Maintenance Technician

Maintenance work at a residential apartment community covers a wide range of trades, and the technician who thrives here is someone who can shift from a plumbing call in the morning to an electrical issue in the afternoon without losing focus. Cottonwood Residential is adding a Maintenance Technician at Stratford at Hillcrest Apartments in Winston-Salem, and this is a role that draws on what you already know while steadily expanding what you can do.

On the technical side, you'll handle repairs across plumbing, electrical, and general carpentry, both inside units and across the property grounds. The role operates within standard community hours, and it includes on-call responsibility for after-hours emergencies. That after-hours piece is worth being clear-eyed about: it's part of the job, and it's where your ability to diagnose and resolve problems under pressure gets sharpened most. You won't be doing it alone. The Service Manager provides support, and you'll work within established company standards on every call.

Physically, the role demands real stamina. You'll be on your feet most of the day, climbing stairs and ladders, working in tight spaces, and lifting up to 50 pounds regularly. A valid driver's license is required. EPA Type II or Universal certification, HVAC troubleshooting experience, and CPO certification each strengthen your candidacy, though they aren't listed as hard requirements.

What the role requires vs. what it builds

Coming in, you need working knowledge of residential repairs across at least a couple of trades, solid physical capability, and the communication skills to work through work orders and interact with residents clearly. What the role builds is something different: diagnostic instincts. Apartment maintenance is repetitive enough that patterns emerge quickly. Over time, you develop a mental model of how systems fail in a garden-style residential setting, which makes you faster and more accurate on every turn and make-ready you touch.

Technicians who grow fastest in roles like this are the ones who treat the on-call rotation as a learning accelerator rather than just an obligation. Emergency calls, by definition, involve conditions you haven't seen before, and the problem-solving you do at 10 PM on a Saturday builds judgment that routine daytime work can't replicate.

• Valid driver's license (required)
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and work on your feet for extended periods
• Availability for on-call after-hours emergency coverage
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as part of standard scheduling
• EPA Type II or Universal certification (a plus)
• HVAC troubleshooting experience (a plus)
• CPO certification (a plus)

Cottonwood Residential offers health, vision, dental, life, and disability coverage with a quick eligibility window, a 401k with company match, HSA matching, three weeks of paid time off in the first year, and over ten paid holidays annually.