Apartment Portfolio Manager

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nPortfolio Manager — Multifamily (East End Pittsburgh) Office Location: Highland Park, Pittsburgh, PA — with daily travel across the East End portfolio Reports To: Ownership / Asset Management Direct Reports: Site leasing staff, leasing agents, maintenance technicians, porters, and third-party vendors FLSA Status: Exempt (Salaried) Employment Type: Full-time — includes weekend leasing coverage and on-call emergency rotation Position Summary The Portfolio Manager holds full operational ownership of a multi-site residential portfolio across Pittsburgh's East End neighborhoods. This is a working manager role. In addition to leading the leasing and maintenance teams, this person personally shows and leases units with leasing agents during week and on weekends, serves as the escalation point for after-hours emergency calls from our answering service, and makes the call on whether maintenance gets dispatched. The person in this seat is accountable for occupancy, rent growth, turn speed, maintenance execution, and the performance of every leasing and maintenance team member across the portfolio. This is a results-driven role. Performance is measured in occupancy, turn days, delinquency, and NOI — not in hours logged or reports filed. We are looking for someone who sets aggressive targets, tracks them weekly, and owns the outcome either way. The ideal candidate is a strong operator who can walk a vacant unit and identify what's blocking the lease, sit with a leasing agent and improve their closing rate, hold a maintenance tech accountable to a completion standard, take a 2 a.m. call about a water leak and know immediately whether it waits until morning — and then translate all of it into numbers ownership can act on. Portfolio Scope Primary assets under management: Highland Park apartment building (50 units)— portfolio office location Strip District apartment building (18 units) Friendship apartment building (70 units) Friendship / Shadyside apartment building (28 units) Shadyside / Bloomfield apartment building (7 units) Highland Park / East Liberty (16 units) Lawrenceville apartment building (3 units) Additional smaller East End properties and scattered-site units Total portfolio approx. 200 units Portfolio composition is subject to change as assets are acquired or repositioned. Core Responsibilities Occupancy & Leasing PerformanceOwn portfolio occupancy as the primary performance metric; set and defend occupancy, pre-lease, and renewal targets by propertyPersonally show and lease units alongside leasing agents, covering peak traffic and filling gaps in leasing staff coverage — this is a standing expectation of the role, not occasional backupEstablish weekly leasing rhythms — traffic review, lead source analysis, tour-to-application conversion, application-to-lease conversion, and follow-up complianceAudit lead response times and CRM follow-up sequences; enforce speed-to-lead standards across every siteSet and adjust market rents, concessions, and pricing strategy in coordination with ownership based on submarket comps and real-time traffic dataDrive renewal strategy proactively — early outreach, retention offers, and lease-term alignment to smooth seasonal expiration exposureManage online presence and reputation across ILS listings, Google Business Profiles, and review platforms; ensure listings, photography, pricing, and availability are accurate at all timesReview and approve applications against screening criteria; ensure consistent, compliant, and documented decisionsTrack and reduce vacancy loss, down days, and turn time per unit Maintenance & Physical Asset OversightDirect maintenance operations across all sites: work order flow, prioritization, completion timelines, and quality standardsEstablish and enforce turn standards and timelines; hold techs and vendors to make-ready deadlines that support the leasing pipelineBuild and manage preventive maintenance schedules for HVAC, boilers, roofs, plumbing, common areas, and life-safety systems — heavily relevant given the age and construction of much of this portfolioRecruit and vet new vendors and contractors as needs arise — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, turns, cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, and pest control — including verifying licensing, insurance certificates, and referencesConduct regular property walks and unit inspections; maintain a running deferred maintenance and capital needs list for ownershipOversee capital improvement and renovation projects at the property level — scope, schedule, budget, and punch list After-Hours Emergency Response & DispatchServe as the on-call point of contact for our answering service, receiving and triaging emergency calls outside of business hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays (approx. 1 call a month)Make the dispatch decision: assess each call and determine whether it is a true emergency requiring immediate maintenance dispatch, a same-day issue, or a next-business-day work orderApply consistent triage judgment on the situations that actually warrant a call-out — active water intrusion, no heat, sewage backup, gas odor, electrical hazard, lockouts, fire or life-safety alarms, and security breachesCoordinate with on-call technicians and after-hours vendors to confirm response and completionDocument every after-hours call, decision, and resolution in the property management system so nothing is lost between the call and the morningManage escalation to ownership for incidents involving significant property damage, injury, insurance claims, or displacement of residentsBuild and maintain the on-call rotation, emergency contact tree, and answering service call scripts; refine dispatch criteria over time to reduce unnecessary call-outs and their associated overtime cost Team Leadership & DevelopmentOwn recruiting for the portfolio: write and post openings, source candidates, screen and interview, check references, and make hiring recommendations to ownership for leasing and maintenance positionsMaintain an active pipeline of candidates so open positions can be filled quickly rather than reactivelyOnboard, train, and retain leasing and maintenance staff across the portfolioSet clear performance expectations and hold regular one-on-ones with every direct reportCoach leasing staff on tour technique, objection handling, closing, and follow-up discipline — including live shadowing and shop-call reviewCoach maintenance staff on diagnostic skill, work order documentation, resident interaction, and turn qualityBuild and maintain training materials, SOPs, and onboarding programs that make performance repeatable rather than personality-dependentManage scheduling, coverage, PTO, and payroll approval across sitesAddress performance issues directly and document them properly; partner with ownership on corrective action and terminationsBuild a bench — identify and develop internal candidates for site-level leadership Financial & Asset PerformanceApprove invoices and control controllable operating expensesDrive collections performance: delinquency management, payment plans, notices, and the eviction process where necessaryEnsure accurate and timely rent posting, deposit accounting, and month-end close supportDeliver weekly and monthly reporting to ownership — occupancy, leasing funnel, delinquency, work order aging, turn status, and variance commentaryIdentify NOI-improving opportunities: ancillary income, expense reduction, unit upgrade ROI, and repositioning candidates Resident Experience & ComplianceSet the service standard for resident communication and issue resolution across the portfolioEscalate and resolve significant resident disputes, lease violations, and service failuresEnsure full compliance with Fair Housing, ADA, Pennsylvania Landlord-Tenant Act, City of Pittsburgh ordinances, and applicable lease termsMaintain complete, audit-ready lease files, inspection records, and correspondence documentationManage resident retention programming and community engagement appropriate to each asset Required Qualifications5+ years in market rate multifamily property management, with at least 2 years managing multiple sites or leading site-level teamsQuantifiable track record of results. Candidates should be prepared to speak to specific numbers they moved — occupancy percentages before and after, vacancy loss reduced, turn days cut, delinquency brought down, NOI improved. General claims of experience without figures behind them will not be competitive.Direct experience supervising both leasing and maintenance personnel — this role cannot be filled by a leasing-only or maintenance-only backgroundWorking command of current property management platforms. Direct experience with one or more of: Rent Manager, Buildium, AppFolio, Yardi, Entrata, or ResManWorking command of leasing CRM and automation tools: Knock, Funnel, RentCafe CRM, Elise, or comparable, including lead source attribution and follow-up automationFamiliarity with resident payment and screening platforms (ClickPay, TransUnion SmartMove, or similar) and e-signature workflows (DotLoop, Adobe Sign, or similar)Strong practical understanding of building systems and turn scope — able to evaluate a bid, challenge a vendor, and judge whether a repair was done rightSolid financial literacy: budget management, variance analysis, and P&L comprehensionAvailability for weekend leasing coverage and after-hours on-call rotation, including nights and holidaysSound judgment under pressure on emergency maintenance triage — able to distinguish a true emergency from an issue that can wait for morning, and comfortable making that call alone at 2 a.m.Prior hiring experience: sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding both leasing and maintenance personnelExperience recruiting and vetting trade vendors and contractorsValid PA driver's license, reliable transportation, and willingness to move between properties dailyProficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel Preferred QualificationsExperience with older and historic housing stock, mixed-use buildings, and scattered-site portfoliosFamiliarity with Pittsburgh East End submarkets and the local vendor baseExperience implementing new software platforms or migrating between systemsRenovation and value-add repositioning experienceWorking knowledge of business intelligence or reporting dashboards Key Performance Indicators Performance in this role will be evaluated against:Portfolio occupancy and physical vs. economic occupancy gapRenewal / retention rate and lease expiration distributionAverage days vacant and unit turn timeLeasing funnel conversion — lead-to-tour, tour-to-application, application-to-leaseDelinquency as a percentage of billed rentWork order completion time and open work order agingControllable expense performance against budgetNOI growth across the portfolioAfter-hours dispatch accuracy — emergency call-outs that were genuinely necessary, and after-hours overtime spendTime to fill open leasing and maintenance positionsStaff retention and internal promotion rateResident satisfaction and online reputation scores What Success Looks Like First weekEvery property walked, every vacant unit inspected, and a prioritized list of what is blocking each one from leasingFull command of the rent roll, current occupancy by property, and delinquency by residentAll open work orders triaged and aged inventory clearedEvery leasing and maintenance team member assessed, with a clear read on who performs and who needs developmentVendor bench reviewed; gaps in trade coverage and after-hours availability identified First 90 daysMeasurable occupancy improvement across the portfolio against the baseline at hireTurn times reduced and standardized with a documented make-ready processWeekly reporting rhythm established and running without prompting from ownershipDelinquency trending down with a consistent collections process in placeOpen positions filled and a documented onboarding process in use First 6 monthsPortfolio operating at or above target occupancy with a healthy renewal rateLease expirations distributed to reduce winter vacancy exposureControllable expenses at or under budget with documented vendor savingsA leasing and maintenance team that performs to standard without daily supervisionMeasurable NOI growth across the portfolio Competencies Results orientation. Measures themselves by outcomes, not activity. Knows the portfolio's occupancy, delinquency, and open work order count without looking them up, and treats a missed target as a problem to solve rather than a number to explain. Owns the result even when the cause was somebody else's. Leadership. Builds teams that perform when the manager isn't standing there. Sets standards, coaches to them, and holds the line without burning people out. Bias to action. Moves on vacancies, work orders, and personnel issues immediately rather than letting them age. Operational judgment. Knows the difference between a problem worth escalating and one worth solving on the spot. Composure. Handles emergency calls calmly and decisively without over-dispatching out of caution or under-dispatching out of inconvenience. Numbers fluency. Reads a rent roll, a variance report, and a leasing funnel and knows what to do next. Communication. Direct and clear with staff, professional with residents, concise with ownership. Work Environment & Physical Requirements This role is based out of the office at 5700 Bryant Street, with daily travel between properties across the East End. Regular walking of properties, including stairs, basements, mechanical rooms, and rooftops. Schedule expectations:Standard weekday office and site presenceWeekend leasing coverage as a regular part of the schedule, with a weekday off in exchangeAfter-hours on-call responsibility for answering service emergency calls, including nights and holidaysAvailability to be on site for major emergencies, resident events, and peak leasing periods Compensation Competitive base salary commensurate with experience, plus performance-based bonus tied to occupancy, NOI, and portfolio KPIs. Benefits package and paid time off included. Details to be discussed during the interview process. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Responsibilities may be modified at ownership's discretion. Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to Fair Housing and to a workplace free from discrimination.