A tree care chief operating officer sets up how every yard works: how jobs are planned, which crews and machines go where, how tree risk is judged and written up, and how injuries are logged. Those routines carry out the CEO's plan, and the COO holds the general and operations managers to them.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) in Arborist/Tree Care will be responsible for the management and efficiency of the company's daily operations, overseeing crew deployment, and ensuring high standards of tree care services. Their role will contribute significantly to achieving our strategic objectives and driving our commitment to provide exceptional home services.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the day-to-day operations of the company.
Develop and implement operational policies and procedures.
Manage and deploy crews efficiently.
Monitor and control costs while maintaining service quality.
Collaborate with the CEO to set company goals and strategies.
Lead the implementation of new initiatives and business plans.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Coordinate daily work schedules for the crews.
Monitor job sites to ensure quality and safety standards.
Liaise with customers to resolve any issues and ensure satisfaction.
Conduct regular team meetings to communicate company updates and gather feedback.
Review and analyze operational data to drive improvements.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars
Efficiency of Crew Deployment: <10% idle time
Operating Cost Reduction: >5% annually
Achievement of Company Goals: 100% on time
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field.
Minimum of 5 years experience in a leadership role.
Certified Arborist qualification.
Excellent organizational and leadership skills.
Strong communication and problem-solving abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the Arborist/Tree Care industry.
Experience in managing multiple teams or departments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
Comfortable working outdoors in varying weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Full-time position with typical work hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional weekend work may be required.
Limited travel for regional meetings or training.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $100,000 - $130,000 based on experience.
Bonus based on company performance.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k with company match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering a growth-oriented environment where every team member's contribution is valued. We encourage continuous learning and provide opportunities for professional development. Our strong culture of teamwork and commitment to customer satisfaction drives our success in the Arborist/Tree Care industry.
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
In tree work, the operating system is what keeps people safe and jobs on budget. The COO writes how each yard plans, runs and records its work, so a crew leader in one yard works the same way as one in the other.
Injury logs are kept and filed online
OSHA's injury logs are required once a company has had over 10 workers at any time in the prior year, unless its industry is partly exempt. Services to buildings and dwellings, where tree companies are classed, isn't on that exempt list. It is on the list for online filing: each yard with 20 to 249 employees sends OSHA its yearly 300A summary by March 2. The COO owns both yards' logs and reads them for patterns. Source: 29 CFR 1904.41: Electronic submission of injury and illness records to OSHA (Cornell LII).
Tree risk needs one method
Property managers and homeowners ask whether a tree is safe. If each arborist judges risk their own way, the reports won't hold up when a tree fails. ISA's Tree Risk Assessment Qualification teaches a shared method. Under the program ISA updated in November 2025, the credential lasts seven years, and then holders repeat the full course and exams. The COO picks the method, decides who may sign a risk report, and tracks expiry dates. Source: ISA: Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ).
A whole crew sits when one piece is missing
A tree crew is several people plus a bucket truck, a chipper and sometimes a crane. When the crane is late, a permit isn't back or wind stops the climb, the whole set waits. The template's idle-time goal comes down to routines the COO writes: jobs confirmed the day before, a backup job near each crew, and stump or plant health care work held to fill gaps.
The storm plan is written in calm weather
The COO writes down who in each yard is on storm call, how storm jobs get priced and approved, who may say yes to a job out of the area, and how crews log hours on long storm days. After each storm, the leaders compare what the plan said with what happened and fix the plan, not just the people.
How much tree care chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for tree care chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $158,670 a year ($76.28 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 200 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for landscaping and tree care companies.
The template's bonus rests on company performance. You can add a few measures from the COO's own work to it, such as idle crew time and recordable injuries.
Landscaping and tree care companies
$158,670$158,670 median Middle half $122,870–$215,290 10th–90th $91,010–$267,670
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping and tree care companies
$91,010
$122,870
$158,670
$215,290
$267,670
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for tree care companies on their own. These figures cover landscaping services, 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
Holds the Certified Arborist credential the template requires (ISA's is the one most companies mean)
Has run more than one crew base or branch on shared procedures
Writes procedures crews follow, then checks them in the field
Acts on injury logs, idle time and job cost reports
Keeps a steady head running a storm response
Teach these on the job
Your tree care software and job costing setup
OSHA recordkeeping and the yearly online filing
Your tree risk method and report form
Your crane service and rental partners' booking rules
Storm pricing and approval rules
The COO lives in the job software (estimates, work orders, crew calendars), the GPS fleet tracking system and the safety files for each yard. Tell applicants whether each yard keeps its own safety files today, or whether the COO will build one system for both.
Tree care chief operating officer interview questions
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 · Near-miss response
A climber has a near miss when a rigging point fails. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops work, makes sure everyone is safe, investigates the rigging point choice and the forces involved, shares the lessons with every crew and retrains.
Behavioral · Making safety stick
Tell me about a safety practice, such as daily job briefings or aerial rescue drills, that you made routine across crews.
A strong answer: Explains how they made it simple, built it into the day, checked it in the field and held crew leaders accountable.
Report each one yard by yard and company-wide. A gap between the two yards usually points to the process to fix first.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ratings by yard and service line, pulled monthly. Group complaints by cause, such as a damaged roof edge, a stump left too high or a storm crew that came days late, and fix the process behind the biggest group.
Efficiency of Crew Deployment
Paid crew hours spent off a billable job, from timecards and job logs, by yard. Tag weather, permit waits and breakdowns to find the delays better planning would have avoided.
Operating Cost Reduction
Cost per crew day for fuel, repairs, rentals, dump fees and overtime, against last year. Count a saving only if safety and quality held steady.
Achievement of Company Goals
Each operations goal from the yearly plan, with an owner and a due date, reviewed at the monthly leadership meeting and marked done, late or dropped.
Why does the template require the COO to be a certified arborist?
Because the COO sets the rules for tree work, not just the schedules. A COO who has passed the Certified Arborist exam, most often ISA's, can judge a removal plan, a pruning spec or a treatment, and spot a risky shortcut before it becomes the norm. Crews also listen more readily to someone who knows the work. ISA lists Certified Arborist among the credentials that open the door to its tree risk program too.
How much does a tree care chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $158,670 a year ($76.28 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $122,870 and $215,290 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What should a COO ad say about lifting and outdoor work?
Keep the template's lines on lifting up to 50 pounds and working outdoors in varying weather, then say what they mean for a COO: walking steep or muddy job sites, carrying gear during yard checks, and standing through morning briefings in heat, cold or rain. EEOC guidance lets you ask a candidate to describe how they would do a task, as long as every candidate for the job is asked the same. Medical questions wait until after an offer.
How does a COO keep two yards working the same way?
Use the same job briefing form, gear inspection log and estimate template in both yards. Once a quarter, have each yard's operations manager spend a day auditing the other yard's job sites. When idle time or injury counts still differ between the yards, the gap points to a habit you can find and fix, not to luck.
What should a tree care COO look at in the first 90 days?
Start by reading the injury logs and near-miss reports for the past few years with each yard's leaders. Then look at idle crew time and its causes, and at how long storm customers waited last season. Fixing one cause in each area in the first months earns more trust than a new manual.
