Community Manager

Community manager roles at mixed-resident properties carry a specific kind of pressure that pure Class A lease-ups don't. You're balancing long-term residents who expect consistency with a transient student population that generates constant turnover, traffic, and renewal uncertainty. Dover Hills Apartments in Kalamazoo sits in exactly that environment, and Paragon Properties is looking for someone who can hold it together on both ends.

What the Job Actually Involves

This is a full-site oversight role. You're responsible for occupancy, NOI performance, team management, and the physical condition of the property, all at once. Day to day, that means approving payroll, reviewing service request completion with your maintenance supervisor, processing vendor invoices, monitoring delinquency, and inspecting make-ready units before they go back on the market. You'll also be in the leasing process directly, not just supervising it. Recording traffic, following up with prospects, and doing final quality control walkthroughs on vacant units before move-in are part of your regular cycle.

Budget prep and financial reporting are yours to own. You'll prepare performance reports on a defined schedule and monitor rental rates actively to stay competitive and protect income. When something goes wrong on the physical plant or a liability issue surfaces during a routine inspection, you're the one who addresses it, not the one who passes it along.

On the team side, you'll set goals, mentor staff, run team meetings, handle scheduling, and manage performance formally when needed. That includes the uncomfortable parts: written coaching, policy enforcement, and the occasional difficult conversation with an employee.

What Paragon Needs From You

• At least one year as an on-site leasing manager or assistant manager, or two or more years of supervisory experience in a customer-facing environment
• High school diploma required; college-level education strongly preferred
• Industry designations are a plus
• Strong working knowledge of Fair Housing guidelines and applicable state and federal regulations
• Proficiency in MS Office; Yardi experience is preferred
• Demonstrated sales ability alongside solid conflict resolution and coaching skills
• Pre-employment background check, drug screening, and physical are required before start

The candidate who stands out here understands that relationship sales and operational discipline aren't separate skills. In a market like Kalamazoo, where Western Michigan University drives leasing seasonality, your ability to convert traffic quickly during peak periods while keeping long-term residents satisfied through off-peak months is what keeps occupancy and NOI where they need to be. If you've managed renewal strategy alongside active leasing before, that experience translates directly.

Paragon offers medical, dental, and vision coverage with a short waiting period, company-paid life and disability insurance, PTO, nine paid holidays, paid volunteer hours, a 401(k) with employer contribution, quarterly performance bonuses, a training and advancement program, and a rent discount.