General Manager

About the Role

The General Manager (GM) is the senior leader responsible for financial performance, operational excellence, and resident satisfaction across a portfolio of properties. The GM leads and develops a diverse team of managers, specialists, and maintenance staff while ensuring compliance with company standards and regulatory requirements. With strong financial acumen and operational expertise, the GM manages budgets, monitors property conditions, identifies opportunities for improvement, and drives consistent results. This role requires a results-oriented leader who excels at managing managers, fostering collaboration, and aligning people, processes, and resources to deliver service excellence and achieve strategic goals.

Responsibilities

Customer Service

• Works with the team to maintain the highest level of customer service for prospects, residents, and all onsite and corporate departments.
• Promotes a community-focused atmosphere by actively engaging with residents through direct communication to continuously improve the resident experience.
• Leads and manages responses to portfolio customer sentiment surveys and external reviews within the company’s expectations, maintaining and enhancing the portfolio’s online reputation.
• Oversees all aspects of the resident experience—including communication, relocations, leasing, events, service requests, and community upkeep—ensuring a seamless, high-quality experience from tour to move-out.
• Partners with Maintenance Supervisors and Operations Coordinators to ensure Essex standards are upheld through oversight of purchase order compliance, work orders, unit turns, curb appeal, vendor and inventory management, asset project management, and the resident move-in experience.
• Supports new initiatives and project rollouts in partnership with cross-functional teams, including Sourcing and Procurement, Facilities, and Construction Execution, to ensure successful implementation and operational alignment.
• Ensures compliance with Fair Housing, Landlord-Tenant regulations, OSHA, and company policies.

Financial

• Responsible for meeting budgeted revenue and expense targets, communicating variances to Director, and completing assigned financial reporting.
• Demonstrates the ability to set strategic goals, manage resources effectively, and execute plans to achieve desired outcomes.

Team Management

• Directs the management and delegation of customer relationship management tasks, strategically assigning responsibilities to managers to maximize team efficiency and productivity.
• Leads, mentors, and develops a team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.
• Oversees and supports Community Relations Manager and team during collection process, ensuring delinquency is maintained within company targets.
• Ensures team meets Essex standards while completing all bookkeeping and community management functions during resident lifecycle.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED equivalent is required; a bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) from a 4-year college or university is preferred.
• 5+ years of community management experience with 2+ years of supervisory experience.

Work Environment

• Work is primarily conducted in an office setting and onsite with physical inspections of turns and asset quality that require a moderate amount of walking, standing, and stair use.
• Requires sitting at a desk or workstation for extended periods.
• Involves the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and printers.
• This is a full-time, on-site position. Must be able to work weekends or after hours on rare occasions if there is a business need or emergency.
• The General Manager will work primarily from their assigned HUB or portfolio offices and will regularly visit and inspect communities.
• This role requires the ability to travel between local collection properties, sometimes to multiple properties within a day. Additional travel may also be required for trainings, conventions, court, meetings, or other locations as the job requires.

Skills

• Provides formal supervision to associates. Recommends staff recruitment, selection, promotion, advancement, corrective action, and termination.
• Plans and monitors appropriate staffing levels and utilization of labor, including overtime. Prepares and delivers performance appraisals for staff.
• Mentors and coaches team members to further develop competencies. Leads by example and models behaviors consistent with Essex's values.
• Ability to respond effectively to sensitive issues.
• Ability to write reports, manuals, speeches, and articles using a distinctive style.
• Ability to make effective and persuasive presentations on complex topics to employees, clients, and/or public groups.
• Ability to motivate and negotiate effectively with key employees and client groups to take desired action.
• Ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret documents. Ability to solve problems involving several options in situations. Requires intermediate analytical and quantitative skills.
• Decisions made with an in-depth understanding and interpretation of procedures, company policies, and business practices to achieve general results. Responsible for setting department deadlines. Errors in judgment may cause long-term impacts to co-workers, supervisor, department, and/or line of business.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and customer service skills. Ability to create, compose, and edit written material.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries and experience career growth.
• Medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, 401k employer match, excellence rewards, and wellness programs.
• 12 paid holidays and 15 PTO days.
• Most positions are eligible for a housing discount of 20%.

Pay

New hires generally start between $115,000.00 - $145,000.00 per year. The final salary offer will be determined after reviewing relevant factors, including but not limited to skill sets; relevant experience; internal equity; and other business and organizational needs. This role is also eligible to participate in Essex’s discretionary Annual Bonus program that is commensurate with the level of the position.