A design-build office manager runs the paperwork behind each home project, from the design agreement and build contract to change orders and permits. They bill each stage the day the project manager confirms it, post lien notices on time and lead the front office.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $40,700, middle half $57,370 to $93,170, 90th percentile $114,380. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
General Manager
Department
Admin
Schedule
Weekdays 8:30 to 5, some hybrid days · Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM, with some overtime in peak project periods and hybrid days where policy allows
Also called
Office administrator · Contracts and billing administrator · Business manager · Administrative manager
Serve as the administrative backbone for design-build operations, ensuring seamless day-to-day functionality and reliable communication across billing, documentation, and office tasks.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage and oversee all billing activities to ensure accuracy and timely processing.
Maintain and organize essential documentation, contracts, and records for design-build projects.
Coordinate daily administrative functions, including scheduling, employee support, and vendor communications.
Streamline office procedures to enhance operational efficiency and support project teams.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Process invoices, payments, and reconcile billing discrepancies daily.
Organize project files and documentation to ensure compliance with company and industry standards.
Schedule meetings and coordinate logistics for internal and external stakeholders.
Act as the point of contact for customer inquiries and vendor interactions, ensuring prompt communication.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Billing Accuracy: 99% accuracy rate in invoice processing.
Documentation Timeliness: 100% on-time documentation filing per project milestones.
Office Efficiency: Achieve a 95% office administrative task completion rate.
Customer Response Time: Less than 1 business day response for both customer and vendor queries.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field.
Minimum of 3 years’ administrative experience, preferably in design-build or home services industry.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and office management software.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a strong attention to detail.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in a fast-paced design-build or construction environment.
Familiarity with project management tools and billing software.
Previous role managing multiple administrative functions in a team-oriented environment.
Experience collaborating with both internal teams and external clients.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 20 lbs occasionally for file transfers or office supplies.
Extended periods of sitting and computer use in a structured office environment.
Occasional physical activity for organizing and moving files or equipment.
Capacity to work within a standard office setting with minimal physical strain.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours, typically Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime may be required during peak project periods.
Minimal travel within local areas for off-site meetings and vendor visits.
Opportunity for hybrid work arrangements based on company policies.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Base salary range of $50,000 to $65,000 per annum, depending on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentives.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
Participation in the company 401k plan and additional fringe benefits such as paid time off.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Join a forward-thinking design-build firm that values innovation, accountability, and team collaboration.
We foster a growth-oriented culture where every team member is empowered to contribute ideas and develop professionally.
Our commitment to customer satisfaction is matched by our dedication to nurturing a supportive and inclusive work environment.
Experience a company culture that prioritizes work-life balance, continuous improvement, and community engagement.
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
A design-build client signs more than once: a design agreement, a build contract, then change orders and selections for months. The office manager keeps every signed page easy to find and makes sure the firm bills and files on time.
Lien notices run on deadlines
In Iowa, for example, the general contractor on a home job that uses subs posts a notice of commencement to the state's mechanics' lien registry within 10 days after work starts. The notice lists the property's legal description and tax parcel number. The contractor also gives the owner a written notice, in bold type, that points to the registry. A contractor that skips either one loses its own lien rights. Rules vary by state. Source: Iowa Code 572.13A (2026, example): notice of commencement of work.
One current version of everything
By the time a remodel starts, there may be several drawing sets, a stack of selection sheets and a few signed changes. The office manager keeps one current version of each in the project file, marks old drawings as replaced, and files the permit set the city stamped. When a crew builds from an outdated page, the cost lands on the firm, not the client.
Bills go out when the stage is confirmed
Progress bills follow the stages in the build contract. The office manager keeps a billing calendar for every open project and sends each bill the day the project manager confirms the stage, with a photo or the passed inspection attached. Signed change orders get billed when the contract says, not saved for the end, when clients are tired and question every line.
Condo jobs start with the building's rules
A remodel inside a condo may need the association's approval before work starts. Ask the building manager early for its alteration rules and forms. Boards may want drawings, a schedule and the firm's insurance certificate, and may limit work hours, parking and elevator use. The office manager sends the packet the week the client signs to build and puts the building's rules in the job file for the crew. A late approval can push back a start the family was counting on.
As-built drawings close the file
The firm drew the house, so it can hand the family drawings that show what was really built. At handover, the office manager collects the field set the crew marked up, has the designers update it, and adds the final inspection sign-off, product warranties and finish selections. A copy stays in the project file. Years later, that set is where the next remodel starts.
How much design-build office managers make
The closest BLS group for design-build office managers is First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers. First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers who work for building contractors earned a median of $34.86 an hour ($72,520 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $69,500 median for First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers in all industries. About 12,970 of the 1,436,680 First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers in that survey work for building contractors.
The template lists a yearly salary plus performance bonuses and incentives. For office supervisors at building contractors, the BLS median tops the template's highest figure, and someone who has run contracts, draws and lien filings for a builder may ask for that much. Tie the bonus to bills sent the day a stage is confirmed and to project files complete at each milestone.
Building contractors
$72,520$72,520 median Middle half $57,370–$93,170 10th–90th $40,700–$114,380
All industries
$69,500$69,500 median Middle half $55,950–$85,090 10th–90th $45,610–$104,710
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k
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 contractors
$40,700
$57,370
$72,520
$93,170
$114,380
All industries
$45,610
$55,950
$69,500
$85,090
$104,710
BLS doesn’t publish pay for design-build firms on their own. These figures cover construction of buildings, 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 handled contracts, billing and project files at a remodeling or design-build company
Keeps one current version of every drawing, selection and change
Keeps a calendar of filing deadlines, such as lien notices, and meets them
Bills from a contract's payment stages and checks each bill before it goes
Trains the CSR and front desk staff and covers for them
Teach these on the job
Your contract forms and payment stages
Lien notice rules in the states where you build
Condo and HOA approval steps in your area
Documents and billing in your project management software
What goes in your closeout set
The office runs on a project management app, Buildertrend or JobTread for example, that holds contracts, change orders, selections and client invoices, plus an e-signature tool and the accounting system the bookkeeper keeps. Add each city's permit portal and, where your state has one, its lien registry website.
Design-build office 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 · Answering version questions
A client calls asking which version of the plans the crew is using, because they approved a change last week. What do you do?
A strong answer: Checks the file and log, confirms with the designer and project manager, answers accurately, and fixes it if the wrong version went out.
Behavioral · Accurate billing systems
Tell me about a time you set up a system that cut billing errors, such as wrong amounts or missed change orders.
A strong answer: Names the problem, the system (checklists, approvals, a change order log), and the drop in errors or disputes.
Review these monthly with the general manager. Count by project milestone rather than by calendar, since a month with three job starts brings far more paperwork than a month of framing.
Billing Accuracy
Track bills that had to be credited, corrected or sent again, and why: a stage billed early, a change order missed, an allowance credit forgotten. Before sending, compare each bill with the contract's payment schedule.
Documentation Timeliness
List the documents each milestone needs, such as the signed build contract at start, lien notices by their deadlines and the closeout set at handover. Score each project on the share filed by its milestone.
Office Efficiency
Count what's still waiting at Friday's close: signed documents not filed, vendor requests unanswered, bills not sent. A list that grows week over week shows where the office needs a better routine or more help.
Customer Response Time
Each week, check when portal messages, vendor emails and voicemails got their first real answer. Look hardest at clients mid-build, since a slow reply about a delivery or a selection can stall a crew.
Career path
Contracts and billing assistantPrepares change orders, progress bills and lien filings for the office manager.
Office managerKeeps contracts, bills, filings and the front office on schedule.
Director of administrationOversees the office, HR paperwork, insurance renewals and IT for the whole firm.
Should a design-build office manager handle permits?
Often the paperwork side: applications in each city's portal, fees, and the permit card and stamped set. The design manager answers the plan reviewer's comments. The field supervisor books inspections. Write down who does each step, so a permit doesn't sit waiting for a signature nobody knew was theirs.
How much does a design-build office manager make?
First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers who work for building contractors earned a median of $34.86 an hour ($72,520 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $57,370 and $93,170 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
When should the office pull a property's legal description?
At contract signing, not on the first day of work. Lien notices, permit forms and some board forms ask for the legal description and parcel number. Both come from the deed or the county's property records. Put them in the project file once, so nobody retypes them from memory on three forms.
Can a design-build office manager work hybrid?
On some days, as the template allows. Contract signings, client visits and closeout handoffs need someone in the office, and so do days when drawings arrive for filing. Set the office days around those, and keep project files in shared storage rather than on one person's computer.
How should the office handle a late payment mid-job?
Call the client the day a bill goes past due, and tell the project manager and the CFO. Ask why first: a client's lender may be waiting on an inspection, or the client may not understand a change order. Before anyone mentions stopping work or filing a lien, read the contract and call the firm's lawyer, since lien deadlines vary by state and are easy to miss.
