Floating Community Manager

This is a Floating Community Manager position assisting at all 46 communities within our Metro DC portfolio.

Working for Equity Residential means being part of a community – employees and residents – striving to provide the best in apartment living, speaking boldly about new ideas for innovation, and inspiring creativity in the ways we live and work together. That’s what our Be.Think.Play.Live. culture is all about.

Our Community Managers are smart, savvy team leaders with a passion for customer service and a strong business acumen. They are accountable for all aspects of their property’s operations, including financial performance, resident satisfaction and retention, and developing an engaged and productive team. They monitor a wide array of performance metrics, implement strategies to meet operational and leasing goals, analyze and respond to changing market conditions, and identify areas for improvement.

As a Floating Community Manager, you will utilize your proven leadership abilities to readily adapt to the unique challenges that accompany supporting a diverse portfolio of communities. You will frequently rotate between assets of varying sizes, types, ages, and conditions, adapting to nuances in the team structure, clientele, and submarket at each individual community. You will demonstrate adaptability and intellectual curiosity as you support the changing business needs of the portfolio and travel throughout the region to cover vacations, leaves of absence, and open positions, as well as to support and train newly hired or promoted Community Managers. This position requires a high degree of independence, accountability, and an ability to work with varying levels of supervision. Each day will be unique, requiring an ability to prioritize, multitask, think creatively, take initiative, and employ a diverse set of skills. At each community you support, you will direct sales activities, leasing administration, and maintenance initiatives, exemplifying Equity Residential’s brand each and every day by thinking like an owner and ensuring that your team members have the resources they need to be successful while enjoying the ride.

WHO YOU ARE

• A Leader. You will provide leadership and mentoring to your teams, promoting a positive work environment that encourages collaboration and teamwork. 
• A Strong Communicator. Your writing and speaking skills are clear and effective, helping you connect well with others.
• A Team Player. You are united with teammates in delivering the best experience to current and prospective residents living at your assigned community. 
• Organized and Accountable. You have exceptional time management abilities and are able to juggle the needs of changing priorities within your portfolio while accomplishing objectives through training and motivating high-performing teams.
• Creative. You are an idea person and like coming up with smart solutions to new challenges.
• Levelheaded. You keep your cool during stressful situations and quickly find solutions.
• Flexible and Adaptable. You understand that the world does not exist through black and white lenses and embrace the opportunity to live in the gray.
• Confident and Decisive. You take initiative, trust your gut, and are not afraid to make a decision or deliver a difficult message.
• Motivated. You invest extra energy to reach your goals and help your teams reach theirs.
• Solution-Oriented. You follow through on commitments, letting residents know that they matter.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Support your entire assigned portfolio (typically 20+ properties) by providing leadership coverage for vacations, leaves of absence, and open positions.
• Coach, train, support, and develop newly hired or promoted Community Managers and/or sales team members in your region.
• Lead special projects and assignments for your region including but not limited to competitor analysis, due diligence, sister site audits, and other company or portfolio initiatives.
• Build community and industry knowledge by identifying trends to prepare for future occupancy needs and offering recommendations and training for your assigned property. 
• Connect people to community through effective leasing administration and training of your teams.
• Show off our communities by prioritizing curb appeal and maintaining accurate and in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the properties and markets you are assigned.
• Manage the leasing process by guiding the teams through effective sales strategies and follow-through.
• Support maintenance operations by partnering with each community’s Maintenance Manager to provide a sparkling product through preventive maintenance, timely and efficient repairs, and a highly organized make-ready process.
• Partner with Regional Managers to prepare and follow operating budgets and to plan community capital improvements, repairs, contract developments, and negotiations.
• Orchestrate all accounting functions associated with your assigned property, including processing invoices, paying bills, and assisting the Central Business Group (CBG) with collections, evictions, and managing resident accounts and charges.
• Train and collaborate with talented teammates to identify and solve any issues that arise.  
• Drive the portfolio to continued operational success by proposing income-producing opportunities such as competitive pricing and value-add community enhancements.
• Focus on performance metrics ranging from your community’s Customer Loyalty Scores to sales conversion rates to apartment turnover efficiency - and everything in between.

• Minimum of 1 year in a Community Manager role or equivalent
• Working knowledge of tenant and eviction laws
• Experience leading a high-performing team
• Familiarity and comfort with performance metrics, sales quotas, and financial concepts
• Demonstrated proficiency in working with computers including word processing, calendar management, software/database, and social media
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Available to work a flexible schedule, including weekends
• Flexibility for frequent local travel throughout your assigned portfolio; in markets where not all properties are able to be accessed by public transportation, a driver’s license and reliable vehicle will be required

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• College degree or related coursework in business, accounting, hospitality, or property management
• Demonstrated ability to secure leases and to exceed sales goals

We recognize everyone has different needs outside of work. That’s why, in addition to a competitive benefits package (medical, dental, vision and paid time off), we offer many unique options to employees, like adoption benefits and paid time off for community service projects. To learn more, view our Total Wellbeing page here.