Position Overview
Zest Property Management is seeking an experienced Maintenance Manager to lead the daily operations and long-term performance of our maintenance department. This position is responsible for coordinating field operations, developing maintenance technicians, managing departmental finances, and ensuring residents and property owners receive responsive, professional service. We currently service over 400 residential units in the Metro area.
The ideal candidate has previous experience scheduling maintenance work or directly leading maintenance technicians. This is a true department leadership role requiring strong operational judgment, financial awareness, technical maintenance knowledge, and the ability to navigate challenging customer situations calmly and professionally.
Key Responsibilities
Field Operations and Scheduling
- Manage the daily scheduling and dispatching of 3-5 maintenance technicians based on urgency, location, skill set, workload, and cost-effectiveness.
- Review incoming work orders, establish priorities, and ensure assignments are completed within company service standards.
- Balance technician workloads and adjust schedules as emergencies or changing priorities arise.
- Determine whether work should be completed by an internal technician or assigned to an outside vendor.
- Monitor open and aging work orders, follow up on delays, and remove barriers to completion.
- Coordinate emergency maintenance responses and participate in an after-hours escalation rotation as required.
- Develop preventive maintenance practices that reduce emergency repairs and protect client assets.
Team Leadership and Development
- Provide day-to-day direction, technical guidance, training, and support to field technicians.
- Establish clear expectations for productivity, workmanship, documentation, communication, and customer service.
- Review technician performance using work-order completion times, labor utilization, callbacks, resident feedback, documentation, and other department metrics.
- Conduct regular team meetings, coaching conversations, and performance reviews.
- Identify training needs and coordinate ongoing technical and safety education.
- Participate in interviewing, onboarding, and training new maintenance employees.
- Advise senior leadership regarding staffing levels, role changes, performance concerns, and recommended personnel actions.
- Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and continuous improvement.
Financial and Department Management
- Develop and manage the maintenance department’s operating budget.
- Review departmental profit-and-loss statements and explain significant variances, trends, and areas of concern.
- Monitor payroll, overtime, material costs, vendor expenses, vehicle expenses, and other departmental spending.
- Review technician time entries, repair expenses, purchase documentation, and vendor invoices for accuracy.
- Evaluate labor utilization and scheduling efficiency to support departmental profitability.
- Prepare repair recommendations, estimates, and supporting information for property-owner approval.
- Identify opportunities to improve service quality, control expenses, and increase department efficiency.
- Negotiate vendor pricing and evaluate outside contractors based on cost, responsiveness, licensing, insurance, and quality of work.
Client and Resident Relations
- Communicate with property owners regarding significant repairs, maintenance recommendations, budgets, recurring concerns, and work-order progress.
- Provide clear explanations of repair needs, available options, estimated costs, and potential risks.
- Handle escalated resident and client concerns with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.
- De-escalate difficult situations while maintaining company policies and protecting the client’s property.
- Coordinate with property management, accounting, leasing, construction, and other internal departments.
- Ensure maintenance updates and documentation are timely, thorough, and appropriate for client review.
Reporting and Compliance
- Prepare regular leadership reports covering work-order volume, completion times, labor utilization, overtime, callbacks, customer concerns, department expenses, and other key performance indicators.
- Present department results, challenges, staffing needs, and recommended solutions to company leadership.
- Maintain accurate records within the company’s property-management and workforce systems.
- Ensure work complies with company standards and applicable licensing, safety, and building requirements.
- Promote proper job-site safety, vehicle care, tool accountability, and documentation practices.
Qualifications
- At least five years of experience in residential maintenance, facilities management, property management maintenance, or a comparable field.
- At least two years of experience scheduling maintenance operations, supervising technicians, or leading a field-service team.
- Demonstrated experience managing technician workloads, service priorities, and emergency assignments.
- Working knowledge of residential plumbing, electrical, HVAC, carpentry, drywall, appliances, and general building systems.
- Experience reviewing budgets, departmental expenses, labor performance, or profit-and-loss statements.
- Ability to evaluate repair needs and determine whether work should be completed internally or outsourced.
- Strong leadership, coaching, organization, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proven ability to manage escalated customer or resident situations professionally.
- Comfortable using Microsoft Office, AI, and technology-based scheduling, work-order, and reporting systems.
- Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the ability to travel throughout Metro Detroit.
Preferred Qualifications
- Property-management software experience, particularly AppFolio, is preferred.
- Experience managing maintenance operations for a residential rental portfolio.
- Experience recruiting, onboarding, and evaluating maintenance technicians.
- Experience preparing departmental forecasts or leadership reports.
- Knowledge of vendor compliance, licensing, insurance, and safety requirements.
- Relevant trade, facilities-management, or property-management certifications.
What Success Looks Like
The successful Maintenance Manager will create a department in which:
- Technicians know where they need to be and what is expected of them.
- Work orders are prioritized and completed efficiently.
- Residents and property owners receive consistent communication.
- Labor, overtime, materials, and vendor costs are actively managed.
- Employees receive meaningful training, coaching, and accountability.
- Leadership has clear visibility into department performance and financial results.
- Escalated situations are handled calmly, fairly, and professionally.
If you are an experienced maintenance leader who can organize field operations, develop technicians, manage financial performance, and deliver excellent service, we invite you to apply.
Pay: $75,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
Work Location: In person
