Director of Property Management

Coves; Laguna Beach (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Coves is seeking a seasoned Director of Property Management to lead day-to-day operations across our 1,500-unit portfolio. This player-coach role blends hands-on leadership with strategic oversight, onboarding new properties, and driving service excellence.

You will train and guide a team of property managers, maintain strong owner communications, and oversee budgets, reporting, and NOI growth. Local CA compliance and hands-on execution are essential.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in property management, including 3+ years leading property managers or a multi-site portfolio.
• Experience with both single-family rentals and multifamily properties.
• Hands-on experience building and managing property budgets.
• Hands-on experience with owner communication and follow-up.
• Hands-on experience with financial reporting, including monthly owner statements.
• Proficiency with AppFolio or a similar property management system (Yardi, Buildium, Rent Manager)
• Strong working knowledge of California landlord-tenant and fair housing law.
• Valid California driver’s license and reliable transportation to visit properties.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations across the full portfolio and the team that runs it.
• Hire, train, and lead property managers, assistants, and maintenance staff.
• Oversee leasing, rent collection, renewals, move-ins/move-outs, and evictions across single-family and multifamily properties.
• Manage maintenance, unit turns, work orders, vendor contracts, and capital projects.
• Keep every property compliant with California landlord-tenant and fair housing law.

Skills

Property management

Leadership

Budgeting

Owner communication

Financial reporting

Education

California DRE license or willingness to obtain

CPM/ARM/CAMRI designation

Tools

AppFolio

Yardi

Buildium

Rent Manager

Job description

Coves is a growing property management company overseeing about 1,500 units across single-family rentals, third-party multifamily properties, and a portfolio of company-owned multifamily buildings. We're small enough that leadership knows every property by name, and we're growing fast enough that the right person can shape how we operate for years to come.

We're looking for a hands-on leader to build the systems, team, and standards that will carry us through our next phase of growth.

The Role

We're looking for a seasoned property management leader who has seen it all and knows the next step when problems come up. As Director of Property Management, you'll lead day-to-day operations across our full portfolio and the team that runs it, reporting to ownership.

This is a player-coach role. You'll train and lead the team while staying hands-on yourself: stepping into tough owner conversations, solving escalated issues, and onboarding new properties as we grow past 1,500 units.

What your will do

Lead the team

• Hire, train, and lead property managers, assistants, and maintenance staff
• Coach by doing: work alongside your team on hard problems and show them how to solve them
• Set clear goals, portfolio assignments, and workloads; run regular performance reviews
• Build a culture of accountability, follow-through, and great service
• Oversee leasing, rent collection, renewals, move-ins and move-outs, and evictions across single-family and multifamily properties
• Manage maintenance, unit turns, work orders, vendor contracts, and capital projects
• Keep every property compliant with California landlord-tenant and fair housing law

Own financial performance

• Build and manage property budgets for both client-owned and company-owned properties
• Prepare and review monthly owner financial reports, and explain the numbers clearly
• Track occupancy, delinquency, turnover, and expense KPIs, and act on what they show
• Find ways to grow NOI and reduce costs, especially on our owned multifamily properties

Serve owners

• Be the senior point of contact for property owners and investors
• Keep owners informed with proactive updates and consistent follow-up
• Resolve escalated issues with residents, owners, and vendors

Onboard properties and build for growth

• Lead onboarding of new properties: owner setup, AppFolio setup, inspections, resident communication, and handoff to the team
• Standardize policies, procedures, and checklists so every new property starts the same way
• Get the most out of AppFolio and our other systems
• Partner with leadership on new business and taking on new portfolios

What you bring

Required

• 7+ years in property management, including 3+ years leading property managers or a multi-site portfolio
• Experience with both single-family rentals and multifamily properties
• Hands-on experience building and managing property budgets
• Hands-on experience with owner communication and follow-up
• Hands-on experience with financial reporting, including monthly owner statements
• Proficiency with AppFolio or a similar property management system (Yardi, Buildium, Rent Manager)
• Proven track record onboarding new properties and training staff
• Strong working knowledge of California landlord-tenant and fair housing law
• A valid California driver's license and reliable transportation to visit properties

Nice to have

• Experience managing owner-occupied or company-owned assets with an eye on long-term value
• CPM, ARM, or CAMRI designation
• California DRE real estate license (or willingness to obtain one)
• Experience scaling operations at a growing company

Compensation

• Salary: $85,000 – $110,000 per year, plus performance bonus