Job Description

Job DetailsJob Location: Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067Position Type: Full TimeSalary Range: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00 Salary/yearJob Category: ELVONS
Role: Onsite Architectural Director
Location: Rancho Sante Fe, CA
Community: Fairbanks Ranch
Pay Range: $85,000 – $95,000 per year (depending on education and experience)
Job Type: Full time
Typical Schedule: This work schedule aligns with clubhouse operating hours, Monday- Friday, 8:30 AM- 5 PM. Additionally, this role will include attendance at monthly board meetings on weekday evenings and attendance at community events on weekends.
Company Summary
RealManage Elevated Onsite is a division of RealManage, a company that specializes in the management of community associations with onsite staff. Our mission is to provide the best possible lifestyle HOA management services to our partner communities by encompassing the Best People, Best Technology, and Best Service reputation of RealManage and its CiraConnect division. The RealManage Elevated Onsite professional staff has decades of experience managing age-restricted communities, luxury high-rise condominiums, co-ops, urban mixed-use, and large-scale single-family developments with complex amenities. Our focus is on customer service and lifestyle for the residents and the boards we serve- ensuring that the community receives the finest management in the industry.
RealManage Elevated Onsite is a values-based company with the following values as our guiding principles:
Integrity: we always do the right thing.
Respect: for our customers, employees and company; mutual respect is the cornerstone for every RealManage relationship.
Selflessness: more than teamwork; we are part of something special and much larger than any of us.
Personal Relationships: we are a professional services company; people do business with people they like.
Always Improving: never satisfied, always learning, and always growing; one is either getting worse or getting better...never staying the same. At RealManage, we are always getting better.
Join RealManage Elevated Onsite fast-growing team where energy, teamwork, innovation, and contribution are highly valued.
Each branch proudly serves a diverse mix of single-family, townhome, and condominium communities.  These community associations are of all sizes, from small communities to large, master-planned communities.
RealManage has earned the prestigious Certified™ recognition from Great Place to Work®, a global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and leadership excellence. This accolade is a testament to the positive feedback from our employees about their RealManage experience.
Community Summary
Fairbanks Ranch is one of Rancho Santa Fe’s most family friendly luxury home neighborhoods with community amenities and 24 hour guard gated security. Fairbanks Ranch was originally owned by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. The custom-built homes range from 3,500-16,000 square feet on well-manicured mostly 1 acre lots. Fairbanks Ranch features a clubhouse, lake, tennis courts and an equestrian center.
Just down the street is the Fairbanks Ranch Club which is a resort-style property that offers the ultimate in hospitality and healthy living—from championship golf and tennis, to our brand-new outdoor pool and “Field of Dreams” sports complex. Skip the indoor gym and discover this one-of-a-kind club that captures everything there is to love about life in sunny Southern California!
Role Summary
The Onsite Architectural Director is the senior staff lead for the Fairbanks Ranch HOA’s private lot oversight function, responsible for managing both architectural improvement review and private lot maintenance enforcement. The role integrates the responsibilities typically found in a municipal Community Development Manager, City Planner, and Code Compliance Manager, managing homeowner submittals, coordinating ECC meetings, leading field inspections, and ensuring consistent enforcement and procedural transparency. This position is central to maintaining design harmony and safety standards in Fairbanks Ranch and plays a critical role in cross-departmental coordination, policy alignment, and Board support.
Responsibilities
Oversight of the Private Lot Maintenance Administration staff and Environmental Control Administration staff in their roles.
Serve as primary staff liaison to the ECC and assist in preparing agendas, staff reports, hearing packets, and minutes.
Coordinate ECC’s dual-track meeting structures when improvement and maintenance items require separate review.
Support transparent decision-making by ensuring clear documentation, homeowner notices, and records compliance.
Communicate proactively with residents, architects, and contractors to maintain trust, reduce violations, and improve plan quality.
Maintain architectural guidelines and enforcement procedures; recommend revisions based on trends, appeals, or legal input to the ECC and to the Board for adoption.
Provide guidance to the ECC so their decisions align with governing documents, Civil Code requirements, and best practices in design enforcement.
Lead quality control and procedural consistency, ensuring that all reviews, notices, and decisions are recorded, filed, and follow due process.
Collaborate with legal counsel and departments (e.g., Maintenance, Fire Safety, Rules Enforcement) on overlapping issues.
Manage the end-to-end review process for all private lot improvements, including new builds, remodels, repainting, landscape changes, and hardscape.
Evaluate submittals for compliance with CC&Rs, architectural guidelines, and HOA policies; recommend homeowner revision or adjustment to their submittals to facilitate compliance.
Prepare and present formal staff reports for ECC review, including site history, precedent, and legal citations.
Support applicants by guiding design standards, drainage, material selection, and procedural requirements.
Confirm post-approval compliance through inspections and closure verification.
Supervise enforcement actions for violation enforcement, including fire hazards, tree conditions, erosion, and nuisance upkeep.
Direct the Private Lot Administrator in identifying violations visible from common areas, public roads, or trails, in accordance with HOA policy.
Document findings and initiate staff reports for ECC direction on warnings, hearings, or escalations.
Recommend enforcement options and assist in referring unresolved cases to the Rules Enforcement Committee or Board, maintaining procedural accuracy.
Disclaimer
This description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties. The employee may perform other duties as assigned to meet the ongoing needs of the organization. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of this position.
Qualifications
Minimum 5 years of experience in municipal planning, architectural review, or HOA compliance for a large-scale, master-planned, and/or luxury low-density association.
Knowledge of California HOA law, CC&Rs, the Davis-Stirling Act, and due process requirements.
Strong writing, interpretation, and enforcement judgment for policies, staff reports, and notices.
Experience managing enforcement staff and coordinating cross-functional governance processes.
Working knowledge of land use and architectural review processes, resident and community engagement, governing document review, and understanding.
Strong conflict resolution and communication skills.
Strong people management and customer service skills.
Strong technology utilization skills are mandatory.
Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and work on a computer.
Ability to occasionally stand, walk, bend, or reach as needed.
Ability to lift or move objects up to 10–15 pounds (e.g., files, office supplies).
Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, telephone, and other office equipment.
Visual acuity to read printed materials, spreadsheets, and computer screens.
Hearing and speech ability to communicate effectively in person, by phone, and in virtual meetings.
Ability to work in a standard office environment with moderate noise levels.
Ability to work a standard schedule, with occasional extended hours as required.
Pay and Benefits
$85,000 - $95,000 salary per year (depending on experience)
Benefits Include
Medical Insurance - Company will pay the premium for Employee Only Tier on the HSA plan
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life and Disability Insurance
HSA (Required High-Deductible Medical Plan to be eligible)
FSA account for health-related expenses
FSA account for dependent care expenses
Education Reimbursement for industry related classes
401K match after 1 year
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
9 paid holidays and 2 floating holidays
EEO & Values Statement
RealManage is a values‑based, equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.