Lead Maintenance Technician (San Mateo Market)

Skills This Role Runs On

This position draws on a specific combination: hands-on technical range, team leadership, and enough administrative follow-through to keep maintenance operations organized. You're not just fixing things. You're managing how things get fixed, by whom, and at what cost. Prometheus calls the role Lead Neighbor Service Technician, but the work is lead maintenance tech at a residential apartment community in the San Mateo market.

The technical baseline is broad. Plumbing, electrical, carpentry, painting, appliance repair. You need to handle most major systems and all minor ones without escalating to outside vendors unless it's warranted. Yardi work order management is part of the daily rhythm. If you're still learning the platform, that's fine. If you've never used property management software at all, this role will be a harder adjustment than the job description implies.

What You're Actually Doing Day to Day

A significant portion of the work is turns. You own the apartment turnover process from start to finish: scoping the make-ready, coordinating vendors when needed, tracking the punch list, and making sure units come back online on schedule. Slow turns hurt occupancy. That pressure is real and it lands on this role.

Beyond turns, you're handling resident work orders, troubleshooting mechanical systems, and keeping the property in a condition residents are genuinely proud of. The customer service component here is real. Residents interact with maintenance more than almost any other part of the operation, and how your team shows up shapes how people feel about living there.

The lead piece means you're mentoring technicians, setting the pace, and helping the property hit its financial targets through cost management and vendor oversight. You'll track budgets and assist with administrative tasks tied to maintenance. One year of supervisory experience is the minimum. Two or more is preferred, and honestly, the budget and scheduling responsibilities will feel more natural if you've been managing a team for a while.

• Three to four years of apartment maintenance experience required
• Minimum three certificates from BOMA, IREM, or vocational maintenance programs
• At least one year of supervisory experience (two or more preferred)
• Proficiency with Yardi or comparable work order systems
• Available for on-call and weekend coverage
• Able to lift up to 50 lbs. and work in outdoor conditions

Working at Prometheus

Prometheus is a privately held company that manages its own portfolio across the Bay Area. San Mateo is a competitive rental market with high resident expectations, and Prometheus communities tend to reflect that. The company pays $38.00 to $40.25 per hour for this role, with standby and on-call premium pay on top of base. Benefits are strong: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision (including eligible dependents), 401(k) with employer match, and tenure-based housing discounts. There's also a semi-annual discretionary bonus and additional bonuses tied to specific activities like renovations and lease-ups.

Candidates who stand out in this role typically combine clean technical execution with genuine accountability for the team around them. The technicians who struggle in lead roles often know the trade well but underestimate how much the administrative and mentorship side of the job demands. If you've been a top-performing tech and are ready to own the full picture of a property's maintenance operation, this is a reasonable next step.