Lease-Up Property Manager

Lease-Up Property Manager

Meritus Property Group | Lease-Up Community

Meritus Property Group is seeking an exceptionalLease-Up Property Managerto lead the launch, stabilization, and long-term operational success of a new multifamily community. This is a high-impact leadership role for a proven operator who knows how to build momentum before opening, inspire a team through the intensity of lease-up, and create a resident experience that converts first impressions into long-term value.

The ideal candidate hassuccessfully managed a multifamily lease-up previouslyand understands the discipline, pace, and precisionrequiredto take a new asset from pre-leasing through stabilization. This person must be a confident leader, strong communicator, financially capable, highly organized, and comfortable using data to make smart operational decisions.

At Meritus, we believe that strong property performance begins with strong people, thoughtful care, and meaningful community connection. Our work is guided by our vision pillars:

• Centered on People

• Committed to Care

• Connected by Community

The Lease-Up Property Manager willbe responsible forbringing these pillars to life through team leadership, resident experience, owner communication, operational execution, and financial performance.

Position Summary

The Lease-Up Property Manageris responsible forthe successful opening, lease-up, and operational management of a new multifamily community. This role oversees all aspects of property operations, including leasing velocity, team performance, resident experience, revenue management, budget adherence, financial reporting, vendor oversight, compliance, maintenance coordination, marketing execution, and owner/investor reporting.

This is not a maintenance-only or leasing-only management role. This is a true business leadership position. The successful candidate will understand how tooperatethe property as an asset, lead the site team as a high-performing unit, and make daily decisions that support occupancy, revenue, reputation, and long-term value.

What Makes This Role Exciting

This is an opportunity to lead the full story of a new community from the beginning.

The Lease-Up Property Manager will shape the culture,establishthe operating rhythm, build the resident experience, and help define how the community is introduced to the market. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment, enjoys building systems from the ground up, and takes pride in seeing a property become a vibrant, well-managed community.

The right leader will not simply“manage”the property. They will launch it, own it, and elevate it.

Key Responsibilities

Lease-Up Strategy & Execution

• Lead the community through all phases of lease-up, including pre-opening preparation, pre-leasing, first move-ins, phased building deliveries, stabilization, and transition into steady-state operations.

• Create and execute a disciplined lease-up plan that supports occupancy goals, revenue targets, traffic generation, application conversion, move-in quality, and resident retention.

• Monitor weekly leasing performance, traffic sources, conversion ratios, exposure, available inventory, pricing, concessions, and competitor activity.

• Partner with leadership to evaluate market conditions and recommend leasing strategies, specials, pricing adjustments, outreach plans, and operational improvements.

• Ensure the leasing team is prepared to sell the community with confidence, accuracy, urgency, and hospitality.

• Maintain a high standard for tour quality, follow-up cadence, lead management, application processing, and closing performance.

• Oversee the move-in experience to ensure every new resident receives a smooth, organized, and memorable start to their residency.

• Partner closely with maintenance, construction, ownership, vendors, and internal leadership to manage unit readiness, building delivery coordination, punch list tracking, access control, amenity readiness, signage, and openinglogistics.

Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, train, coach, and lead a high-performing site team during lease-up and stabilization.

• Establish clear expectations, accountability standards, communication rhythms, and performance goals for each team member.

• Build a culture rooted in professionalism, urgency, kindness, ownership, and follow-through.

• Conduct regular team meetings, leasing huddles, one-on-one coaching, and performance check-ins.

• Model the behaviors expected of the team, including responsiveness, resident care, accuracy, organization, and solution-oriented communication.

• Create an environment where team members feel supported, informed, challenged, and proud of the work they do.

• Partner with regional and corporate leadership toidentifytraining needs, remove roadblocks, and ensure the property team has the tools needed to succeed.

Financial Management, Budgeting & Revenue

• Own the property’s financial performance with a strong understanding of budgets, revenue, expenses, delinquency, concessions, loss-to-lease, vacancy loss,bad debt, and NOI impact.

• Prepare, review, and explain monthly financial reporting, variance commentary, leasing performance summaries, budget updates, and operational results.

• Manage the property budget with discipline and accountability, ensuring expenses areappropriate, documented, and aligned with ownership expectations.

• Monitor rent collections, delinquency trends, payment plans, legal activity,bad debt, and resident account accuracy.

• Partner with leadership on revenue management strategy, including pricing recommendations, concession analysis, renewal strategy, market rent adjustments, and exposure management.

• Review and approve invoices, contracts, purchase orders, and property expenses according to company policy.

• Identifyopportunities to improve operational efficiency, increase income, control expenses, and protectasset value.

Yardi, Systems & Reporting