Property Manager (Sablemill Lease-Up)

About the job

At Van Metre, we believe that each employee contributes directly to our growth, success and culture, and are seeking a candidate who loves to challenge themselves and work with others to fulfill this role. Van Metre has a Lease-Up Property Manager position available at Sablemill Apartments in Charlotte, NC!

Position Summary

The Lease-Up Property Manager is responsible for leading all operational, financial, leasing, and resident-service activities for Sablemill, a new 281-unit Class A multifamily community, from pre-leasing through stabilization and throughout ongoing stabilized operations.

Reporting to the Regional Property Manager, this position serves as the primary on-site leader and works closely with the property ownership group, development team, Asset Management, Marketing, Construction, Accounting, Human Resources, the Service Manager, and other key stakeholders. The Lease-Up Property Manager is responsible for establishing property operations, building and developing the on-site team, achieving approved leasing and occupancy goals, managing the operating budget, and successfully transitioning the community from construction through stabilization while continuing to lead the community’s long-term operations and performance.

This role requires a leader who can operate effectively in a fast-paced lease-up environment, make informed decisions with limited historical operating data, manage competing priorities, and build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have experience supporting or leading a multifamily lease-up, building property operations from the ground up, developing teams, and driving leasing and financial performance.

Essential Responsibilities

Phase 1: Pre-Leasing and Office Opening

• Open the leasing office and establish the community operating systems, procedures, reporting standards, and customer-service expectations from the ground up.

• Coordinate Yardi setup, including unit and amenity coding, charge codes, lease documents, application workflows, screening criteria, renters insurance requirements, and prospect-management processes.

• Develop the initial market survey and competitive set and recommend the opening rent matrix, concession strategy, lease-term pricing, and revenue-management approach in partnership with Asset Management.

• Partner with Marketing on the property launch plan, including the website, Internet Listing Services, photography, signage, collateral, model merchandising, advertising, and resident events.

• Build and manage pre-leasing workflows, including prospect communication, waitlist management, deposit collection, tours, applications, screening decisions, and lease execution.

• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, coach, and lead the leasing, administrative, resident-services, and maintenance teams according to the approved staffing plan.

• Establish vendor and service contracts and ensure vendors are properly insured, contracted, onboarded, and supported by approved purchase orders before work begins.

• Develop the operating budget calendar, approval routing, invoice-coding standards, expense controls, and financial-reporting cadence in partnership with Accounting and Asset Management.

• Conduct pre-delivery unit walks with Construction, Development, and the Service Manager; document punch-list items, verify completion of required corrections, and coordinate and document unit acceptance with ownership representatives before delivery to property operations and resident occupancy. Coordinate warranties, phased building and amenity turnover, and operational readiness before spaces are opened.

Phase 2: Lease-Up and Occupancy Ramp

• Lead the property lease-up strategy and deliver signed leases and move-ins in accordance with the approved absorption schedule, occupancy targets, revenue goals, and stabilization plan.

• Monitor the leasing funnel daily, including traffic, tours, applications, screening decisions, gross leases, cancellations, net leases, conversion, and move-ins.

• Analyze leasing, occupancy, market, and financial performance and provide timely recommendations to the Regional Property Manager, Asset Management, ownership, and development partners.

• Drive leasing velocity while maintaining customer-service standards, operational accountability, and the long-term positioning of the community.

• Collaborate with Marketing and Asset Management to evaluate pricing, concessions, advertising, outreach, and market-positioning strategies as conditions change.

• Lead team performance through clear expectations, regular coaching, effective scheduling, and accountability for leasing, service, and resident-experience goals.

• Create a strong resident experience, community culture, and brand presence from initial occupancy through stabilization.

• Maintain accurate financial reporting, expense control, compliance, and operational accountability throughout the lease-up.

Phase 3: Stabilization and Ongoing Operations

• Lead the transition from lease-up to stabilization and continue serving as the community’s Property Manager on an ongoing basis after stabilization, with responsibility for day-to-day operations, team leadership, resident service, and financial performance.

• Sustain occupancy, revenue, and resident-retention goals through ongoing leasing, pricing, renewal, and community-engagement strategies informed by market conditions.

• Manage annual operating budgets, financial reporting, expense controls, vendor performance, compliance, risk management, and property standards throughout stabilized operations.

• Partner with the Service Manager to oversee preventive maintenance, apartment turns, property inspections, warranty follow-up, and long-term capital needs to preserve the community’s quality and asset value.

• Maintain trusted relationships with the third-party owner, developer, residents, vendors, and internal partners and communicate proactively regarding performance, risks, and recommended actions.

• Continually evaluate operating results, implement process improvements, and recruit, coach, and develop the on-site team to support sustained community performance.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership experience in a multifamily lease-up environment, with the ability to build an operation and team from the ground up.

• Experience leading a Class A multifamily lease-up community.

• Prior Property Manager experience.

• Demonstrated success leading multifamily property operations and supervising, coaching, and developing on-site team members.

• Strong knowledge of leasing, budgeting, financial reporting, revenue management, occupancy performance, customer service, compliance, and day-to-day property operations.

• Experience making sound operational and financial decisions in a fast-paced environment while managing competing priorities and limited historical data.

• Experience building and maintaining effective relationships with ownership representatives, developers, Asset Management, Construction, Marketing, vendors, residents, and internal partners.

• Experience using Yardi or a comparable property-management platform.

• Strong communication, critical-thinking, creative problem-solving, organizational, and relationship-management skills.

• Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends for property openings, leasing or resident events, high-traffic periods, team coverage, and operational emergencies.

Strongly Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience opening a new-construction apartment community and transitioning the property from construction through initial occupancy and stabilization.

• Experience establishing property procedures, leasing workflows, reporting standards, customer-service expectations, and operational controls for a new community.

• Experience recruiting, onboarding, training, and developing a complete on-site team during a new-community opening or lease-up.

• Experience managing leasing velocity, pre-leasing, occupancy goals, rent recommendations, concession strategies, renewals, and revenue performance during a lease-up.

• Experience presenting operational, leasing, and financial performance information and recommendations to senior leadership, ownership groups, development partners, or Asset Management.

• Knowledge of the Charlotte, North Carolina multifamily market.

Core Skills and Competencies

• Ability to think on your feet and make informed decisions.

• Clear, proactive communication with team members and stakeholders.

• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving.

• Ability to manage competing priorities in a changing environment.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Calm, authoritative, empathetic, personable, and team-oriented leadership style.

• Passion for building a strong team, resident experience, and community culture.

What Success Looks Like

After one year, success in this role will include:

• Building, training, and retaining a high-performing on-site team.

• Establishing the operating systems, policies, procedures, leasing workflows, service standards, and reporting practices needed for the new community.

• Maintaining strong and trusted relationships with the third-party owner, developer, and internal partners.

• Preparing the property for opening and executing an organized transition from construction to operations.

• Achieving the approved pre-leasing, leasing velocity, occupancy, revenue, and budget goals for the applicable stage of the lease-up.

• Implementing effective pricing, concession, marketing, and resident-retention strategies.

• Maintaining accurate financial reporting, expense control, compliance, and operational accountability.

• Creating a strong resident experience and establishing Sable Mill as a premier Class A community.

• Demonstrating proactive leadership, sound decision-making, flexibility, and consistent communication throughout the lease-up.

Schedule

The standard schedule is Monday through Friday during normal property operating hours. Flexibility is required based on the needs of the lease-up. Occasional evenings and weekends will be required for property openings, leasing events, resident events, high-traffic periods, team coverage, and operational emergencies. Weekend participation may be more frequent during the initial opening and peak lease-up phases.

Compensation and Benefits information: Van Metre offers excellent benefits, and a work environment that fosters and rewards excellence. We also promote work/life balance, including a robust Employee Wellness Program. We encourage employees to make full use of vacation and other company-paid leave to refresh their bodies and minds.

• Salary: $68,000-$72,800 per year (Pay is commensurate with experience, education, training, and skills)

• Annual Bonus Potential and Lease Up Incentives

• Paid Time Off: 11 paid holidays; 10 vacation days, 10 sick days, Two Volunteer Days off, Two Personal Days, Winter Break, Day off for Annual Physical, Day off for your Birthday; comprehensive parental and bonding leave

• Retirement Planning: Company Matched 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan; access to retirement planning coaches

• Wellness: Annual Wellness Reimbursement of up to $900

• Professional Development: tuition reimbursement; company paid certifications, memberships, and licensures; mentoring programs; growth paths; regular performance evaluations and training opportunities

• Discounts: Rental and Van Metre Home purchase discounts; employee discount through Walker Title Company

Van Metre Core Values

Integrity; Ownership; Respect and Dignity; Diversity and Inclusion; Teamwork; Community; Work/Life Balance

Van Metre Mission Statement

The mission of Van Metre Companies is to build and continually improve upon the storied reputation, earned over the years since the Company’s founding in 1955, of providing top quality homes, investment properties and services to our customers and clients. The Company’s emphasis on integrity, professionalism and philanthropy ingrained by our founder Albert G. Van Metre, Sr. has garnered trust and respect in the Washington, D.C. area and beyond. It is critical to our future that we maintain that reputation and assure that Van Metre Companies continues to excel in real estate development and construction and in the management of apartment, retail and office investment properties, as well as in the provision of mortgage and related services. It is the task of our dedicated, energetic, and involved professionals to advance our ability to set the benchmark for luxury living and refined commercial development. The capstone of our mission is to make the “Van Metre” signature an icon for elegant residential communities, and industry leading condominium and apartment communities, as well as Class A neighborhood retail centers and office developments.