Assistant Community Manager - Affordable Housing
FairsteadA tenant calls at 9 a.m. to dispute a lease renewal notice. By 10, you're pulling EIV records for an interim recertification. By noon, you're in Yardi creating a purchase order so the maintenance crew can finish a work order before a move-in tomorrow. That's Tuesday. Wednesday looks different, but it's equally full.
The Work Itself
This Assistant Community Manager role sits at a Fairstead affordable property in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, and it touches nearly every layer of daily operations. You'll work alongside the Property Manager to keep the community in compliance with HUD's 4350.3 Handbook, which means recertifications (annual and interim), preparation for REAC reviews and Management and Occupancy Reviews, and ensuring LIHTC compliance stays airtight. When lease violations arise, you document them and coordinate with the in-house legal team. When eviction proceedings are necessary, you're involved in that process too.
On the financial side, you're tracking arrears regularly and following up with residents according to company policy. Rent collection, posting, and daily deposits fall within your oversight. Purchase orders go through Yardi, and accounting transactions run through you. Responsiveness is taken seriously here: calls and emails get returned within hours, never more than 24.
The resident-facing part of this role carries real weight. Affordable housing residents often have fewer alternatives and higher stakes when something goes wrong. Responding to complaints and service requests promptly, flagging move-ins and move-outs, and coordinating with the maintenance team are all daily rhythms. The lease renewal program is also yours to oversee, which connects directly to occupancy stability and the community's overall performance.
Who Fits This Role
- At least two years of experience in affordable housing leasing or property management (subsidized experience matters here)
- Working knowledge of EIV, Yardi, and RealPage
- Comfort with HUD regulatory frameworks, recertification processes, and compliance reviews
- Strong written and verbal communication skills across a range of audiences
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
- Familiarity with the local residential market in western Pennsylvania
One thing that separates strong candidates in affordable housing assistant manager roles from those who struggle: the ability to hold firm on compliance requirements while still treating residents with genuine respect. HUD and LIHTC programs have real rules, and tenants are real people. Doing both well at the same time is the skill.
Fairstead operates as an integrated owner, operator, and developer across 28 states, which means the company tends to promote from within and has career pathways that extend well beyond a single property. For someone looking to build toward a Community Manager or Regional role in affordable housing, the compliance depth you'd develop here transfers directly.