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Service Manager for Lease-Up and New Development Recruiters

Real Estate Headhunters: You face a critical decision during a lease-up: hire a service manager who simply reacts to broken toilets or one who enforces construction standards. Before we search for your candidate, we ask whether you require someone to audit electrical and plumbing installations against your original architectural schematics. You need someone to identify installation errors while the general contractor still has a crew on-site. Without this technical oversight, you risk absorbing substantial repair costs that should remain with your construction partners.

This is what we do all day: recruit property management and real estate professionals.

You are finishing a new construction project and face the risk of costly, permanent defects being ignored by your general contractor.

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.

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Property ManagersCommunity ManagersRegional Property ManagersLeasing ConsultantsMaintenance TechniciansCommunity Association ManagersConciergeCompliance ManagersBuilding EngineersProperty Accountants

01 / The decision

What does this hire really come down to?

You face a critical decision during a lease-up: hire a service manager who simply reacts to broken toilets or one who enforces construction standards. Before we search for your candidate, we ask whether you require someone to audit electrical and plumbing installations against your original architectural schematics. You need someone to identify installation errors while the general contractor still has a crew on-site. Without this technical oversight, you risk absorbing substantial repair costs that should remain with your construction partners.

When you start the hiring process, you must decide what control you retain over unit quality. Do you expect this hire to document every punch list item and manage the warranty filing process for new appliances? We search for people who understand how to configure building automation systems and lighting controls from scratch. We need to know if you want a leader who establishes the entire maintenance infrastructure, including tool procurement, shop organization, and vendor access protocols for your property.

Your operational budget depends on how effectively this person manages the transition from construction to occupancy. We identify candidates who have proven they can report on equipment performance, energy metrics, and outstanding warranty claims. You must decide if you want someone who acts as your field representative to verify that mechanical systems are fully commissioned before move-in. We ask about their experience tracking serial numbers and managing the initial deployment of work order software to ensure data accuracy.

02 / Questions

What do we check before you see anyone?

  1. 01Does the candidate have verified experience managing punch list transitions from active construction sites to operational building systems for new residential developments?
  2. 02Can the candidate read and interpret mechanical, electrical, and plumbing schematics to detect installation errors before the general contractor finishes their project?
  3. 03Has the candidate successfully launched a new maintenance management software system from zero data to fully functional site operations for a property?
  4. 04Does the candidate have experience maintaining complex modern amenity systems like rooftop pools, fitness centers, and integrated smart building access control hardware?
  5. 05Can the candidate coordinate with general contractors to force the resolution of punch list deficiencies before the developer closes out the site?
  6. 06Does the candidate track appliance serial numbers and warranty claims to prevent charging your ownership group for repairs covered by installation contracts?

03 / Context

Where do we find people who are not applying?

  • We identify professionals with this background in large-scale residential construction firms and property management companies that specialize in rapid lease-ups. These individuals often seek new roles when their current project reaches full stabilization and their expertise in commissioning new systems is no longer required. They look for opportunities where they can apply their technical knowledge to build new maintenance operations from the ground up, moving from one development project to the next to manage initial site physical standards.
  • You will find these specialists working within firms that handle third-party property management for institutional owners of new construction assets. They move between projects when the construction phase concludes and the building is sold or transitioned to a permanent management team. They often desire a change when they want to lead the setup of a new building, moving away from sites that have entered a stabilized routine because they prefer the technical complexity of new building commissioning and initial warranty management.

04 / Pitfalls

Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?

  • Failing to document punch list items before the general contractor leaves the site leaves you responsible for paying for initial construction installation errors.
  • Ignoring specific appliance manufacturer warranty requirements leads to wasted maintenance hours and unnecessary service costs that should be billed back to the installer.
  • Assuming a lease-up requires the same skills as a stabilized property leads to disorganized shops and lost data during your critical initial occupancy.

05 / Next steps

Your search in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Establish Shop Protocols

    We define the infrastructure for your property by sourcing someone who creates inventory lists, develops tool storage workflows, and sets vendor access rules to ensure that your maintenance operations function with maximum efficiency from your first day.

  2. 2

    Perform Unit Inspections

    We qualify candidates based on their ability to conduct detailed walkthroughs of every residential unit, verifying that all utility metering, plumbing, and electrical installations align with your approved architectural plans and all local code requirements.

  3. 3

    Manage Warranty Claims

    We look for individuals who categorize every piece of equipment and appliance by serial number, creating a structured system to file claims with contractors for any defects discovered during your initial building occupancy period.

06 / Questions

What do owners ask before they hire?

How long will the hiring process take for this specialist?

We begin our search immediately by targeting individuals who are finishing current projects. We provide you with candidate updates as soon as we identify someone whose specific technical experience matches your current construction status.

What happens if a top candidate receives a counteroffer?

Candidates often leave their current roles because they want to work on a new project rather than maintaining a finished building. We focus on people who are ready for the challenge of building a new site from scratch.

Does this role fit my property if it is a mid-rise or high-rise?

We scope the assignment based on the specific mechanical and amenity complexity of your building. We ensure the candidate has experience with the specific systems installed in your property, whether it is high-rise or garden-style.

What is the expected scope for this hire?

This role covers the transition from construction to stabilization, including punch list management and team training. We define the exact responsibilities based on your site's unique mechanical systems and your current project timeline.

When is the recruiting fee payable?

Our service functions as a permanent placement contingency. You pay only if you hire a candidate for your development project with fees and terms defined in your signed client recruiting agreement.

When do we pay the recruiting fee?

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire under the standard contingency agreement. The signed agreement sets the terms; read the fee page before authorizing the search.

How long does it take to see a short list?

The scope of the job, candidate availability and your interview decisions affect the search. We explain the market response and agree next steps rather than promise a numeric deadline.

What if our chosen candidate gets a counteroffer?

We ask about the reasons for a move before an introduction. You still need a clear offer and an honest account of the job; an increase in pay alone may not resolve why someone considered leaving.

What are the replacement terms?

We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.

What do you not do?

We do not sell job-board reposting or send an unqualified resume stack. Standard permanent search is not hourly consulting or a retained assignment. Different engagements require agreed terms.

Next step

Send Us Your Open Role

Role, work email and phone is all we need to start. Details about your company and the job are optional.

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.

We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.

Who do you need?

No job post. Tell us the role and we come back with a short, qualified shortlist. No upfront fee.

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What happens next

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Our process

What do you get from The Six-Step Search?

Real Estate Headhunters begins with the decisions behind your vacancy, not an advert. You get a clear brief, a mapped candidate pool and evidence from direct conversations. We help you distinguish an interested person from a qualified fit, then support interviews and the decision without promising a completion date.

  1. 1

    Search Calibration

    A brief that settles the operating problem, reporting line, location, compensation and who can approve the hire.

  2. 2

    Market Mapping

    A view of relevant working backgrounds, asset types and experience rather than a search based only on titles.

  3. 3

    Professional Contact Intelligence

    Direct ways to approach relevant people respectfully, without relying on applications or exposing a confidential vacancy.

  4. 4

    Persistent Personalized Outreach

    A conversation about your actual role, with follow-up that establishes whether a move is worth discussing.

  5. 5

    Live Candidate Qualification

    Evidence about responsibilities, relevant results, systems and the practical reasons someone would accept the move.

  6. 6

    Candidate Intelligence and Process Support

    A short list with context for interviews, objections and decisions, not a stack of unexplained resumes.

Send Us Your Open Role

CAM has different meanings. NAA CAM is the Certified Apartment Manager credential. The Florida community association manager license is a separate license, cited here as an example of state licensing. In commercial budgets, CAM means common area maintenance. We check the credential or license relevant to the opening, where the state requires it.

Which related pages help with this opening?