A commercial electrical office manager runs billing and the office at a contractor working for general contractors and property managers. They get monthly progress bills and change orders out on time, answer billing questions, chase late payments, and gather the closeout papers that release the final check.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing billing, invoicing, and overall office operations to support the commercial electrical division. Acts as a central point for administrative coordination, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in financial processes. Contributes to streamlined operations that enhance customer satisfaction and operational performance.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee billing processes and ensure timely, accurate invoicing.
Manage daily office operations, including administrative support and record maintenance.
Coordinate with field teams and third-party vendors to ensure proper documentation and payment processing.
Resolve customer billing inquiries and discrepancies with professionalism.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Process and review invoices and billing documentation each day.
Generate and analyze daily financial reports to reconcile accounts.
Liaise with project teams to verify service details and billing accuracy.
Provide responsive support to customer inquiries and internal staff requests.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Billing Accuracy: Achieve a 99% accuracy rate in all processed invoices.
Invoice Processing Time: Complete invoice processing within 48 hours per invoice.
Payment Collection Rate: Secure 95% on-time payment collection across all accounts.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High School Diploma or equivalent; Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 3 years of experience in an office management or administrative role.
Proficiency with billing software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Excellent communication, organizational, and multitasking skills.
Ability to adapt to a fast-paced work environment.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the commercial electrical or home services industry.
Demonstrated experience in a similar office management role within a related field.
Familiarity with electrical project invoicing systems and financial reporting.
Proven record of streamlining office operations to improve efficiency.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 20 lbs.
Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and using office equipment.
Frequent use of computers, phones, and various office technologies.
Occasional travel between the office and job sites may be required.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office environment with a focus on a professional workplace setting.
Typical work hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Occasional extended hours during peak project periods are expected.
Minimal travel is required, primarily between the office and local job sites.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $50,000 - $65,000 USD per year, commensurate with experience.
Opportunity for an annual performance bonus based on KPIs.
Comprehensive health benefits, including dental and vision coverage.
401(k) plan with company match.
Paid time off, holidays, and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of open communication and mutual respect.
We value professional growth, offering continuous training and career advancement opportunities.
Our team is committed to innovation and excellence, ensuring every employee is recognized and supported.
We maintain a collaborative environment where everyone’s ideas contribute to our 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].
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What changes for an office manager at a commercial electrical contractor
Most of the money comes from general contractors who pay once a month, after their owner pays them. The office manager bills exactly what each subcontract allows and makes sure payment comes on the schedule the contract and state law set.
Signed tickets become change orders
Electricians often do extra work on a superintendent's say-so, like moving outlets after a wall shifts or adding circuits for equipment that wasn't on the drawings. The office manager makes sure each time-and-material ticket is signed on site, priced the same week and sent as a change order request. Unsigned or old tickets are the ones general contractors refuse to pay.
Stored gear needs backup before it's billed
Switchgear and fixture packages can be ordered months before they're installed, and the distributor wants payment on its own terms. Many subcontracts let you bill stored material only with backup, such as a bill of sale, photos, an insurance certificate or proof it sits in a bonded warehouse. The office manager reads the subcontract, gathers the backup before the billing cutoff, and bills stored gear on its own line.
Know when the general contractor got paid
Some states set how fast a general contractor must pass payment down. In Maryland, for example, a contractor paid for a subcontractor's work must pay the undisputed amount within 7 days. A court may add interest and costs, and attorney's fees if it finds bad faith. The office manager asks each general contractor when the owner paid, and calls the day a payment runs late. Other states write their own rules. Source: Maryland Code, Real Property 9-302: Prompt payment.
Closeout papers release the last check
Final payment and retainage often wait on a closeout package. For electrical work that can mean as-built drawings, typed panel schedules, test reports, fixture and gear warranties, operating manuals, and sign-in sheets showing the owner's staff learned the lighting controls. Many general contractors also want a final lien waiver. The office manager starts the list when the job starts, so it isn't built from memory months after the crew leaves.
How much commercial electrical office managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial electrical office managers is First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers. First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $34.35 an hour ($71,440 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $69,500 median for First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers in all industries. About 6,060 of the 1,436,680 First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers in that survey work for electrical contractors.
Salaried, with the template's yearly bonus tied to billing and collections. Overtime exemption turns on what the job does each day, such as how much of it is leading staff, so have that reviewed before you post it as exempt.
Electrical contractors
$71,440$71,440 median Middle half $57,380–$86,480 10th–90th $47,170–$105,200
All industries
$69,500$69,500 median Middle half $55,950–$85,090 10th–90th $45,610–$104,710
$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k$100k$110k$120k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Electrical contractors
$47,170
$57,380
$71,440
$86,480
$105,200
All industries
$45,610
$55,950
$69,500
$85,090
$104,710
BLS reports residential and commercial electrical 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 billed a subcontractor's work to general contractors on a monthly cycle
Reads the billing, change order and closeout parts of a subcontract
Presses a general contractor's accountant for payment and keeps the tone friendly
Trains billing and admin staff and checks their work before it goes out
Keeps every job folder complete, from the signed subcontract to the last waiver
Teach these on the job
How each general contractor wants backup attached to a bill
Your time-and-material rates and material markup
Electrical closeout items: panel schedules, test reports, as-builts
The conditional and final waiver forms your general contractors accept
How change orders move from field ticket to approved line in your system
Billing software here means construction accounting with progress billing and change order tracking, plus a login for each general contractor's billing portal. A shared drive with one folder per job for tickets, backup and closeout papers keeps billing from stalling when someone is out.
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 · Lien waivers
A general contractor won't release this month's payment until they get conditional lien waivers from you and your main supplier. What do you do?
A strong answer: Confirms exactly which waivers and forms they need (your state's required form where there is one), sends conditional waivers for the amount billed, never unconditional before payment, gets the supplier's waiver, and tracks it to payment.
Behavioral · Process improvement
Tell me about a time you shortened how long a general contractor took to pay, such as by fixing pay-portal rejections or bills sent to the wrong payables contact.
A strong answer: Names the cause (missing lien waivers, portal rules, wrong payables contact), the fix, and how days to pay changed.
Keep progress bills and service invoices apart in every measure. One is built monthly from the schedule of values, the other after each service visit.
Billing Accuracy
Bills paid as sent, against all bills sent. Every bill a general contractor or property manager sends back, short-pays or rejects counts as a miss; note whether math, missing backup or an unapproved change order caused it.
Invoice Processing Time
Hours from the last input arriving, such as the project manager's progress count or a signed ticket, to the invoice going out. Watch which change order tickets sit longest.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
A short rating from general contractors' project managers and from property managers on billing and paperwork, gathered at closeout or each quarter. Read every comment about a confusing bill or a late document.
Payment Collection Rate
From the aging report, the dollars that came in by their due date against the dollars due. Keep unreleased retainage out, and for each slow general contractor, note when its owner paid it.
Career path
Billing clerkBuilds service invoices and learns progress billing and lien waivers.
Project coordinatorLogs change orders and gathers closeout binders for the project managers.
Office managerOwns every bill that leaves the company and the people who prepare them.
Director of administrationAdds contracts, bonds and office systems for every branch.
The project manager and the office manager each own a piece. The project manager says how much of each line is done and lists the change orders the general contractor has approved. The office manager builds the bill in the general contractor's format, attaches the lien waiver and backup, and sends it before the cutoff. The CFO or project manager signs off. If the project manager's numbers come late, the bill misses the cutoff and the cash slips a month.
How much does a commercial electrical office manager make?
First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $34.35 an hour ($71,440 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $57,380 and $86,480 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What if a superintendent won't sign a time-and-material ticket?
Send it to your project manager the same day, with photos and the foreman's daily report showing the hours and material. Price it as a change order request and send it anyway, inside the notice period your subcontract sets for extra work. Miss that window and you may lose the claim. List it on the next progress bill as pending.
What needs to be in place before a new job's first bill?
The signed subcontract, a schedule of values the general contractor has approved, the billing contact and portal login, the cutoff day, the retainage rate and the lien waiver forms it wants. A short setup meeting with the project manager covers it. Skip it, and the first bill is likely to come back.
How much desk time, lifting and travel does the office manager job involve?
Most days are desk work: building bills, reading subcontracts and answering calls. Lifting tops out at the template's 20 pounds, such as a box of closeout binders. Trips are short, like sitting in on an owner's training session to collect sign-in sheets or meeting a project accountant about a disputed bill. Even a quick stop on site means wearing what the general contractor requires. Invite candidates to ask about any adjustment they need.
