Maintenance Technician III

What You'll Actually Do

At Avenues of West Ashley, the Maintenance Technician III is the technical anchor of the maintenance team. You're diagnosing and resolving complex work orders, turning vacant units to make-ready status on schedule, and keeping the property's mechanical systems running at a standard that directly affects resident retention and NOI. When HVAC fails in a Charleston July, you're the one who fixes it correctly the first time.

Day-to-day, that means working through service requests to Hawthorne's completion standards, running preventative maintenance per company protocol, and keeping building exteriors, common areas, and grounds in shape. Pool maintenance is part of the rotation, which is why the CPO certification is a hard requirement. You'll also participate in an on-call emergency rotation outside standard Monday through Friday hours, so after-hours availability is a real part of this role, not a footnote.

The leadership piece matters here. You're mentoring junior techs, sharing trade knowledge, and helping set the operational tone for the team. A well-run maintenance program shows up in resident satisfaction scores, renewal rates, and delinquency indirectly. When residents feel the property is cared for, they stay. That connection between physical asset quality and financial performance is something the best techs at this level understand intuitively.

What You Bring

• Minimum three years of apartment maintenance or skilled trade experience (HVAC, plumbing, or electrical)
• EPA/HVAC certification (required)
• CPO certification (required)
• Valid driver's license
• Prior lead technician or supervisory experience, strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of electrical, plumbing, appliance repair, and general building systems
• High school diploma or GED equivalent

Context Worth Knowing

Charleston's rental market runs hot, and garden-style communities along the Ashley River corridor compete on curb appeal and resident experience as much as price. A Technician III who can keep make-ready timelines tight, reduce deferred maintenance, and mentor a team that performs consistently is directly contributing to the property's ability to hold occupancy and push renewals. That's the operational reality of this role.

Hawthorne's career path program is structured, not promotional language. The Technician III classification is a recognized step toward a Maintenance Supervisor position, and the company supports that trajectory through a dedicated learning and development program and education reimbursement. If you've been performing at a lead level without the title or compensation to match, this is a place to correct that. Compensation includes an hourly base plus monthly renewal bonuses, quarterly performance bonuses, and quarterly resident satisfaction bonuses.