An appliance repair operations manager runs the field each day: building routes, matching each call to a tech with the right skills and brand training, and chasing the parts jobs are waiting on. They also review callbacks and keep the customer informed when a repair needs a second trip.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, household goods repair shops · BLS, May 2025
The Operations Manager plays a critical role in our organization, overseeing the successful execution of all aspects of our appliance repair operations. This position is responsible for ensuring our teams are running efficiently, our customers are satisfied, and our resources are effectively utilized.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Allocate technical staff to service calls based on skills, location, and severity of appliance issue.
Streamline scheduling of service appointments to optimize efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Manage resources to ensure all operations run smoothly and within budget.
Monitor staff performance and provide guidance and training as necessary.
Implement strategies for operational excellence to drive business growth.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Coordinating and scheduling service appointments.
Overseeing technician assignments and ensuring all service calls are completed in a timely manner.
Monitoring equipment usage and inventory.
Liaising with customers to ensure their needs are met and resolving any issues or complaints.
Implementing and reviewing operational policies and procedures.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per hour: $150
Callback %: <5%
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars
Efficiency of resource allocation: >90%
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Management or related field.
Minimum of 5 years experience in operation management, preferably in the appliance repair industry.
Excellent leadership and team management skills.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency in resource allocation and scheduling software.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the appliance repair industry.
Familiarity with customer relationship management (CRM) software.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
Flexibility to work in varied indoor and outdoor conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Occasional weekend and evening work may be required.
Minimal travel may be needed.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $85,000 annually.
Performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, and 401k.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering an environment of growth and innovation. We value every member of our team and encourage active participation and collaboration. We are committed to helping you level up and succeed in your career.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Most appliance calls are short, one tech and one machine, but each one can stall on a part, a skill gap or a unit too heavy for one person to move. The operations manager spots those problems before the day starts.
Every morning starts with the parts list
Before routes go out, the operations manager checks which parts arrived overnight and which jobs are still waiting. Arrived parts turn into booked return visits, and customers hear their date that morning. When a part slips again, the operations manager decides whether to ask the brand or distributor for help, offer an approved substitute, or let the GM decide on a refund.
Each call goes to the right tech
A route works only if every stop fits the tech. A sealed system job on a refrigerator charged with HFC-134a needs a tech with a Type I or Universal card, and a brand's warranty call may need a tech who finished that brand's training. The operations manager keeps those skills tagged in the software, then groups stops by area so techs spend more time fixing than driving.
Scrap runs need a signed statement
When old refrigerators, freezers or window units holding a refrigerant EPA hasn't exempted go to a scrap yard, the yard must recover what's left or get a signed statement or contract saying it was recovered. A statement gives the name and address of whoever recovered it and the date. Yards must warn suppliers of this before delivery, so expect to be asked. The operations manager decides who recovers it before a unit leaves the shop and who signs. Source: 40 CFR 82.155: safe disposal of appliances (eCFR).
Some jobs need two people
Stacked laundry pairs, built-in refrigerators, wall ovens and units in tight basements can take two people to pull out and set back safely. The operations manager has the office flag those jobs at booking, then sends a helper or a second tech along. A tech left alone with a job like that either waits, guesses, or risks damage to the home.
How much appliance repair operations managers make
The closest BLS group for appliance repair operations managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for household goods repair shops earned a median of $78,060 a year ($37.53 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 4,500 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for household goods repair shops.
Salary, with a bonus based on the market's first-visit fixes, callbacks and customer ratings.
Household goods repair shops
$78,060$78,060 median Middle half $54,990–$101,040 10th–90th $42,480–$152,040
All industries
$105,770$105,770 median Middle half $72,320–$167,280 10th–90th $50,090–$253,390
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Household goods repair shops
$42,480
$54,990
$78,060
$101,040
$152,040
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
BLS doesn’t publish pay for appliance repair companies on their own. These figures cover personal and household goods repair businesses, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has scheduled or dispatched field techs, ideally on appliance or other in-home repair
Knows enough about appliance repair to judge whether a job needs a second visit
Keeps a back-order list current and calls customers before they call in
Reads callback and first-visit reports and talks them through with each tech
Stays calm when two techs call out on a full summer day
Teach these on the job
Your field service and routing software
Each brand's warranty call rules and training records
Your distributors' order cutoffs and delivery days
Your scrap and haul-away process
Your diagnostic fee and return visit policies
The operations manager lives in the dispatch board and routing tools of your field service software, distributor and brand parts portals, and the tech's call notes and photos. Ask finalists how they would tag each tech's certificates and brand training so the board can match calls to them.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Handling demand spikes
During a heat wave, refrigerator calls double and the wait grows to [five] days. What do you do?
A strong answer: Ranks by urgency such as medical needs, adds hours, triages by phone, stocks common fridge parts and gives honest wait times.
Behavioral · Reducing callbacks
Tell me about a time you traced repeat callbacks to one appliance model or type of repair.
A strong answer: Pulled callbacks by brand, model and repair, found the pattern, such as a known failure with a service bulletin or rushed test runs, changed the repair steps or part, and shows callbacks dropping.
After a quarter of tracking, replace the template's sample targets with your own, and count warranty and paid calls apart.
Revenue per hour
Each tech's finished repair revenue for the day over their hours on the clock, read by route. Low days usually trace to drive time, part waits or a call booked to the wrong tech.
Callback %
Return visits for a fault a tech already worked on, within a set number of days, divided by completed repairs. Sort each one by cause: missed diagnosis, a new part that failed, or the wrong part ordered.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Post-visit ratings for the market, read each week with the comments. Note which complaints came from part waits and which from the visit itself.
Efficiency of resource allocation
Booked tech hours divided by available tech hours each day, with stops per route. Very high days can mean overbooking, so read it next to late arrivals and overtime.
Who on an appliance repair team needs a Section 608 card?
A tech who opens a fridge, freezer or window unit that runs on a refrigerant EPA hasn't exempted needs a Type I or Universal card. Pulling the gas out of a small appliance just to scrap it doesn't take a card. But it must be pulled down to EPA's levels with gear that meets EPA's standards. A manager without a card should send every covered sealed system call to a certified tech.
How much does an appliance repair operations manager make?
General and operations managers who work for household goods repair shops earned a median of $78,060 a year ($37.53 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $54,990 and $101,040 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
When does an appliance repair operations manager lift 50 pounds?
The template's physical lines ask the manager to lift and carry up to 50 pounds, indoors and out. In practice that's loading parts or a scrap unit, or giving a tech a hand on a stairway. Change the lines if your manager stays at the board all day, and say the work can be done with or without reasonable accommodation.
What should the operations manager tell a customer whose part is on back order?
The truth, as soon as you know it: which part, the date the distributor gave, and how you'll reach them when it lands. Don't promise a date nobody has confirmed. If the wait keeps growing, offer a choice, such as an approved substitute part or a way to stop the job, and log every call so the next person picks up where you left off.
What should an appliance repair operations manager job ad say about the work?
Say which brands and warranty companies send you calls and how many of their trainings your techs hold. Explain who handles the parts desk and the back-order list, and whether the role covers scrap runs and haul-away. Give the start time and how Saturday turns work.
