Elevator company chief operating officer job description
An elevator company chief operating officer runs the field side: every route and every modernization. The COO decides how mechanics are staffed, trained and kept safe in hoistways, how altered cars clear permits and inspections, and the standards crews are held to.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other building equipment contractors · BLS, May 2025
Lead and manage elevator maintenance field operations to drive efficiency, ensure safety compliance, and achieve operational excellence. Develop strategic initiatives to enhance service quality while managing resources effectively. Act as a key liaison between field teams and senior management, ensuring alignment with company goals.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all elevator maintenance operations.
Ensure strict adherence to industry safety standards and regulatory compliance.
Optimize resource allocation and operational processes to boost efficiency and quality.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate best practices and drive continuous improvement.
Monitor operational performance and make data-driven decisions to enhance service delivery.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and analyze daily operational metrics and field performance reports.
Conduct regular site visits to ensure adherence to maintenance protocols and safety measures.
Engage with field teams to review schedules, resolve issues, and provide operational support.
Coordinate training sessions and safety briefings to ensure up-to-date compliance practices.
Facilitate effective communication between internal departments and external service teams.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Field Operations Efficiency: Achieve a 10% improvement in operational efficiency each quarter.
Safety Compliance Rate: Maintain a 100% adherence rate to all safety and regulatory standards.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Secure an average rating of >4.8 stars in customer feedback.
Operational Downtime: Reduce downtime incidents to less than 5% of total scheduled operations.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years’ progressive leadership experience in operational management.
Demonstrated proficiency in overseeing field operations and maintenance services.
Strong analytical, strategic planning, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership capabilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Advanced degree or relevant industry certifications are a plus.
Prior experience in the elevator maintenance or construction industry.
Proven track record of managing large-scale field operations and cross-functional teams.
Experience with budget management, cost control, and performance reporting.
Familiarity with industry-specific safety protocols and regulatory requirements.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift or move up to 30 lbs when necessary during site evaluations.
Regular participation in on-site inspections and meetings, occasionally in industrial environments.
Capacity to work in variable weather conditions during field visits.
Ability to stand or walk for extended periods during site assessments.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard operating hours are Monday through Friday.
Full-time position with the possibility of extended hours during peak operational periods.
Occasional travel required to various site locations regionally.
On-call duties may be required during operational emergencies or maintenance incidents.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 USD based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonus structure to reward operational excellence.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
Additional benefits include paid time off, professional development opportunities, and fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a dynamic and forward-thinking company driven by innovation and operational excellence.
Our culture emphasizes collaboration, continuous learning, and a passion for delivering high-quality service.
We foster an inclusive environment where every team member is valued and empowered to succeed.
Our commitment to professional growth and customer satisfaction sets us apart as a leader in the elevator maintenance industry.
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
An elevator COO runs two kinds of work with one pool of licensed mechanics: route maintenance that never stops, and modernizations that take cars away for weeks. Both happen in buildings full of people who need those cars.
A modernization ends with an inspection
In Missouri, a new controller is on the list of major alterations. The contractor gets an alteration permit and sends plans or a scope of work for review, and the car gets an acceptance inspection when the work is done. State law bars running a car without an operating permit, though the board can allow short-term use while defects are fixed. The COO builds permit and inspection dates into every modernization schedule. Source: Example state: Missouri Code of State Regulations, 11 CSR 40-5 (elevators).
Tie-off points on top of the car
On some installs and modernizations, crews work from a guarded platform set on top of the car frame. In a 2010 letter, OSHA said guardrails alone are enough for workers inside them. Anyone working outside the rails must tie off to an anchorage independent of the cables holding the car. The COO makes anchor points part of the plan for every job that uses such a platform, and looks for them when visiting jobs. Source: OSHA interpretation letter: Fall protection for employees working on an elevator car frame (2010).
Take cars down one at a time
A modernization can leave a building short of elevators for weeks. In a two-car building, the remaining car carries everyone for the length of the job. The COO sets the rules: which cars go first, how long each may be down, what tenants are told and when, and how route mechanics back up the cars still running.
Monitoring data only helps if someone acts
Remote monitoring can report a fault, a stuck car or a string of door problems before anyone calls. The COO decides which buildings get it, where alerts go after hours, and how mechanics use the fault history. The goal is to fix the cause on the next visit instead of resetting the same car again and again.
How much elevator company chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for elevator company chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $157,100 a year ($75.53 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 100 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for other building equipment contractors.
Salaried, and the template pays a bonus on operating results. The BLS median for chief executives in this industry falls near the bottom of this range, so a COO from a larger elevator firm may ask for the upper part.
Other building equipment contractors
$157,100$157,100 median Middle half $81,360–$177,770 10th–90th $68,550–$253,000
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Other building equipment contractors
$68,550
$81,360
$157,100
$177,770
$253,000
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for elevator contractors on their own. These figures cover other building equipment contractors, 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 run elevator service and modernization crews, or a large part of them
Writes hoistway safety rules and audits crews against them in the field
Plans modernizations so each building keeps enough working cars
Turns callback and fault data into lasting fixes
Keeps enough licensed mechanics on routes and job sites at once
Teach these on the job
Alteration permits and acceptance inspections in each state you serve
Your monitoring platform and its alert rules
The visit and callback codes in your service software
The controller brands most common on your routes
Your labor agreement's call-out and overtime terms, where crews are union
Most of the COO's view comes from the field service system, which logs visits, callbacks, hours and parts by unit, plus any remote monitoring dashboard and a safety audit app for site checks. Ask finalists how they would use monitoring fault histories to cut repeat calls on your worst units.
Elevator company chief operating officer 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 · Diagnosing a callback rise
Callbacks across your portfolio rose sharply over the last two quarters. How would you find out why and fix it?
A strong answer: Breaks callbacks down by unit, mechanic, component and equipment age, checks whether scheduled maintenance is getting done, rides along, and fixes the biggest causes first.
Behavioral · Developing supervisors
Tell me about a mechanic you promoted to field supervisor who had to start holding former peers to safety and maintenance standards. What did you do?
A strong answer: Set clear goals like maintenance completion and audit results, coached them through hard conversations with peers, backed their decisions, and tracked progress.
Use a full year of call logs, permits and site audits to set each target, then review progress monthly alongside the operations manager.
Field Operations Efficiency
Maintenance tasks finished per paid field hour, by route, plus the hours lost to driving, waiting for building access and repeat trips. Compare routes that hold a similar mix of cars.
Safety Compliance Rate
Across the company, count permit deadlines, state inspection write-ups and safety audit findings, and the share closed on time. Add recordable injuries. Break it out by crew so one strong team can't hide a weak one.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Rate each modernization at handover, asking the building engineer and property manager the same questions every time: site safety, cleanup, tenant updates and finishing on the promised date.
Operational Downtime
Hours each car under contract was out of service for reasons you control, such as waiting on a mechanic or a part, against its scheduled hours. Report planned modernization outages on their own line.
Career path
Field supervisorLearns where crews cut corners on hoistway entry and lockout, and why.
Operations managerRuns one service area's board and sees where the company's system breaks.
Chief operating officerDecides how routes are staffed, modernizations run and hoistways kept safe across the company.
Hand them a real case with the names removed, such as a modernization that failed its acceptance inspection twice. Ask what they'd look at first, who they'd talk to, and what they'd change in the job plan for the next one. Strong candidates ask for the inspector's write-up before they guess at a cause.
How much does an elevator company chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $157,100 a year ($75.53 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $81,360 and $177,770 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should an elevator COO set after-hours rules?
Write one policy for every branch. Trapped riders always get a mechanic right away. For other night calls, the policy says how fast the on-call mechanic calls back, when the supervisor gets a call, and when a second mechanic must go along. Train dispatch on it. Once a month, pull a handful of night calls, compare them with it, and fix the rule or the coverage where calls slip.
What site work does an elevator COO do?
The template lists site visits and inspections. In practice that means walking job sites and machine rooms, climbing stairs to rooftop machine rooms, carrying a gear bag, and working outside in poor weather. Write those tasks into the job post along with who to contact about accommodations, and applicants can weigh the real work.
What should an elevator COO do when the state tags a car as unsafe?
In Missouri, the state can revoke an unsafe car's operating certificate at once, and the inspector hangs a warning tag that comes off only with the chief elevator inspector's approval. Treat every tag as a company matter: fix the car, send the owner a written repair plan, and find out why your own maintenance didn't catch it first. Track tags by route so a pattern shows early.
