Property Manager (Lease Up)

The Skills That Drive This Role

This position sits at the intersection of financial fluency, people leadership, and operational hustle. Prometheus calls the role a Neighborhood Director rather than a Property Manager, and that distinction matters. You're not just maintaining occupancy and processing renewals. You're running a lease-up, which means you're building a community from the ground up, setting the cultural tone before a single resident has moved in, and making real-time decisions that directly shape the property's financial trajectory from day one.

The financial side of this role gets real attention. You'll work with operating budgets, track variances, interpret market dynamics, and stay current on local rental ordinances, which in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley means navigating some of the most closely watched and frequently updated housing regulations in the country. California rent law, just cause eviction rules, and local tenant protections aren't background noise here. They're part of your weekly operating reality.

On the people side, you'll lead a team that includes leasing, experience, and maintenance functions. Coaching matters more than directing. Your team will look to you for clarity during the chaotic early weeks of a lease-up, when traffic is high, processes aren't yet second nature, and resident expectations are being set for the first time. Your ability to stay steady and keep your team motivated through that stretch is genuinely what separates strong candidates from average ones in this kind of role.

What You'll Actually Be Doing

During lease-up, no two days look the same. Early on, you're likely reviewing punch lists, coordinating with maintenance on make-ready timelines, and training your leasing team while simultaneously fielding calls from prospective residents. As units fill, your focus shifts toward building the resident experience, managing delinquency, tracking concessions, and keeping NOI on target. You'll report on occupancy, leasing velocity, and budget performance to leadership while staying close enough to daily operations to pitch in on tours or answer phones when volume spikes.

Being on-call is a real part of the job. Prometheus is transparent about this. Maintenance emergencies and urgent resident situations don't follow a 9-to-5 schedule. That said, the company also builds in meaningful time off, including your birthday and anniversary vacation banks at tenure milestones. The expectation is genuine availability, not burnout.

• At least 5 years of property management experience, with 2 or more years in a supervisory capacity
• Multi-site experience is preferred
• Working knowledge of California housing law and local rental ordinances
• ARM, CPM, or CAM designation preferred
• Bachelor's degree preferred

What's Distinctive About Doing This at Prometheus

Prometheus has operated in the Bay Area since 1965 and holds more than 13,000 apartments across Silicon Valley, Portland, and Seattle. As a privately held company, they take a long-term view on their properties, which means capital investment decisions tend to be made with the asset's full lifecycle in mind rather than short-term yield optimization. That context affects how you operate as a Neighborhood Director. You're not squeezing short-term metrics at the expense of resident experience. You're building something meant to last.

The company carries a Certified B Corporation designation, which signals a genuine commitment to using business as a positive force. That's not just marketing language here. It tends to attract Prometheans who care about how the work gets done, not just the numbers it produces. If you've worked in environments where culture was an afterthought, this will feel different. Whether that difference suits you is worth thinking about honestly before you apply.

Compensation ranges from roughly $90,000 to $103,000 annually, with per-lease incentives, a semi-annual discretionary bonus, and additional bonuses tied to lease-up performance specifically. Benefits include fully company-paid medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with employer matching, and a behavioral health program available around the clock.