Lead Maintenance Technician

What You'll Actually Do

This is a working lead position at Evergreen at the Bluffs, a Hawthorne Residential Partners community in north Knoxville. You're not just supervising from the sidelines. Most days start with triaging open service requests, delegating to junior techs, and jumping in on the more complex work yourself. HVAC diagnosis, electrical troubleshooting, plumbing repairs, appliance work. You'll run make-readies to company standard, keeping vacant units moving through the turn process efficiently so the property isn't sitting on lost revenue. Preventative maintenance schedules fall on your plate too, and Hawthorne holds their techs to consistent completion on those.

Pool maintenance is part of the rotation, so your CPO certification needs to be current. Grounds and common areas get daily attention. The shop stays organized enough that anyone can walk in and quickly assess what supplies are on hand. On-call rotation is real here, so after-hours emergencies are part of the deal on a scheduled basis.

The leadership piece matters as much as the technical work. You'll mentor and train the techs working under you, which means your communication skills carry real weight. A lead who can diagnose a refrigerant issue but can't explain it clearly to a newer tech isn't as valuable as someone who can do both.

What You Bring

• At least 3 years of apartment maintenance or skilled trades experience (HVAC, plumbing, or electrical)
• EPA/HVAC certification, current and valid
• CPO certification
• Valid driver's license
• Prior lead or supervisory experience, strongly preferred
• High school diploma or GED

The candidates who stand out aren't just technically sharp. They're the ones who already think about the whole property, not just their individual tickets. If you've ever caught a potential problem during a routine walk before it turned into an emergency call, that instinct is exactly what this role rewards.

The Bigger Picture

Hawthorne operates a career path program that's designed to move people from this lead technician role into maintenance supervisor positions. That's not filler language. If you're three years into apartment maintenance and you're ready to stop being the person who just takes orders and start being the person who sets the standard, this is a reasonable next step. The bonus structure here includes renewal bonuses, quarterly performance bonuses, and resident satisfaction bonuses on top of hourly pay, which means your relationship with residents and your team's output both show up in your paycheck.

Knoxville's rental market has grown steadily with the broader population growth along the I-40 corridor, and north Knoxville specifically has seen increased residential development. Properties in this market compete on maintenance responsiveness as much as amenities. A well-run maintenance team is one of the clearest signals to residents that a community is worth renewing at.