A tree care operations manager turns the week's sold jobs into crew days: who climbs, which bucket truck and chipper go where, when the crane comes, and what moves when wind or rain stops work. They run the morning yard, get locates and permits in place, and check that crews follow each job plan.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
The Operations Manager in the Arborist / Tree Care department will be responsible for overseeing all operational aspects of the tree care team. This includes coordinating schedules, allocating equipment, and managing logistics. This role directly contributes to the company's mission of providing top-tier home services through efficient and effective operations.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Coordinate and manage scheduling for tree care operations.
Oversee equipment allocation to ensure optimal productivity and safety.
Supervise and direct logistics for the tree care team.
Develop and implement operational policies and procedures to increase efficiency.
Collaborate with other departments to ensure seamless services.
Ensure compliance with industry regulations and company standards.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Managing the daily schedule and assigning tasks to team members.
Conducting regular equipment checks and coordinating maintenance or replacement as necessary.
Overseeing the coordination of team logistics including transportation and accommodations.
Liaising with clients to ensure service expectations are being met.
Addressing and resolving any operational issues that arise.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Equipment Utilization Rate: >90%
Team Utilization Rate: >85%
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars
Compliance Rate: 100%
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Forestry, or related field.
Certified Arborist credential.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in operations management.
Proven leadership and team management skills.
Excellent communication and customer service skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the Arborist / Tree Care industry.
Familiarity with industry-specific equipment and safety procedures.
Prior experience in logistics coordination.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move equipment up to 50 lbs.
Comfortable working in various weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Some weekend work may be required during peak seasons.
Minimal travel expected.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $85,000 based on experience.
Performance-based bonuses.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k retirement plan.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in cultivating a culture of growth, both for our company and our employees. We are committed to delivering exceptional home services while supporting our team members in their professional development. Our goal is to help you succeed and grow with us.
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
Every tree job needs the right people and machines at one site at one time. The operations manager builds that match each morning and rebuilds it when weather, permits or breakdowns get in the way.
Stump grinding can count as digging
State one-call laws decide when a stump job needs utility locates first. In Texas, excavating means using powered equipment to disturb soil 16 inches deep or more. The notice goes to the one-call center at least 48 hours ahead, not counting weekends and holidays, and no more than 14 days ahead. A deep grind or root removal can cross that line. The operations manager builds the locate wait into the schedule. Source: Texas Utilities Code chapter 251: Underground facility damage prevention (sections 251.002 and 251.151).
Oaks get a no-prune window
Oak wilt spreads above ground through sap beetles and below ground through roots that have grown together. In Minnesota, the university's extension service calls April through July the high-risk months and says not to prune oaks then; it rates August through October as low risk and winter as the time to prune. So the operations manager moves oak work to the dormant season. Check your own state's forestry agency or extension service for its window. Source: University of Minnesota Extension: Oak wilt in Minnesota.
Storm travel doesn't erase driving limits
A governor's emergency declaration can lift federal hours-of-service limits for commercial truck drivers, but only while they give direct assistance and for no more than 30 days. The federal definition means helping restore essential services such as electricity, not long-term rebuilding or routine deliveries once the first threat has passed. Paid cleanup of a homeowner's yard may not count. Plan driver rest, lodging and crew hours as if the limits apply. Source: 49 CFR 390.23: Relief from regulations during emergencies (Cornell LII).
The crane day anchors the schedule
When a crane is booked, everything else bends around it: the climber, the ground crew, the chip and log trucks, and anyone directing traffic. A late truck or a blocked driveway costs crane time the company pays for anyway. The operations manager confirms access, clearances and permits the day before, and keeps a backup job close by in case the crane cancels.
How much tree care operations managers make
The closest BLS group for tree care operations managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $89,990 a year ($43.26 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 34,230 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for landscaping and tree care companies.
Salaried, with the performance bonuses the template offers. Base them on how fully crews and machines are used each week and on clean job file audits.
Landscaping and tree care companies
$89,990$89,990 median Middle half $62,400–$123,080 10th–90th $46,520–$164,110
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
Landscaping and tree care companies
$46,520
$62,400
$89,990
$123,080
$164,110
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
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
Is a Certified Arborist, as the template requires
Has scheduled tree crews, bucket trucks and chippers across many jobs a day
Looks at a tree and judges the crew, rigging and machines it needs
Calls off work when wind, wires or soft ground make it unsafe
Keeps customers posted when weather moves their job
Teach these on the job
Your scheduling software and crew calendar
One-call locate rules in your state
Crane service booking and lift-day planning
Local timing advice for oak wilt and other tree diseases
Storm travel planning: lodging, fuel and driver hours
Operations managers run the crew calendar in the tree care software, follow trucks on GPS fleet tracking, and keep each job's locate ticket and permit on file. In the ad, list the crews and machines the person will schedule each day.
Tree care operations manager 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 · Storm deployments
A crew needs to travel overnight for storm work. How do you plan the logistics?
A strong answer: Lodging, fuel, parts and spare gear, limits on hours to manage fatigue, check-in schedule and storm hazard briefings.
Behavioral · Productivity with safety
Tell me about a time you got more done per crew day without cutting safety corners.
A strong answer: Names the change (better job prep, equipment matching, scheduling crane work together) and the result.
Review these every week by crew and machine, not just as a yard total, so one idle bucket truck or slow crew doesn't hide in an average.
Equipment Utilization Rate
Days each bucket truck, chipper, grinder and loader worked a billed job, against days it was ready to work, from the schedule and fleet logs. Leave out days it sat in the shop.
Team Utilization Rate
Billed crew hours against paid crew hours, by crew, each week. Log weather days and locate or permit waits apart, so crews aren't blamed for them.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ratings and comments after each job, read weekly by crew. Look for notes on cleanup, lawn ruts and late arrivals, and coach the crew involved.
Compliance Rate
Jobs with a job briefing, gear checks, a locate ticket where a grinder went deep, and any permit needed, all on file. Pull a handful of job files at random each week to check.
How is a tree care operations manager different from a lead arborist?
The lead arborist runs the hardest jobs in person and coaches the climbers on them. The operations manager plans the week across all crews: who goes where, with which machines, in what order, and what changes when a job falls through. Many operations managers were lead arborists first, and they still visit sites daily, but they rarely spend a full day in a tree.
How much does a tree care operations manager make?
General and operations managers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $89,990 a year ($43.26 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $62,400 and $123,080 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Which physical tasks belong in the operations manager ad?
List what the job involves: loading and moving gear up to 50 pounds in the yard, walking work sites in rain, heat and cold, and stepping in to help a short-handed crew. You may ask whether candidates can carry out each of those, with or without an accommodation. Per EEOC guidance, a medical exam can come only after an offer, and only if every new hire in the role gets the same one.
How should a tree care operations manager run a storm week?
Sort the calls first: trees on houses and blocked exits, then cars and driveways, then everything else. Send someone qualified to look before you commit a crane or a crew to a big job. Keep a running list for customers so each one hears where they stand. Rotate crews so no one works too many long days in a row, since tired crews make more mistakes.
Should a tree care operations manager still climb?
Only now and then. An operations manager who climbs every day stops managing, and the schedule slips. The Certified Arborist credential the template asks for points to tree judgment, such as which crew, rigging and machines a job needs, not to daily climbing. Keep their climbing skills current with occasional training days, so the crews know they can still do what they ask of others.
