Drywall and plaster operations manager job description
A drywall and plaster operations manager sends hanging and finishing crews to each builder's jobs every day. They book board deliveries, plan return trips around drying time, and hold remodel work until old ceiling texture is tested for asbestos.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, drywall and insulation contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for overseeing daily drywall and plaster operations by allocating crews, organizing schedules, and managing resources to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Allocate and assign crews to specific projects based on skillset and availability.
Organize and maintain schedules for multiple drywall and plaster projects.
Manage resources, including materials and equipment, to maximize efficiency.
Collaborate with project teams to ensure high-quality workmanship and adherence to safety standards.
Monitor project progress and adjust plans to meet evolving deadlines and client requirements.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily crew assignments and project timelines.
Coordinate with suppliers and vendors for timely delivery of materials.
Conduct daily site inspections to ensure job site safety and quality control.
Communicate with clients to provide project updates and address concerns.
Document project progress and report any issues or delays to senior management.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per hour: $150.
Callback percentage: <5%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Capacity efficiency: 90% or higher.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Construction Management, or a related field.
A minimum of 3 years experience in operations management or a related role.
Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
Proficiency in scheduling software and resource management tools.
Strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the drywall, plaster, or broader construction industry.
Familiarity with unionized crew management and union safety protocols.
Experience using construction project management software.
Demonstrated success in improving team efficiency and project outcomes.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift and move items up to 25 lbs.
Capacity to work in environments with dust, noise, and variable weather conditions.
Flexibility to perform manual tasks as required on job sites.
Capability to stand, walk, and navigate uneven terrain for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours with occasional extended shifts for project deadlines.
On-site presence required at various project locations.
Minimal local travel expected between job sites.
On-call availability during peak project periods or urgent project needs.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 per year.
Performance bonuses based on successful project completions and client satisfaction.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance provided.
401k retirement plan with company match.
Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking organization that celebrates collaboration and continuous improvement.
Our culture is built on integrity, innovation, and a commitment to outstanding customer service.
We empower our employees to take ownership of their roles and celebrate diversity in our workforce.
Join our team to advance your career in a supportive, growth-oriented environment.
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
Board has to reach the right floor, each coat has to dry before the next, and older ceilings may hide asbestos. Every crew plan has to allow for all three.
Boom truck deliveries come with conditions
Board for upper floors often comes on the supplier's knuckle-boom truck. OSHA's crane rules don't cover that drop if the boom sets the sheets on the building with a fork or cradle. The truck's automatic overload prevention device must also work. If the boom holds sheets up while they're fastened, the crane rules apply again. The manager checks the truck, the access and the landing spot before delivery day. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1400(c)(17): Crane standard scope, material delivery (eCFR).
The compound decides when finishers come back
One of USG's ready-mixed all-purpose compounds dries, and its directions say to let each coat dry before the next. Setting compounds run on a clock instead. USG lists a 50 to 65 minute set for its Easy Sand 45. It says the mix can go on in damp weather, so joints can be finished the same day. The manager decides where that speed pays off, like a rush job or a humid week, and plans return trips around the rest. Source: USG: Sheetrock Easy Sand 45 joint compound.
Old ceiling texture is asbestos until tested
OSHA's asbestos rule treats sprayed or troweled-on ceiling coats, such as acoustical plaster, in buildings from 1980 or before as if they hold asbestos. That stands until a lab shows otherwise, from samples taken by an accredited inspector or a certified industrial hygienist. EPA also names textured paint and patching compounds on walls and ceilings as places it can hide. The manager sends no crew to scrape or sand old work until results are in. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1101: Asbestos in construction (eCFR).
Two builders can want the same crew
Builders often release several houses at once, and an apartment job can open a whole floor with little warning. The manager keeps a crew board two or three weeks out for each builder, with some room held for warranty and repair visits. When a promised date won't hold, the GM hears it first, before a superintendent finds an empty house.
How much drywall and plaster operations managers make
The closest BLS group for drywall and plaster operations managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for drywall and insulation contractors earned a median of $99,220 a year ($47.70 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 6,150 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for drywall and insulation contractors.
A salary, plus bonuses for completed projects and client satisfaction, is what the template offers. BLS counts operations managers in one group with general managers, and at drywall and insulation firms the group's median tops the template's range. Expect strong candidates to push past the template's range.
Drywall and insulation contractors
$99,220$99,220 median Middle half $71,540–$156,540 10th–90th $41,530–$214,420
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
Drywall and insulation contractors
$41,530
$71,540
$99,220
$156,540
$214,420
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
BLS reports drywall and insulation contractors together. 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 scheduled hanging and finishing crews for several builders at once
Knows how long each coat and compound needs before the next visit
Plans board deliveries with suppliers, floor by floor
Spots a hanging problem before the tapers start
Moves crews the same day a house or floor isn't ready
Teach these on the job
Your builders' release and inspection habits
Each supplier's boom truck limits and delivery cutoffs
How your crew load board is laid out
Your asbestos testing vendor and process
Union work rules, if the company has signed an agreement
Builders' release dates, the suppliers' boom truck calendars and the crew load board have to agree every morning, and keeping them in step is most of the desk work. A phone full of superintendents' numbers is worth more than any app.
Drywall and plaster 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 · Capacity crunch
A multifamily contractor releases several floors at once, but your finishing crews are booked on homes. What do you do?
A strong answer: Plans capacity, prioritizes by contract dates, considers vetted subcontract crews, and gives honest dates to both customers.
Behavioral · Explaining delays
Tell me about a time drying conditions or a failed inspection delayed a job. How did you tell the customer?
A strong answer: Called early, explained the cause in plain words, gave a new date and kept it.
Read each number by crew and by builder. One builder that releases houses late can drag down every crew sent there.
Revenue per hour
Revenue the crews earned this week against the hours the operations manager scheduled, which shows the cost of crews sent to houses that weren't ready.
Callback percentage
Return visits each crew caused, counted against units that crew finished, so the manager knows which crews to retrain or regroup.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Superintendents' and homeowners' word on timing and cleanup: did the crew arrive on the promised day, stack board safely and sweep the floor before leaving?
Capacity efficiency
Crew-days on billable work divided by crew-days on payroll. When it drops, look at the release calendar and board deliveries before the crews themselves.
Career path
Lead finisherRuns a finishing crew and checks the hangers' work before taping.
Field supervisorMoves between sites and learns each builder's superintendents.
Operations managerAssigns crews and board deliveries across every builder's jobs.
The template mentions dust, noise and uneven ground. How do I put that in an ad?
Name the work: walking houses and floors still being built, stepping over stacked board and cords, checking where a boom truck will set its load, and carrying tools or boxes of screws now and then. Say the job comes with sanding dust and site noise, list the protective gear the company supplies, and offer reasonable accommodation to anyone who needs it.
How much does a drywall and plaster operations manager make?
General and operations managers who work for drywall and insulation contractors earned a median of $99,220 a year ($47.70 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $71,540 and $156,540 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should the operations manager work with union crews?
A signed union agreement has work rules that settle a lot. They cover how extra workers are sent, hours and breaks, and in some agreements which trade may do which task. Read it before you move a hanger onto taping or add a helper. Take questions to the steward or the union's business agent early, not after a grievance.
Does a drywall company need both an operations manager and project managers?
Once several project managers share one pool of hangers and finishers, usually yes. Each project manager pushes for their own builder's dates and change orders. Someone above them has to weigh one builder's release against another's, plus the warranty backlog and the crews on payroll. That's the operations manager. A branch with one project manager and a few crews can often fold both jobs into one.
How can the operations manager avoid sending crews to houses that aren't ready?
Check before the crew drives out. A text from the superintendent the day before, or a photo showing the insulation inspection passed, saves a wasted trip. When a crew still arrives to a house that isn't ready, log the cause: insulation not inspected, windows not in, or no heat. With that log, the project manager can ask the builder for a new date or a trip charge, and builders who do it often go on the general manager's monthly report.
