Assistant Property Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Most entry points in commercial real estate are dead ends with a title. This one isn't. Terra Firma is a boutique commercial property management firm — 35 associations, built entirely on referrals — and we're looking for the person who wants to learn this business from the inside and grow into running a portfolio of their own.

Terra Firma handles commercial condo association management in the Phoenix metro. We're not a national firm with a 200-person team and a ticket queue. We're a small, high-standards operation where every person's work shows up directly in the client experience — and where the right person learns more in a year than they would in five years at a bigger company.

We're hiring an Assistant Property Manager. The job is real work — administrative, operational, and coordination-heavy. It's the foundation of understanding how commercial association management actually functions. The people who succeed here treat it like a residency: they pay attention, ask questions, and figure out how everything connects.

WHAT THE WORK ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

This is an in-office, detail-intensive role. You'll coordinate maintenance technician scheduling, support accounts payable and receivable, assist with property documentation and records, and handle general office operations. Multiple things will be moving at the same time. Some of it is repetitive. Some of it is urgent.

There is no single responsibility that takes up your whole day. You'll move between tasks — a vendor call here, a data entry project there, a filing backlog that needs to get done before the board meeting. The job requires someone who is organized enough to manage a shifting task list and accountable enough to make sure nothing disappears.

You will not be managing boards on day one. You'll be building the foundation to do it later — by understanding how the administrative and operational side of this business works first. That's not a limitation. That's the point.

If you're looking for a passive role where the work comes to you and someone else sets the priorities — this isn't it. If you want to learn commercial property management from the ground up, in a firm small enough that your work actually matters, keep reading.

WHO BELONGS HERE

Care Like an Owner

The properties in this portfolio are someone's investment. You handle every task — including the administrative ones nobody sees — knowing that accuracy matters, responsiveness matters, and the people who trust us with their buildings are paying attention. You don't cut corners because it's the end of the day.

Figure It Out

When you hit something unfamiliar — a vendor question you don't know the answer to, a process you haven't done before — you find the answer. You don't wait for someone to hand it to you. The team here covered a member's entire workload without being asked when someone left. That's the default.

Bring the Energy

Small offices run on energy. Clients who call in tense leave calm because the person on the phone was actually present and helpful. Teammates bring more when the people around them bring more. You don't drain the room — you add to it.

Solid Ground

When you say something is done, it's done. When a deadline is Tuesday, you're not asking for an extension on Wednesday. The reputation Terra Firma has built on referrals — the responsiveness, the thoroughness — starts with the people who answer the phones and keep the records.

PAY AND PATH

Starting salary: $70,000 - $75,000/year based on experience.

Where it goes: full Property Manager at Terra Firma earns $85,000–$105,000+ base with commission and bonus. The path from here to there is real, and it's supported, structured training, Arizona RE License support (we cover the costs), and a direct line to managing your own portfolio as the business grows.

First formal pay review at 6 months.

Benefits: health insurance, HSA, PTO, pet insurance, travel and phone reimbursement, RE license and certification support, bonus structure

WHY TERRA FIRMA

• A small firm where your work shows up — you're not one of 50 assistants
• Structured career path from Assistant PM to full Property Manager, with company support for licensing and certification
• A team that actually lives its values — Tracy and Jackie set the standard; the review that says "they strive for perfection in everything they touch" didn't come from nowhere
• A business actively growing toward $3M — there is room here for the right person to grow with it
• A company culture that protects its team — when a client was running the team ragged with unreasonable demands, we fired the client

THE HIRING PROCESS

• If your background fits, a 15-minute phone call.
• A few written questions — reply by email, about 15 minutes.
• A 45-minute face-to-face interview.
• A working session at our office — see how we operate and meet the team.
• If it's a fit — welcome to the team.

If you read this far and recognized yourself in the "who belongs here" section — that's not an accident. Apply.

$70,000 - $75,000 yearly

• Coordinate maintenance technician scheduling — manage the schedule, track open work orders, and follow up on outstanding items so nothing falls through the cracks.
• Support accounts payable and receivable — process invoices, flag discrepancies, and maintain accurate financial records.
• Own documentation and records — data entry, filing, and record management are accurate, current, and accessible when needed.
• Assist Property Managers with projects, research, and client-facing tasks — understand what they need before they have to ask.
• Manage general office operations — correspondence, phone coverage, vendor communications, and administrative projects handled without reminders.
• Participate in structured property management training — learn the full operational and legal framework for commercial association management with the goal of advancing to full Property Manager.

Required:

• Proficiency in Excel and Microsoft Office.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work in the office, Mon–Fri 8:30–4:30.

You do NOT need:

• Arizona Real Estate License — the company supports acquisition.
• Yardi experience — we train on this.
• Existing commercial PM experience — 2+ years preferred, right entry-level candidate considered.
• A specific degree — demonstrated skills and work ethic matter more.

Terra Firma Property Management handles commercial condo association management in the Phoenix metro — and we've grown to 35 properties entirely on referrals, with no marketing. Boards and owners come to us because someone burned by an inattentive firm asked around, and Terra Firma was the name that kept coming up. Our edge is the boutique model: personal attention, real responsiveness, and the fact that clients can actually reach us. We're a small team built around high standards and a culture where the work gets done without being told. If that's the environment you do your best work in, this is where you belong.