A carpet cleaning chief operating officer sets the playbook every branch follows: how each surface gets cleaned, which certifications techs earn, how vans are equipped, and how chemicals are handled. The COO leads the general managers and holds every branch to the same re-clean and machine downtime standards.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building services companies · BLS, May 2025
Carpet Cleaning / Floor Care - Chief Operating Officer
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Chief Executive Officer]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will lead our carpet cleaning and floor care operations, focusing on enhancing productivity, ensuring profitability, and driving operational excellence. This role requires an experienced leader capable of managing daily operations, scheduling, and implementing process improvements.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee daily operations, including scheduling and staff management.
Develop and implement strategies for process improvements.
Monitor business performance and ensure profitability.
Collaborate with the CEO to set company objectives and performance goals.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Managing daily operations in carpet cleaning and floor care services.
Coordinating with different departments for smooth operation.
Identifying areas for process improvements and implementing necessary changes.
Conducting regular team meetings for updates and feedback.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Gross Margin: >30%
Capacity Efficiency: >85%
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.5 stars
Revenue Growth: >10% annually
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field.
Minimum 5 years of experience in a similar role.
Strong leadership skills and ability to manage a diverse team.
Proficient in MS Office and other relevant software.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the carpet cleaning and floor care industry.
Proven track record in managing operations and improving processes.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in different environmental conditions.
Capability to lift up to 20 pounds.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard business hours from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday to Friday.
Occasional weekend work may be required in case of emergency situations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $100,000 - $120,000 per year.
Bonus based on company profitability.
Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, and 401k.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering a growth-oriented environment where every team member can thrive. We are committed to delivering excellent service to our customers and supporting our employees in their professional development. Join us if you're looking for a vibrant, inclusive company that values your contributions and helps you level up 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].
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Every branch cleans carpet, upholstery, rugs, tile and hard floors in homes and offices. The COO makes sure a customer gets the same result whichever van shows up, and that the same safety steps happen in every branch.
A certification plan for each service line
Most of IICRC's cleaning certifications follow the surface: carpet, commercial carpet maintenance, upholstery and fabric, rugs, leather, stone and tile, and wood, resilient and general floor care. The COO maps each service you sell to the certificate a tech should hold before doing it alone, and sets the order new hires take them. IICRC's master textile cleaner track takes at least three years as a certified tech, so plan the ladder years ahead. Source: IICRC: Cleaning certifications.
One chemical program, current at every branch
OSHA's hazard communication rule asks for a written program at each workplace, with a list of the hazardous chemicals on hand and how labels, safety data sheets and training are handled. Techs are trained at their first assignment and again when a product brings a hazard they haven't learned. OSHA's 2024 update gives employers until November 20, 2026 for single chemicals, and May 19, 2028 for mixtures, to update the program and train on newly identified hazards. The COO keeps each branch's chemical list current. Source: 29 CFR 1910.1200: Hazard communication (Cornell LII).
The machine's exhaust is a hazard too
A truck mount runs an engine at the curb for hours. OSHA's carbon monoxide fact sheet names the internal combustion engine as one of the most common sources of CO at work. It tells employers to bar gasoline engines in poorly ventilated areas and to provide personal CO monitors with audible alarms where exposure is possible. The COO sets the rule for parking garages, attached garages and loading docks, including when a portable unit goes in instead. Source: OSHA fact sheet: Carbon monoxide poisoning.
One machine model makes every van a spare
When every branch runs the same truck-mount model, a tech can borrow a van from the next branch, parts are stocked once, and training carries over. The COO picks the standard, sets service by engine hours, and decides how many backup portables each branch keeps. A mixed fleet bought one van at a time turns each breakdown into a special case.
Commercial nights and residential days
Office and store carpet is often cleaned after hours or on weekends so it can dry before people walk on it. Homeowners want daytime windows. The COO decides whether commercial accounts get their own techs and vans or share them with home routes, and sets the drying, signage and walk-off rules each building needs.
How much carpet cleaning chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for carpet cleaning chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 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 430 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for building services companies.
Salary with a bonus on company profit, often tied in part to operating numbers such as re-clean requests and van downtime.
Building services companies
$130,000$130,000 median Middle half $102,340–$208,630 10th–90th $93,610–$275,020
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
Building services companies
$93,610
$102,340
$130,000
$208,630
$275,020
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for carpet cleaning companies on their own. These figures cover services to buildings and dwellings, 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 brought branches that cleaned differently onto one method
Writes procedures techs follow, and checks them on ride-alongs
Knows extraction and low-moisture methods well enough to judge a callback
Sets equipment standards and service schedules for a fleet
Builds safety programs that work on routes, not only in the shop
Teach these on the job
IICRC certification paths and approved schools near your branches
Your chemical supplier's product line and safety data sheets
Your truck-mount maker's service intervals
Commercial account scopes and walk-through checklists
Your scheduling and routing software
The COO runs on branch scorecards from field service software, a fleet log with engine hours and repairs for every truck mount, the company's chemical list, and training records by certification. In the ad, name the truck-mount brand you've standardized on, or say the COO will pick one.
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 · Callback variation
Callback rates differ widely between technicians. What do you do?
A strong answer: Looks at the types of callbacks for each tech, rides along, compares methods and job mix, coaches to the best tech's process, and tracks the trend.
Behavioral · Scaling field teams
Tell me about a time you added technicians or trucks quickly. How did you keep callbacks from rising?
A strong answer: Hired and trained ahead of need, had leads in place, and kept quality numbers steady.
The template sets one target for the whole company. Start each branch from its own history, then raise the weakest toward the standard.
Gross Margin
Revenue minus tech labor, chemicals, fuel and machine costs, by branch and by service line. Tile and grout or upholstery can earn a different margin from wall-to-wall carpet, so don't blend them.
Capacity Efficiency
Booked van hours against available van hours, after setting aside time for loading and driving. A van parked at the repair shop counts as unused capacity.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Company-wide rating from post-job surveys and public reviews, broken out by branch and service. Read re-clean requests beside it, since a rating can stay high while one branch's spots keep returning.
Revenue Growth
Growth by branch and service line each year. Check that new revenue isn't cheap one-time work pulling vans away from repeat customers.
Career path
Operations managerLearns a branch from the floor: routes, machines and callbacks.
General managerAnswers for a market's profit and the managers in it.
Chief operating officerSets the cleaning, safety and fleet standards for every branch.
What do the lifting and conditions lines mean for a carpet cleaning COO?
The template lists "Ability to work in different environmental conditions" and "Capability to lift up to 20 pounds." On this job those mean tasks: carrying a spotting kit, moisture meter or training case into a branch, and standing through a ride-along in a damp basement, a cold parking garage or a hot driveway. If the role you're filling doesn't include those tasks, change the lines to fit, and tell applicants that reasonable accommodation is available.
How much does a carpet cleaning chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $102,340 and $208,630 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should every branch take water extraction calls?
Not always. Night and weekend flood calls need an on-call tech, a van stocked for water, and air movers ready to go. Some companies give water calls to one trained team that covers several branches, so the others keep their booked days. Write down who answers, who goes, and the point where your team stops and the drying company takes over.
What should a carpet cleaning COO check on a ride-along?
Watch the setup first: where the van parks, which way the exhaust blows, and how hoses run through the home. Then listen to the walk-through with the customer, check the pre-spray mix against the label, and see whether photos and job notes are done before the van leaves. One ride-along per branch each month tells you more than most reports.
How should a carpet cleaning COO get branches ready for the busy weeks?
Work back from the weeks your branches fill up, such as spring or the run-up to the holidays. New techs should finish their training and any IICRC course they need before then, not during it. Book truck-mount service and hose and wand repairs in the slow weeks ahead. Decide in advance which branch lends a van or a tech when another is booked solid.
