and Tableau to manage workloads and verify financial integrity.
Behavioral Skills:
Attention to Detail: Maintains accuracy under pressure; consistently verifies information and documentation.
Critical Thinking: Evaluates repairs and expenses objectively to make sound, data-informed decisions.
Accountability: Takes ownership of assigned properties, meeting deadlines and service level expectations.
Adaptability: Adjusts quickly to changes in volume, timelines, and process improvements.
Team Collaboration: Communicates effectively with peers and cross-functional partners to resolve issues.
Continuous Improvement Mindset: Seeks opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and workflow clarity.
Our full-time employee benefits include:
A competitive and comprehensive benefits package.