Property Manager — Retail Shopping Centers

Location: Chicago, IL (Western Suburbs) — office-based with regular travel to properties across the Chicago area

Pay Rate: $75,000–$85,000 base salary (based on experience), plus a discretionary year-end bonus

Overview

Our client is a family-owned retail real estate company with decades of history and a multi-state portfolio of grocery-anchored and community shopping centers — the neighborhood centers people count on for groceries, everyday essentials, and local services. They run those centers with an unusual combination of hands-on care and a technology-forward mindset: a data-driven operation with prop-tech, data, and AI tools, paired with a genuine commitment to the communities their centers serve.

Chicago is one of the company's fastest-growing markets. The local portfolio has expanded significantly over the past few years, more centers are on the way, and the team needs another Property Manager to keep pace. This seat sits on a small, close-knit Chicago team alongside the Regional Property Manager and an Operations Assistant — which means real visibility, real ownership, and a scope that grows right along with the portfolio.

Day-to-Day

• Day-to-day operations across a multi-center Chicago-area portfolio — walking sites regularly to make sure every center meets company standards for physical condition, performance, and tenant experience
• Building and managing operating and capital budgets, and keeping expenses under control
• Running capital projects from planning through completion
• Serving as the primary relationship for tenants, vendors, and community stakeholders
• Sourcing and managing vendors and third-party service contracts — there's no in-house maintenance team, so the Property Manager is the hub that keeps every site running
• Providing leasing insight on tenant performance and center dynamics (leasing itself is handled by a dedicated leasing team)
• Partnering closely with accounting, marketing, and leasing — accounting owns CAM reconciliations and rent collection, so the Property Manager can stay focused on the properties
• Keeping properties compliant with legal, regulatory, and environmental requirements, and responding to after-hours emergencies when they arise
• The Property Manager will work day to day in Excel, Outlook, and a cloud-based AP/invoice approval platform.

Compensation & Perks

• Base salary: $75,000–$85,000, based on experience
• Discretionary year-end bonus, awarded at the company holiday party
• Mileage reimbursement for travel between properties
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM (40 hours/week), with occasional after-hours emergency response
• Medical coverage with a fully company-paid HMO option, plus a PPO buy-up
• Dental, vision, and FSA
• Company-provided life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Benefits navigation and virtual care tools to help employees get the most out of their coverage
• 401(k) with a 50% company match on the first 6% contributed
• A social, collaborative culture — team potlucks, birthday lunches, and company events, etc
• Real growth runway: as the Chicago portfolio grows, so does the role, with a path toward a Senior Property Manager title

Requirements

• Commercial property management experience — retail or shopping center experience strongly preferred, though strong commercial backgrounds without retail will be considered.
• Experienced Assistant Commercial Property Managers who are ready to step into a full Property Manager seat are encouraged to apply
• Hands-on experience with budgeting, vendor management, and capital projects
• Illinois real estate license
• Based in Chicago's western suburbs and comfortable driving between multiple properties throughout the week
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation
• Residential-only property management backgrounds will not be a fit for this role

Nice to have:

• Retail real estate or facilities experience from the tenant side — for example, with a national off-price or value-focused retail chain
• Shopping center management experience in the Chicago market
• Comfort with prop-tech, data, and AI tools

Background check and credit check required.

This is not a remote position — this role is office-based with regular in-person travel to properties across the Chicago area. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Our client is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.