A drywall and plaster HR manager hires hangers, finishers, plasterers and office staff, and keeps the records drywall work brings: scaffold training, dust mask paperwork and one injury log for many builders' sites. They also know which tasks teen helpers may and may not do.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building finishing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for overseeing HR operations specific to the drywall and plaster sector, ensuring effective recruitment, compliance with labor laws, and cultivating a positive and productive workplace culture.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage full-cycle recruitment for frontline and administrative staff in the drywall and plaster division.
Enforce labor compliance and oversee adherence to safety and regulatory standards.
Develop and implement HR policies to support a positive and inclusive company culture.
Collaborate with management to identify workforce needs and optimize staffing strategies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review job applications and coordinate interviews with prospective candidates.
Monitor and update employee records to ensure compliance with industry standards.
Conduct regular training sessions and team-building exercises.
Respond to employee inquiries and mediate workplace conflicts ensuring swift resolution.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Staff retention rate: 90% or higher.
Time-to-fill open positions: Less than 30 days.
Employee satisfaction rating: Greater than 4.5 stars.
Labor compliance audit score: 95% or above.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in human resources management, preferably within the home services industry.
Comprehensive knowledge of labor laws and HR best practices.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the drywall, plaster, or broader construction industry.
Familiarity with union regulations and labor negotiations within trade environments.
Proven track record of implementing effective recruitment and employee engagement strategies.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 20 lbs for occasional document handling.
Capacity to navigate active job site environments when required.
Willingness to adapt to both office settings and on-site inspections.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
On-call duties may be required outside of regular business hours.
Occasional travel to job sites is expected.
Predominantly office-based with periodic visits to active construction sites.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 USD annually.
Performance-based bonus structure available.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
401(k) matching program offered.
Generous paid time off and access to professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
A dynamic and inclusive work environment that encourages growth and innovation.
A strong commitment to customer satisfaction and excellence in service delivery.
A culture that values teamwork, transparency, and continuous professional development.
An environment dedicated to supporting career advancement and personal success.
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
Hangers and finishers work up on scaffolds and stilts, in sanding dust, on sites a builder controls. That shapes the training HR tracks, the paperwork behind dust masks and how injuries get logged.
Scaffolds need two kinds of training
Where crews set up and move their own rolling or baker-style scaffolds, two kinds of training apply. OSHA wants a qualified person to train everyone who works on a scaffold in its hazards, load limits and safe use. Anyone who sets one up, moves it, takes it down or inspects it also needs a competent person's training. Retraining follows a new scaffold type or unsafe habits. HR keeps the trainer, date and scaffold type in each file. Source: 29 CFR 1926.454: Scaffold training requirements (eCFR).
Dust masks still come with a handout
A finisher may want a dust mask for sanding even when nobody requires one. OSHA's respirator rule, which covers construction too, lets an employer allow that, but says to give each wearer the rule's Appendix D information sheet. A voluntary dust mask needs no written program. Once the company requires a respirator, the full program applies, with medical checks, fit tests and training. HR checks with the COO which case each crew is in and keeps a signed copy of the sheet. Source: 29 CFR 1910.134(c)(2): Voluntary respirator use (eCFR).
Many short sites, one injury log
A builder's house or an apartment job lasts weeks, not a year. OSHA lets you keep one log for all those short-term sites instead of one per site. The log must include temp laborers you supervise day to day, and a sub's crew if your own supervisor directs their work daily. Construction is one of the industries OSHA names for online filing: each location whose headcount reached 20 on any day of the prior year sends its yearly summary by March 2. Source: 29 CFR 1904.30: Records for short-term establishments (eCFR).
Teen helpers and the job site
Federal law bars 14- and 15-year-old helpers from construction and repair work, except office or sales tasks off the site, and from any work on ladders or scaffolds. Helpers who are 16 or 17 may work on site, within the hazardous job limits. One example: they may not run, ride or work from a forklift, crane or hoist. State rules can add limits, so HR checks the state's rules and proof of age before a summer helper's first day. Source: 29 CFR 570.33: Jobs barred to 14- and 15-year-olds (eCFR).
How much drywall and plaster HR managers make
The closest BLS group for drywall and plaster HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $119,610 a year ($57.51 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 150 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for building finishing contractors.
Pay is salaried, with the bonus plan the template describes. By BLS figures, three in four HR managers at building finishing contractors are paid above the template's top salary, so plan to raise it. Tie the bonus to finisher turnover and complete training files, two results this job can move.
Building finishing contractors
$119,610$119,610 median Middle half $97,340–$166,420 10th–90th $83,370–$197,330
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
Building finishing contractors
$83,370
$97,340
$119,610
$166,420
$197,330
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
BLS doesn’t publish pay for human resources managers at drywall and insulation contractors on their own, so these figures cover building finishing 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 run HR for a drywall, interiors or other specialty sub
Keeps scaffold training and dust mask records current for each worker
Knows how OSHA injury logs work across many short-term job sites
Hires hangers and finishers by watching them work, not by résumé alone
Explains pay, safety and conduct rules in words crews use
Teach these on the job
Your scaffold and stilt rules and who teaches them
Each builder's site orientation and safety paperwork
Your piece rates and how pay changes get approved
How your comp carrier wants claims reported
The light-duty tasks your yard and office can offer after an injury
Hangers and finishers rarely come to the office, so the HR tools have to work on a phone. That means e-signature for new-hire forms and the Appendix D sheet, and a training log that a field supervisor can update from the site, with each builder's orientation dates in it.
Drywall and plaster 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 · Building finishers
You can't find experienced finishers, and most applicants are helpers. What do you do?
A strong answer: Builds a helper-to-finisher training path, tests skills on mock-ups, uses referrals and trade schools, and pairs helpers with strong finishers.
Behavioral · Protecting trainees
Tell me about a time a helper complained that a finisher wasn't teaching them or was treating them badly.
A strong answer: Listened, checked with others, decided whether it was a training problem or harassment needing a formal investigation, addressed the finisher's behavior, and set clear training expectations.
Hiring here rises and falls with the number of houses builders start. Pick targets with the COO once a full year of hires and exits is on file, and revisit them when a big builder adds or drops a community.
Staff retention rate
Share of hires still working here twelve months later, by trade: hangers, finishers, plasterers, laborers and office. Ask each person who leaves in the first ninety days why, and log the answer.
Time-to-fill open positions
Days between approving an opening and the new hire's first crew day. Count a finisher opening as filled only once the tryout and scaffold training are done.
Employee satisfaction rating
Twice a year, text hangers and finishers three anonymous questions: was your piece pay right, does your lead treat you fairly, and do you have the gear you need? Compare hangers with finishers, and this year with last.
Labor compliance audit score
Twice a quarter, check every worker on one builder's site against the files: Form I-9, training for the scaffold in use, the Appendix D sheet for dust mask wearers, and proof of age for anyone under 18. Report the share with nothing missing.
Career path
HR generalistHandles new-hire paperwork, leave and injury claims for a builder or another sub.
HR managerHires the crews and keeps training, injury and pay records in order.
Director of HR and riskTakes on insurance renewals, the comp program and more branches.
Two places work best: your own laborers and hangers, and other drywall subs. A laborer who cleans up behind your finishers can start on bead and inside corners, then move to flat joints once the lead finisher signs off. Experienced finishers may start looking when a builder they work for slows down, so that's a good time to run ads.
How much does a drywall and plaster HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $119,610 a year ($57.51 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $97,340 and $166,420 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What should HR do after a hanger hurts their back?
Report it to the workers' comp carrier the same day and decide whether it belongs on the OSHA log. Then offer work within the doctor's limits, such as counting and staging screws, bead and tape at the yard, or riding along to check lots with a field supervisor. Keep the medical notes in a separate file, not the personnel file.
How can HR keep finishers through a builder slowdown?
Move them to remodel, repair and commercial work before cutting hours, and tell crews early what's coming. A finisher who hears nothing about next month starts looking. Share the backlog numbers the operations manager has, even when they're not good news, and say which crews will get the first new communities.
The template asks for capacity to navigate active job sites. What does that mean here?
That line stays in the posting unchanged. For this HR manager it means walking houses and apartment floors where board is stacked along the walls, to sit in on a crew's scaffold training, hand out dust mask sheets or see where an injury happened. Sites call for a hard hat and safety glasses. List each kind of visit in the ad, and offer to work out an accommodation with anyone who needs one.
