Lead HVAC Technician

About the Company

Thrive Property Mx, LLC is part of the Thrive Asset Mx, Inc. brand portfolio, a vertically integrated real estate investment and operating platform based in Milwaukee. We own and operate our own multifamily portfolio, and we provide property management for owners across the city, from single-family homes, duplexes, and fourplexes to 40-unit apartment buildings. We take pride in maintaining clean, well-run buildings where residents feel respected and cared for.

We’re already a state-certified HVAC contractor, and we run a full-service maintenance shop in-house. We’re also a tech-forward company, rolling out smart access control, security cameras, and connected building systems across our properties.

We are a hands-on, fast-moving team — not a corporate bureaucracy. Strong performers are trusted, supported, and given real responsibility. Leadership is accessible, present, and invested in the people doing the work.

If you’re a skilled tradesperson who wants steady, year-round work, variety in the buildings and systems you work on, and real ownership of what you maintain, this is that environment.

About the Role

We’re hiring a Lead HVAC Technician, a licensed boiler specialist, to own the heating systems across the properties we own and manage in Milwaukee, starting with installing and replacing boilers in-house. Our apartment buildings run on both steam boilers and hot-water (hydronic) boilers, so you need real, hands-on experience with both. As our management business grows, you’ll also work on forced-air furnaces, AC, and mini-splits in the duplexes, small multifamily buildings, and single-family homes we manage. You’ll be the person our buildings depend on for heat: installs, startups, seasonal maintenance, and no-heat calls.

HVAC comes first, but our buildings don’t need HVAC work 40 hours a week, every week, and we’re a full maintenance shop that does just about everything in-house. When the heat is running fine, you’ll join our CapEx team on building technology projects like data and internet networks, security cameras, access control, and smart thermostats. You’ll also dig into plumbing, electrical troubleshooting, gas work, and renovation and carpentry on unit turns. That means steady, full-time, year-round hours, not a schedule that rises and falls with the weather.

This is a full-time, field-based position, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with occasional after-hours response to no-heat emergencies during heating season. You’ll move between properties across Milwaukee and report to our Facilities leadership.

What You'll Do

• Install and replace both steam and hot-water (hydronic) boilers, including sizing, near-boiler piping, venting, gas connections, controls, and startup
• Maintain steam systems: water levels and sight glasses, low-water cutoff blowdowns, steam traps, air vents, and pressure controls
• Maintain hot-water systems: purging air, circulators, expansion tanks, zone valves, and system pressure
• Commission new equipment: combustion analysis, safety controls (low-water cutoffs, relief valves), and startup documentation
• Coordinate permits and inspections, including City of Milwaukee mechanical permits and state boiler registration and inspection
• Diagnose and repair no-heat calls: ignition, circulators, zone valves, thermostats, expansion tanks, air and water-level issues
• Perform seasonal preventive maintenance on boilers, forced-air furnaces, water heaters, and AC and mini-split equipment across every building type we manage
• Handle all refrigerant work in compliance with EPA Section 608
• Advise leadership on repair-vs-replace decisions and help scope HVAC capital projects across the portfolio
• Keep accurate records of equipment, service history, and parts, with photos and notes in our field apps
• When HVAC work is slow, join our CapEx team on technology projects: data and internet networks, security camera installs, access control, and smart thermostats
• Pitch in on plumbing and electrical troubleshooting, gas work, appliance repair, and renovation and carpentry on unit turns
• Lead our HVAC work with a tech assigned to assist you and learn the trade. Train them on hot-water and steam systems: what to check, what to flag, and when to call you

Who This Role Is For

Strong fit if you:

• Have real, hands-on experience with both steam and hot-water (hydronic) boilers, not just forced-air furnaces
• Want steady, year-round hours instead of the feast-or-famine of seasonal install work
• Would rather fix it right than sell a replacement — there are no sales quotas here
• Are a versatile tradesperson who’s comfortable picking up a pipe wrench, a cable crimper, or a drill when the heat is running fine
• Get excited about building technology: smart thermostats, networks, cameras, and access control
• Take ownership of systems — you’ll know every boiler we own and manage
• Enjoy variety: steam in one building, hot water in the next, forced air in a duplex down the street

Not a Fit For You

• Want to do HVAC only, 40 hours a week, and nothing else
• Are looking for a commission-driven residential sales and service role
• Have forced-air experience only, or have worked on steam or hot-water systems but not both

Qualifications

• Active Wisconsin HVAC Qualifier certification (required)
• Close? If you have 4+ years of documented HVAC experience and are ready to sit for the Qualifier exam, apply anyway. We’ll cover your exam fee.
• Hands-on experience installing and servicing both steam and hot-water (hydronic) boilers in residential or multifamily buildings (required)
• EPA Section 608 certification (preferred; required for any refrigerant work)
• Working knowledge of Wisconsin mechanical and boiler codes and Milwaukee permitting
• Comfortable with gas appliance connections, venting, combustion analyzers, manometers, and multimeters
• Solid electrical troubleshooting on control circuits, motors, and safeties
• Valid driver’s license and reliable personal vehicle (required — you’ll be moving between properties daily). A company truck is available for hauling equipment and materials.
• Personal cell phone for daily coordination and photo documentation (required)
• Able to lift 75 lbs and work in basements, crawl spaces, and mechanical rooms
• Authorized to work in the United States
• A strong plus: smart thermostat, low-voltage, networking, camera, or access control experience; forced-air and AC experience; multifamily or property management experience; manufacturer training on high-efficiency boilers; or plumbing, carpentry, or general renovation skills
• Final candidates complete a hands-on skills assessment on our equipment

Pay

• With an active Wisconsin HVAC Qualifier: $40–$42/hour to start, based on experience
• $10,000 sign-on bonus for Qualifier holders: $2,500 after 90 days, then $1,000/month until paid in full
• Working toward the Qualifier: hired as HVAC Technician at $32–$35/hour, based on your skills assessment
• Promotion to Lead HVAC Technician at $40/hour once you pass the Qualifier exam
• Monthly fuel stipend for travel between properties

Benefits & Growth

• Group health insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid time off
• Uniform provided
• Full-time, year-round hours
• Room to build out an HVAC team as our management business expands

A Final Note

We’re a small, growing company that takes care of our people. We hire carefully because we want this to be a long-term fit — not a revolving door. If you know boilers, take pride in your work, and like being the go-to person for the systems you own, you’ll thrive here.

Apply now!