Portfolio Manager - Multifamily (East End Pittsburgh)

Lobos Management

CASTLE SHANN, PA 15234, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Real Estate

Full Time

Job Description

PORTFOLIO 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: Leasing staff, maintenance technicians, porters, and third-party vendors

FLSA Status: Exempt (Salaried)

Employment Type: Full-time, including 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 leasing and maintenance teams, this person shows and leases units, supports weekend leasing coverage, serves as the escalation point for after-hours emergency calls, and determines when maintenance dispatch is required.

The Portfolio Manager is accountable for occupancy, rent growth, turn speed, maintenance execution, and team performance. The ideal candidate is a strong operator who can identify what is preventing a vacant unit from leasing, coach a leasing agent to improve conversion, hold maintenance staff accountable to clear standards, make sound emergency decisions, and translate operational activity into actionable information for ownership.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Occupancy & Leasing Performance

• Own portfolio occupancy, pre-lease, and renewal performance by property

• Personally show and lease units alongside leasing staff, including peak and weekend coverage

• Establish weekly leasing rhythms around traffic, lead sources, conversion, and follow-up

• Drive proactive renewal and resident retention strategies

• Manage listings, pricing, photography, availability, and online reputation

• Reduce vacancy loss, days vacant, and unit turn time

Maintenance & Physical Asset Oversight

• Direct work order flow, prioritization, completion timelines, and quality standards across all properties

• Establish and enforce make-ready standards and turn deadlines

• Build and manage preventive maintenance programs for major building and life-safety systems

• Recruit, vet, and manage vendors and contractors

• Conduct regular property walks and unit inspections and maintain a prioritized deferred maintenance and capital needs list

After-Hours Emergency Response & Dispatch

• Serve as the on-call point of contact for the answering service, determining whether issues require immediate dispatch, same-day attention, or next-business-day follow-up

• Coordinate with technicians and vendors, document calls and resolutions, and escalate significant incidents to ownership

• Maintain the on-call rotation, emergency contact tree, answering service scripts, and dispatch criteria to improve consistency and reduce unnecessary call-outs

Team Leadership & Development

• Own recruiting for leasing and maintenance positions, from sourcing through hiring recommendations

• Maintain an active candidate pipeline for recurring staffing needs

• Onboard, train, coach, and retain leasing and maintenance employees

• Set clear performance expectations and hold regular one-on-one meetings

• Coach leasing staff on tours, follow-up, objection handling, and closing

• Coach maintenance staff on diagnostics, documentation, resident interaction, and turn quality

• Address performance issues directly and partner with ownership on corrective action when necessary

Financial & Asset Performance

• Approve invoices and manage controllable operating expenses

• Drive collections performance, including delinquency management and related processes

• Deliver weekly and monthly reporting on occupancy, leasing performance, delinquency, work orders, turns, and operating variances

Resident Experience & Compliance

• Set the standard for resident communication and issue resolution

• Resolve significant resident disputes, lease violations, and service failures

• Ensure compliance with Fair Housing, ADA requirements, Pennsylvania landlord-tenant law, City of Pittsburgh ordinances, and lease terms

• Maintain complete, audit-ready lease, inspection, and correspondence records

• Support resident retention and community engagement appropriate to each property

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of market-rate multifamily property management experience, including at least 2 years managing multiple sites or leading site-level teams

• Quantifiable track record of results; candidates should be prepared to discuss specific operational improvements they have delivered

• Direct experience supervising both leasing and maintenance personnel

• Working command of property management, leasing CRM, and automation platforms, including lead tracking and follow-up workflows

• Strong practical understanding of building systems, apartment turns, vendor bids, and repair quality

• Availability for weekend leasing coverage and after-hours on-call rotation, including nights and holidays

• Sound judgment under pressure when triaging emergency maintenance issues

• Experience recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding leasing and maintenance employees

• Experience recruiting and vetting trade vendors and contractors

• Valid PA driver’s license, reliable transportation, and willingness to travel between properties daily

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with older or historic housing stock, mixed-use buildings, or scattered-site portfolios

• Familiarity with Pittsburgh’s East End submarkets and local vendor base

• Renovation or value-add repositioning experience

• Working knowledge of business intelligence or reporting dashboards

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

First Week

• Walk all properties and vacant units and identify leasing, maintenance, staffing, and vendor priorities

• Establish command of occupancy, delinquency, open work orders, and team performance

First 90 Days

• Improve occupancy and reduce turn times

• Establish consistent reporting, collections, onboarding, and staffing processes

First 6 Months

• Maintain target occupancy and healthy renewals

• Control expenses, strengthen team performance, and deliver measurable NOI growth

CORE COMPETENCIES

Results Orientation — Measures success by outcomes, not activity, and takes ownership of missed targets.

Leadership — Builds teams that perform consistently without constant supervision.

Bias to Action — Moves quickly on vacancies, work orders, and personnel issues.

Operational Judgment — Knows what requires escalation and what can be solved directly.

Composure — Handles emergency situations calmly and decisively.

Numbers Fluency — Understands rent rolls, operating variances, leasing funnels, and the actions behind the numbers.

Communication — Direct with staff, professional with residents, and concise with ownership.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & SCHEDULE

This role is based at 5700 Bryant Street in Highland Park, with daily travel between properties throughout Pittsburgh’s East End. Regular property walking is required, including stairs, basements, mechanical rooms, and rooftops.

Schedule expectations include:

• Standard weekday office and site presence

• Regular weekend leasing coverage, with a weekday off in exchange

• After-hours on-call responsibility, including nights and holidays

• Availability for major emergencies, resident events, and peak leasing periods

COMPENSATION

Competitive base salary commensurate with experience, plus a performance-based bonus tied to occupancy, NOI, and portfolio KPIs. Benefits and paid time off are included. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required.

Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to Fair Housing and to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination.