Assistant Service Manager (Stone Gate)

Van Metre has been building and managing properties since 1955, and that kind of institutional continuity tends to produce a maintenance culture that takes standards seriously. At Stone Gate Apartments in Spring Lake, NC, they're looking for an Assistant Service Manager who can share the operational load with the Service Manager and step in with authority when needed.

What the Day-to-Day Actually Looks Like

This role splits time between field work and coordination. You'll walk the property daily, keeping curb appeal honest and flagging anything that could become a safety or liability issue before it does. Service requests need to get scheduled, tracked, and closed out in Yardi. Turns need to be coordinated on a timeline that keeps occupancy from slipping. Preventative maintenance can't become an afterthought when the schedule gets busy, and it usually does. You'll also audit the key tracking system, manage inventory and purchasing against PO policy, and run safety meetings on a weekly cadence. When the Service Manager is out, the property runs through you.

Beyond the daily rhythm, you'll work closely with the Service Manager on budget guidance, flagging capital improvement needs and communicating maintenance requirements that should feed into the annual budget cycle. The role carries real input responsibility, not just task execution.

After-hours emergency coverage is part of the job. That's worth acknowledging plainly. The team maintains 24/7 coverage, and participation in that rotation is expected.

Qualifications

• 4 or more years of hands-on maintenance experience, or equivalent formal training
• EPA Type II or EPA Universal Certification (required at time of hire)
• CPO Certification (preferred)
• Prior supervisory or lead experience (preferred)
• High school diploma or GED
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation
• Own basic tools and know how to use them safely
• Availability for some weekend work

Compensation and Growth

The hourly rate runs $23 to $25 depending on experience, with a quarterly-paid annual bonus of up to $5,000 and renewal commissions on top of that. Van Metre also covers certifications and memberships, which matters in a trade where staying current on certifications isn't optional. The PTO package is genuinely generous by industry standards, and the wellness reimbursement of up to $900 annually is a real line item, not a talking point.

What separates strong candidates here from adequate ones is the ability to mentor. The coaching and training piece of this role is listed in the job description, but in practice it shapes how the whole maintenance team performs. If you've only ever executed tasks and haven't had to bring someone else along, that gap tends to show up fast in a supervisory role. Coming in with even one or two years of lead or acting-supervisor experience puts you ahead of the field for a position like this.