Assistant Community Manager

Skills That Drive This Role

The Assistant Community Manager position at Hawthorne at the Forest pulls on two distinct skill sets that don't always coexist naturally: financial fluency and people instincts. On any given day, you might spend the morning posting rent payments, reviewing ledgers for billing discrepancies, and following up on delinquent accounts, then pivot to walking a prospect through a tour or talking a frustrated resident down from a tense situation. The ability to shift between those modes without losing composure is genuinely what separates good candidates from great ones in this role.

Financial comfort matters here more than the title might suggest. You'll be involved in rent collection, payment posting, ledger audits, and delinquency follow-up on a regular basis. You don't need to be an accountant, but you do need to read a report, spot an error, and understand what it means for the community's numbers. That financial awareness, combined with strong leasing instincts, is what makes this role a real stepping stone toward Community Manager.

What You'll Be Working On

Leasing is a core part of the job. You'll handle incoming leads, conduct tours, guide prospects through applications, and work to hit occupancy targets through both new leases and renewals. Hawthorne also expects this person to manage the community's social media presence, which means you'll need some comfort creating content that feels authentic rather than templated.

On the administrative side, your responsibilities include:

• Overseeing rent collection and payment processing accurately and on schedule
• Monitoring delinquency, making follow-up calls weekly, and coordinating eviction procedures when necessary
• Conducting ledger reviews to catch billing and payment errors before they compound
• Assisting the Community Manager with financial reporting for regional leadership
• Keeping the office, amenities, and common areas in clean, presentable condition

You'll also step into a team leadership capacity when the Community Manager is out. That means maintaining daily operations, keeping the team focused, and handling resident concerns with the kind of follow-through that builds actual trust over time.

What This Role Looks Like at Hawthorne

Hawthorne Residential Partners ranks among the top 50 multifamily management companies nationally and has a strong presence across the Southeast. Their internal career path program is a real differentiator: Assistant Community Manager is treated as a development position, not a holding pattern. If you're aiming for a Community Manager seat, this company appears to promote from within and invest in getting you there.

The schedule runs Monday through Friday with Saturday hours (10 AM to 4 PM), and one weekday off per week keeps the total at 40 hours. Evening availability may come up for resident events. Compensation includes hourly pay plus monthly leasing and renewal commissions and quarterly performance bonuses, which means your income has real upside tied to results you directly influence.

Two years of property management experience is preferred, and prior assistant manager experience is a plus. A CALP credential helps, but it isn't required to apply. A valid driver's license is expected. What Hawthorne seems to value most is someone who genuinely connects with people while staying organized enough to manage the financial side without dropping the ball.