Culdesac is a real estate developer and neighborhood manager of walkable, mixed-use communities designed to embrace a culture of belonging, transportation freedom, and thriving local businesses. We built Culdesac Tempe, the first car-free community built from scratch in the US. Located directly on the light rail in Tempe, Arizona, it is already home to over 350 residents and 23 local businesses, and it will have 1000+ residents at completion. Culdesac is the co-developer and tech-enabled property manager.
Learn more about our vision, our product, and how we are changing how people live, work, and move:
Watch An immersive look at life in our car-free neighborhood by Hard Reset
Read Living Car-free in Arizona, on Purpose and Happily by The New York Times
Read America's "First Car-Free Neighborhood" by Dwell
Watch Blueprint for Environmentally Friendly, Car-Free Living on PBS NewsHour
Listen to the conversation about designed environments to improve healthspan, mobility, and positive habits - Ryan Johnson and hall-of-fame basketball player Steve Nash on the Good Traffic podcast
We’re headquartered in Tempe, AZ, founded in 2018. CEO Ryan Johnson was on the founding team of Opendoor and has managed property since 2003. Our investors include Khosla Ventures (led OpenAI’s seed round), Lennar (#2 U.S. homebuilder), Zigg Capital, and Y Combinator.
The Role
Culdesac is looking for a General Manager to help with our mission and manage our community. The role includes traditional multifamily property management aspects, plus retail, event, mobility and community aspects. You will lead the operations (including marketing, leasing, maintenance, site upkeep, retail, events, and amenities), and ensure an exceptional experience for our residents and visitors. You will manage and operate Culdesac Tempe and La Paloma in addition to leading an onsite team.
You will lead a team of onsite staff, using your experience in interviewing, hiring, and training team members.
You will maintain the company's brand by delivering quality in-person and virtual experiences when responding to customer needs and resolving issues.
You will ensure that the appearance and physical aspects of the property meet our established standards.
You will manage vendors, consultants, and other contractors from negotiation to quality control and invoice processing.
You will ensure that Culdesac Tempe meets operational, financial, and business performance goals by inspecting properties, reviewing financial, market, and operational reports, and developing and implementing appropriate action plans to achieve results.
You will organize and own natural disaster and emergency evacuation plans as well as manage the property and associated safety records, property loss claims, and risk management initiatives.
The Requirements
While this list represents what we are ideally looking for, we encourage you to apply even if your resume includes strengths and experiences that don’t match everything listed here.
You have experience managing the day-to-day operations of a property and community , which includes systems and space for both residential and commercial spaces.
You have experience with leasing both residential and retail , including pricing, marketing, and logistics.
You have experience managing vendors and a team of direct reports. You are organized, with a proven system for prioritizing work, tracking deadlines, and ensuring timely completion of all assigned tasks.
You have experience managing and promoting events.
You have experience managing, or at least a deep knowledge of, modern mobility technologies (Waymo, Lyft, ebikes, etc).
You have a strong understanding of ADRE requirements, Landlord Tenant Act, Fair Housing Act, and AZ Admin Codes.
You are a self-starter that’s comfortable operating in an ambiguous environment and able to make smart decisions quickly using both data and strong emotional intelligence.
You prioritize a lifestyle leveraging public transportation, micromobility , and other alternatives to private cars.
Physical Requirements
We will make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. These functions include, but are not limited to:
Ability to lift, push and pull up to 25 pounds.
Ability to walk around the property several times daily, up to 10 miles a day.
Ability to walk on uneven surfaces.
Ability to climb several flights of stairs several times daily.
Hearing and visual ability to observe and detect signs of emergency required.
Must be able to sit, stand, reach, bend and stoop for extended periods of time.
Ability to use standard maintenance equipment.
Visual requirements including color, depth perception, and field vision.
Benefits & Perks
🏥 Benefits Package - Includes options for medical, dental, and vision.
🐣 Parental Leave - Up to 12 weeks paid time off for qualifying events.
🏦 401K Savings
🚲 Mobility Stipend - Up to $500 to invest in employee micro-mobility setup (e.g., e-bike, e-scooter, micro-mobility accessories).
🛴 Car-Free Commuter Benefit - $200 per month paid by Culdesac. Tempe employees only.
💰 Eligible for participation in performance-based commission plan in accordance with company policy.
🏡 On-Site Living Discount - 30% discount on base rent for 1 unit at a Culdesac-managed property.
Our Story
Culdesac Tempe isn't a typical multifamily property. Here's our vision for the community:
Imagine a community where neighbors know each other by name.
Think of a neighborhood where shared spaces lead to new connections.
Where you can retreat into quiet nooks or step out into lively city blocks.
Where courtyards, parks, and shops are vibrant and full of energy.
Where you’re never far from good friends or spontaneous new encounters.
Where easy connections to public transit, rideshare, and ebikes are at your fingertips.
This is a community designed to connect.
It’s not just by chance, it’s part of the blueprint.
To connect residents to one another. Connect businesses to communities. Connect people to their city.
Every path leads not just to a destination, but connections to moments that mean the most.
It’s more than a place you go once, but where, each day, you make space for quality time.
Not just where you’re welcome, but where you can call home.
This is life where everything connects.
Culdesac
Life where everything connects
Our Values
At Culdesac, we:
Work as a team
Be inclusive, drawing on the strengths of people who bring a different perspective.
Find ways to work together that overcome disciplinary and geographic separations.
Act from ownership
Be output oriented. When we see a problem, we roll up our sleeves and fix it.
Don’t let blockers stop you from seeing your work through to the end.
Rule 0, then iterate
Don’t start from scratch: learn from our own and others’ previous attempts.
Before mass private car ownership, all cities were models of walkability. We learn from the designs of the past and make them beautiful and relevant to today.
Then, we learn from our own designs to continually improve.
Design for humans
Ask people for feedback and observe behavior. Only users know if we’re creating value for them.
Human paradoxes and contradictions are our opportunity to create joy.
Respect the limits of what we can know and plan. In the complex organism of a city, emergent behavior rules.
Create and capture value
Focus on what our residents value: profitability is essential for sustainability and allows us to scale.
Great places create positive externalities for ourselves and our neighbors, unlike the negative externalities of cars.
We build value by executing on the fundamentals and excelling at mobility, community, and open space.
Next Steps
If you think Culdesac might be a good fit, we encourage you to apply!
A 15-minute call with a recruiter to understand your high-level background and cover logistics & expectations.
A 45-minute take home assignment.
A 30-minute video call with our Head of People overviewing how you would fit in Culdesac’s mission, vision, and culture, and review your take home assignment.
A 30-minute in-person interview with our CEO to share more in-depth about the project and upcoming needs. You will also have the chance to meet other current team members.
A 30-minute video call with our CIO to understand your property management and customer service background and experience.
At each step, we leave time for you to ask us questions. When you receive an offer, our CEO will meet with you to talk a bit more about the company, the details of your offer, and any questions you may have. We look forward to hearing from you!
Culdesac is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
