Community Manager

Community managers at stabilized conventional properties carry a deceptively broad mandate. Occupancy, NOI, team culture, resident retention, vendor oversight, and ownership reporting all land on the same desk. At a company the size of Hawthorne Residential Partners, one of the larger Southeast-based multifamily operators in the country, the expectation is that the person running a community functions as a general manager, not just a leasing lead with an elevated title.

Meridian at North Hills sits in one of Raleigh's most competitive submarkets. North Hills has absorbed significant Class A and B supply over the past several years, which means renewal strategy and resident retention carry real weight here. Strong occupancy at this location requires more than traffic. It requires a manager who understands pricing, concessions, and what keeps a resident from going MTM or not renewing at all.

What the Role Actually Covers

Hawthorne describes this as a coach, culture ambassador, and business strategist position, and that framing is accurate. You'll own budget management, delinquency tracking, deposit accounting, and financial reporting. You'll run leasing alongside your team, including tours and lead follow-up, while also driving renewal conversion and monitoring occupancy targets. Vendor relationships, work order oversight with maintenance, and regular property inspections are part of the weekly rhythm. Resident escalations, online review responses, and resident event planning round out the community-facing side of the role. Yardi and Knock are the primary platforms in use.

Team leadership here means hiring, training, and holding accountability for both office and maintenance staff. Weekly team meetings, performance coaching, and connecting individual development to Hawthorne's internal career path program are all expectations of the role.

• Two years of property management experience required, including time as a Leasing Consultant and Assistant Community Manager
• Six months of community manager experience in multifamily, highly preferred
• Yardi, Knock, and Microsoft Office familiarity preferred
• CAM, CAPS, real estate license, or property management license preferred
• Valid driver's license required
• High school diploma or GED required

What Separates Strong Candidates

The managers who perform well in roles like this read a T-12 the same way they read a punch list. They spot delinquency trends before they compound, and they understand how a single bad renewal month affects NOI at the end of the quarter. Financial fluency isn't a bonus here. It's woven into the day-to-day. The other differentiator is genuine investment in team development. In a market like Raleigh, where leasing talent turns frequently, a manager who builds a team people want to stay on creates a compounding retention advantage. Hawthorne's internal career path program, which maps a trajectory from Community Manager toward Regional Manager, signals that the company rewards managers who develop their people rather than simply covering for turnover.

Office hours run Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM, with one weekday off to keep the schedule at 40 hours. Some evenings and weekends may come up for resident events. Compensation includes base salary plus monthly leasing and renewal commissions and quarterly performance bonuses. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401k match, paid time off, paid parental and adoption leave, pet insurance, and company-paid life insurance.