A demolition HR manager staffs crews for jobs that come and go fast, from laborers and operators to drivers and office staff. They track asbestos and lead exams, give applicants with records a fair look, and work with the union hall when crews come from one.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the strategic leader for all HR functions within our demolition division, ensuring the recruitment, compliance, and cultural needs of our workforce are met to support safe and efficient operations.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee complete recruitment processes for demolition staff from candidate sourcing to onboarding.
Ensure strict adherence to all labor laws, safety standards, and regulatory requirements.
Develop and implement HR policies and initiatives that maintain a high-performance culture.
Foster an inclusive workplace environment that supports employee growth and satisfaction.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Screen and interview potential candidates, schedule orientations, and facilitate onboarding sessions.
Monitor daily compliance with labor laws, safety regulations, and company policies.
Collaborate with operations managers to identify staffing needs and resolve employee issues.
Maintain and update employee records and performance metrics regularly.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Recruitment Fill Rate: Achieve a 90% placement rate within 60 days.
Compliance Audit Score: Maintain a rating of greater than 95% compliance.
Employee Retention Rate: Exceed a 90% retention rate annually.
Training Completion Rate: Ensure 100% completion of scheduled training sessions.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in HR management, preferably within demolition or home services.
Comprehensive knowledge of labor laws, HR best practices, and compliance requirements.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
Proficiency in HR information systems (HRIS) and Microsoft Office Suite.
6. Preferred Experience
Proven track record in HR roles within the demolition, construction, or home services industries.
Experience in designing and executing recruitment strategies for specialized technical positions.
Background in managing labor relations, including interactions with unions or collective bargaining.
Familiarity with industry-specific safety certifications and regulatory compliance standards.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to stand, walk, and perform tasks for extended periods in an office and occasional field environment.
Must be able to lift up to 15 lbs occasionally when transporting documents or small equipment.
Exposure to occasional construction site noise during field visits.
Frequent use of computers and office equipment for extended hours.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Occasional field visits to demolition sites required.
On-call duties may be necessary during peak project periods.
Collaborative office setting with options for occasional remote work.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000-$90,000 USD per annum.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.
401(k) retirement plan with company matching.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a growth-oriented, inclusive, and supportive environment where every employee is empowered to succeed.
We emphasize teamwork, continuous professional development, and an unwavering commitment to safety and quality.
Our culture values innovation and collaboration, ensuring that each team member’s contribution is recognized and celebrated.
Join us to be part of a company that is as committed to your personal growth as it is to excellence in service.
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
Demolition crews work around asbestos, lead and heavy machines, and many hires come from union halls or second-chance hiring. Each brings its own steps and records.
Asbestos exams run on a day count
OSHA's asbestos rule puts a worker in a medical program at 30 days a year of Class I, II or III work, or of exposure at or above the limit. An hour or less of Class II or III work on intact material, done by the rule's practices, doesn't count. Exams come before work in negative-pressure respirators, within 10 working days after the 30th day, and yearly after that. HR tracks the days and gives each worker the doctor's written opinion within 30 days of receiving it. Source: eCFR: Asbestos in construction, medical surveillance and records (29 CFR 1926.1101).
A record gets weighed, not screened out
Illinois, as one example, bars turning someone down over a conviction unless it has a substantial link to the job or hiring them is an unreasonable risk. The employer weighs things like how long ago it was and signs of rehabilitation. A first no goes out in writing with a copy of the report. The person then gets at least five business days to answer. A theft record may weigh differently for a crew that pulls copper and steel than for an office job. Source: Illinois Human Rights Act, 775 ILCS 5/2-103.1: Conviction record (example).
License lines in job ads need a reason
Starting January 1, 2027, Illinois bars any employer of 15 or more from posting a job that requires a valid driver's license. The exception is when driving is an essential function of the job and a business necessity. A posting that does require one must briefly say why. In demolition that fits drivers who haul boxes and machines. Check laborer and office postings for a license line copied from a driver ad, and keep it only where the job needs it. Source: Illinois Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act, 820 ILCS 75/17: Driver's licenses (effective January 1, 2027).
Union halls can send the crew
Federal labor law lets a construction company sign a union deal before most of its workers have picked the union. The deal can make the company tell the union about open jobs and let the union refer qualified people. It can also give priority by length of service with the company, in the industry or in the area. If your laborers or operators come from a hall, HR learns the deal's hiring steps, wage scales and fund reports, and follows them. Source: 29 U.S.C. 158(f): Agreements in the building and construction industry (Cornell LII).
How much demolition HR managers make
The closest BLS group for demolition HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $126,750 a year ($60.94 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $149,280 median for human resources managers in all industries. About 1,500 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for specialty trade contractors.
Salary-based, with a performance bonus written into the template. The median on this chart sits well above the template's whole range. That range fits a first HR hire who covers hiring and records; someone who has also run medical exam programs and union referrals will expect more.
Specialty trade contractors
$126,750$126,750 median Middle half $105,760–$164,500 10th–90th $85,770–$199,980
All industries
$149,280$149,280 median Middle half $111,110–$199,290 10th–90th $88,200–$267,810
$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
Specialty trade contractors
$85,770
$105,760
$126,750
$164,500
$199,980
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
BLS counts too few human resources managers at other specialty trade contractors for a steady figure, so these figures cover specialty trade contractors. 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 handled HR where crews do asbestos, lead or abatement work
Tracks asbestos and lead medical exams worker by worker
Follows a written, fair process for applicants with conviction records
Works with union referrals and fund reports, or builds open-shop pay plans
Handles exam opinions and blood lead results as confidential medical records
Teach these on the job
Your clinic, its exam forms and how fast it books
The union contracts, if any, that cover your crews
How your job records show who did asbestos or lead work, and when
Which jobs on your board truly need a driver's license
Fair-chance and job posting laws wherever you recruit
Asbestos days usually come from daily job reports, so HR needs a tracker that pulls who worked which job each day, next to exam and blood lead due dates in the HR system and the union's fund reporting site if you're signatory. Ask finalists how they counted exposure days at their last company.
Demolition HR 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 · Fast hiring with high turnover
You need [four] laborers fast for a large strip-out, and laborer turnover is already high. What do you do?
A strong answer: Uses referrals and trusted staffing partners, checks pay against the market, speeds up hiring, pairs new hires with a buddy, and studies exit reasons to fix turnover.
Behavioral · Reducing turnover
Tell me about a time you reduced turnover in a hard, physical job.
A strong answer: Used exit data, changed something specific, and measured the result.
Big teardowns bring hiring spikes, so read these over a full year with the COO before fixing targets. Keep laborers, operators, drivers and office staff on separate lines.
Recruitment Fill Rate
Openings filled within the template's window, by job type, counted from the day the operations manager asks. Note how many fills waited on a clinic slot or a training class, since those delays need their own fix.
Compliance Audit Score
Each quarter, pick one finished asbestos or lead job and trace every worker on it: training current that day, exam opinion on file, blood lead results sent on time. Score the items found against the items checked.
Employee Retention Rate
Workers who reach their first anniversary, by job type. Count union hall referrals apart: one who goes back to the hall when a job ends hasn't quit.
Training Completion Rate
Compare the training log with the schedule board. Anyone sent to an asbestos or lead job with a lapsed refresher or fit test counts against the rate, even when the session happened later.
Career path
Recruiter or HR assistantFills laborer openings and books orientation and exams.
HR managerRuns hiring, medical programs, fair-chance steps and union paperwork.
HR directorSets pay bands and benefits, and adds a recruiter for big jobs.
Why does the HR template ask for standing and walking?
It means tasks, not a body type. Think of a walk through a gutted building with the lead before a safety talk, a morning meeting at the yard, or a fit test kit carried in from the truck. Write those into the ad, and explain how applicants can get an accommodation.
How much does a demolition HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $126,750 a year ($60.94 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $105,760 and $164,500 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How fast can a demolition company staff a big job?
Work back from the start date. Keep a list of past laborers you'd hire again, ask leads for referrals, and book orientation and any required exam before the first day. A new hire can't start asbestos or lead tasks until their training is done and, where the rules call for it, the exam, so allow for the clinic's lead time.
Who tracks lead blood tests at a demolition company?
Often HR, working from the safety lead's list of who cuts or burns painted steel. OSHA's lead rule calls for blood tests for workers at or above its action level more than 30 days in 12 months. Test at least every two months for the first six months, then every six months. Each worker gets their result in writing within five working days of the company receiving it. File the results with medical records.
Which asbestos records must HR keep after a worker leaves?
Under OSHA's asbestos rule, training records stay one year past a worker's last day. Exposure measurements stay at least 30 years. Medical surveillance files stay through the person's whole time with you and 30 years beyond. If the company closes or is sold, OSHA's records access rule says what happens to them, so ask counsel before anything is thrown out.
