Area Manager

CYM Living•Chicago, IL

12d

About The Position

The Area Manager (AM) is the full P&L owner for an assigned zone or portfolio, accountable for financial performance, rent strategy, operational alignment, and risk management. The role provides senior leadership across multiple properties, ensuring onsite execution and management decisions support revenue growth, expense control, compliance, and long-term asset performance. The Area Manager leads Property Managers, sets strategy, approves key financial and operational decisions, and serves as the escalation point for high-risk, tenant, regulatory, and external matters. The role requires strong ownership, strategic thinking, proactive collaboration, and an entrepreneurial mindset. The Area Manager is expected to anticipate risks, identify growth opportunities, drive operational alignment, and coach Senior Property Managers and Property Managers toward financial and operational excellence.

Requirements

Ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally, including presenting financial results and strategy to senior leadership.
Ability to take initiative and be a self-starter.
Excellent customer service skills.
Prior experience in multifamily property management, including multi-property or regional oversight.
Proven experience owning a P&L, including budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
Strong leadership skills with experience hiring, coaching, and managing Property Managers and onsite teams.
Working knowledge of rent pricing, occupancy, leasing, and delinquency management.
Knowledge of Fair Housing laws, landlord-tenant regulations, and local building and safety codes.
Proficiency with property management software and Excel, including the ability to analyze data and build reports.
Ability to travel between properties within the zone and respond to escalations and emergencies, including after hours, weekends, and holidays.

Responsibilities

Own full financial performance for the zone, including NOI, revenue growth, and expense control.
Monitor unit turn progress, maintenance spending, and operational expense trends.
Review delinquency and vacancy loss monthly and direct corrective action.
Review monthly financial statements and analyze variance drivers against budget and forecast.
Approve annual budgets and ensure execution aligns with financial targets.
Approve renewal and rent pricing recommendations with the Asset Management team.
Set occupancy and collection targets for Property Manager teams with the Asset Management team.
Review leasing velocity and initiate strategic shifts when performance lags.
Partner with Marketing to address underperforming submarkets, unit types, or channels.
Conduct weekly performance and strategy meetings with Senior Property Managers.
Review building walk results, vacancy strategy, and operational risks.
Hold Property Managers accountable for operational, leasing, turn, and resident experience KPIs.
Support Property Managers in resolving major escalations, resource constraints, or cross-property challenges.
Identify, onboard, and recommend new vendors for approval by the Regional Director of Operations.
Work alongside Maintenance to ensure vendor adherence to approved scopes and service timelines.
Serve as the escalation point for issues beyond Property Manager scope, including tenant, safety, city, and agency matters.
Promptly escalate legal, city, and regulatory matters to the Asset Compliance team.
Oversee resident and employee conflicts or emergencies.
Partner with HR, IT, Legal, Maintenance, Regional Manager, and Asset Management teams.
Ensure standard operating procedures are implemented consistently across the zone and drive operational alignment and best practices across Property Manager teams.
Make final decisions on hiring, termination, promotions, and role changes.
Conduct quarterly and annual performance reviews for direct reports.
Approve compensation adjustments and incentive recommendations.
Develop and maintain a talent pipeline from Maintenance teams to Property Manager.
Prepare and submit biweekly business review packages.
Present zone-level monthly financial performance, KPIs, and operational dashboards to leadership.
Lead quarterly planning sessions and mid-year strategy adjustments with Asset Management teams.
Identify and report key risks, growth opportunities, and resource requirements.
Coach Senior Property Managers and Property Managers and collaborate proactively across properties, departments, and leadership teams.