We are Hiring for an Associate!
About the Role
Kyanite Partners is looking for an Associate who wants more responsibility than they'd get at a bigger firm, faster. The ideal candidate is strategic, entrepreneurial, and energized by solving hard problems in political and community contexts where the right answer isn't obvious. This role offers the opportunity to work closely with senior leadership, manage substantive project work, and contribute to the firm’s long-term growth.
Location
Kyanite Partners is based at 1 Willoughby Square in Downtown Brooklyn. Team members may work fully in person or on a hybrid schedule. We are typically in the office three days per week.
More information about our firm is available at www.kyanitepartners.com
About Kyanite Partners
Founded in 2021, Kyanite Partners is a WBE-certified urban planning and economic development strategy consulting firm based in New York City. We’re a small, nimble team of 5 who partner with nonprofit organizations, philanthropic institutions, and private and public-sector entities on economic development, climate resilience, real estate, and infrastructure initiatives. Our work sits at the intersection of planning, policy, governance, and implementation, grounded in a commitment to community wealth building and justice. We are relationship-driven, collaborative, and strategic, which lets us respond quickly to the challenges our clients and communities are actually facing.
We help leaders navigate complexity, and move transformative initiatives from concept to execution. We operate at the asset level - repositioning church-owned real estate and advancing community-owned development projects, locally in developing actionable place-based economic development strategies, and regionwide supporting and standing up innovation hubs. We’re committed to advancing equitable and inclusive economic growth, and we take seriously both the difficulty and the opportunity in this moment for practitioners in our field.
We serve as thought partners and project managers for clients that include national non-profits, universities, developers, community-based organizations, churches, Business Improvement Districts, and government agencies. Our projects are located in New York City, Washington, D.C., Upstate New York, South Florida, and Australia, among other locations. Example clients include NY Empire State Development, Our Bronx, Trinity Church Wall Street, and MIT.
Position Overview
The Associate will help advance Kyanite Partners’ work to advance equitable and inclusive economic development, and will do so with more ownership than a similar role would carry at a larger firm. You’ll contribute across the full life of a project, from research and analysis to writing, facilitation, and client coordination. That includes designing and implementing strategies to deploy state and federal funding; supporting mission-driven real estate and community development initiatives; drafting neighborhood and regional action plans; developing stakeholder engagement strategies; and producing clear, decision-oriented strategy memos that clients act on.
A smaller piece of the role, roughly a fifth of your time, is working alongside Cali on internal workings of the firm, defining new areas of client and project work, focusing on process improvements and codifying project methodologies.
You’ll report directly to Cali Williams, Founder of Kyanite Partners, and you can expect regular working time with her, not just check-ins at the beginning and end of projects. You’ll also manage staff and/or graduate interns on your projects. The role is well suited to a candidate who is entrepreneurial, curious, an excellent writer, action-oriented, able to navigate uncertainty, and comfortable working across sectors and subject matter areas.
Responsibilities May Include
Conducting qualitative and quantitative research
Developing clear, well written memos, pitch decks, presentations, playbooks, and strategic roadmaps
Producing clear, professional presentations, visuals, and graphics
Designing and conducting economic development, labor market, and public finance analyses; creating maps and data visualizations
Supporting implementation strategies for deploying state and federal funding and advancing mission-driven real estate and community development initiatives
Facilitating meetings, developing stakeholder engagement strategies, and managing work plans
Data collection, synthesis and engagement to support organizational strategic planning
Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and project partners
Contributing to business development, internal operations, and firm culture
Experience, Skills, and Attributes
4+ years of relevant experience (graduate school is included, i.e., a Master’s program constitutes 2 years of experienced) in urban planning, public policy, management consulting and/or a related field.
Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in real estate development, public policy, urban planning, finance or related field highly preferred
Excellent written, verbal, and analytical skills
Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to build trust with clients and partners
Comfort making strategic decisions with limited oversight
Understanding of and interest in project implementation and financing
Entrepreneurial mindset with interest in business growth and operations
Experience working with confidential information and navigating political or sensitive contexts
Strong project management skills and demonstrated ability to carry a project from start to finish
Interest in building supervisory or management skills; prior management experience is a plus
Proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft Suite are required
Familiarity with programs RStudio, GIS Software (QGIS, ArcGIS), and InDesign and/or Canva Affinity Suite are preferred but not required
Compensation
The Associate position has a starting salary between $75,000-$95,000, commensurate with experience. This role is also eligible for a discretionary year-end bonus. We also provide a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental and vision coverage. This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship now or in the future; applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.
Application Details
Please send a professional resume and cover letter as one PDF attachment to operations@kyanitepartners.com with the subject line “Associate Position 2026.” Optionally, you may also submit a link to a portfolio of work to supplement your application. Applications without the requested cover letter will not be reviewed. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage all who are interested to apply even if they do not meet every listed qualification.
Kyanite Partners provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment regardless of their age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state or local laws.