Assistant Community Manager

The ACM role is where most property management careers either take root or stall out. At Hawthorne Residential Partners, a Southeast-based operator ranked among the top 50 multifamily management companies nationally, this position at their 904 West community in Greenville, NC covers the full spectrum: leasing, financial administration, resident relations, and stepping into the Community Manager seat when needed. That's a lot of surface area for one role, which is exactly what makes it useful experience.

The Day-to-Day

On the leasing side, you're conducting tours, working leads, and guiding prospects through the application process with an eye on occupancy goals and renewal retention. You're also managing the community's social presence and making sure the office and common areas present well. These aren't separate jobs. On a typical Saturday morning, you might be posting a resident event recap, fielding a maintenance escalation, and closing a lease before noon.

The financial piece is where a lot of ACMs either grow or get stuck. This role expects you to handle rent collection, payment posting, ledger reviews, and delinquency follow-up including coordinating eviction procedures when it comes to that. You'll be pulling reports and supporting the Community Manager with documentation for regional leadership. If you've never touched a ledger or made a collections call, there's a learning curve worth acknowledging.

What Hawthorne Is Looking For

• High school diploma or GED minimum; two years of property management experience preferred
• At least six months of prior ACM experience is a plus
• Valid driver's license required; CALP designation is a nice addition
• Comfort with financial reports, delinquency management, and resident conflict resolution
• Availability for some evenings and weekends for resident events or community needs

The candidates who tend to do well in ACM roles aren't necessarily the most experienced. They're the ones who read a delinquency report and know which accounts need a call today versus which ones are already in process. They de-escalate a frustrated resident without making it a bigger issue. They keep the leasing board moving even when the Community Manager is out. Operational awareness matters more here than years on a resume.

Compensation and Growth

Hawthorne pays hourly plus monthly leasing and renewal commissions and quarterly performance bonuses. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401k with match, paid time off (including your birthday, which is a real thing they offer), pet insurance, and paid parental and adoption leave. They also run a formal Career Path Program for employees targeting the Community Manager level, which is the natural next step from this seat.

The office runs Monday through Friday, 9 to 6, and Saturdays 10 to 4, with one weekday off to keep the schedule at 40 hours. It's a standard multifamily leasing schedule. If you've worked a leasing office before, nothing there will surprise you.