A facility management chief operating officer standardizes how client buildings are run. That covers which work orders come first, planned upkeep, cleaning checks, vendor rules and safety. The COO leads the general manager and the operations team, and makes sure each contract's response times can be met.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, administrative and support services businesses · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $68,780, middle half $124,990 to $348,170, 90th percentile $452,460. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, administrative and support services businesses.
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays with site visits and on-call · Some evenings and weekends, regular travel between client sites, and on call when a building has an urgent problem
Also called
COO · Vice president of operations · Executive vice president, operations
Lead and oversee multi-building operations to ensure facility efficiency and effectiveness. Drive cross-departmental collaboration to deliver outstanding service and operational excellence. Strategically develop and implement operational policies that drive growth and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the day-to-day operations of multiple facility sites to ensure smooth functioning and adherence to standards.
Develop and implement operational strategies to optimize efficiency and reduce costs across all buildings.
Coordinate with department heads to streamline workflows and ensure timely problem resolution.
Monitor key operating metrics and adjust processes to maintain high-quality service delivery.
Manage vendor relationships and negotiate service contracts to secure cost-effective solutions.
Implement safety and compliance protocols across all facilities.
Provide leadership and mentorship to operational teams to promote continuous improvement.
Report regularly to the executive team on performance, challenges, and opportunities for growth.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily performance reports and conduct facility walkthroughs across all sites.
Hold briefings with department heads to discuss operational challenges and solutions.
Engage with vendors and service providers to address maintenance and repair needs promptly.
Analyze operational data to proactively address inefficiencies and improve processes.
Respond to escalated issues from facility managers and implement corrective actions.
Oversee budget management and resource allocation for day-to-day facility operations.
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations regarding facility management.
Prepare and present daily operational status updates to senior leadership.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Operational Efficiency Rate: Maintain or exceed a target of 95%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve a rating of greater than 4.8 stars.
Maintenance Response Time: Resolve urgent service issues within 24 hours.
Budget Variance: Keep cost deviations within a 5% threshold relative to projections.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Facility Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in operations management.
Strong strategic planning, communication, and decision-making skills.
Proven ability to streamline processes and drive operational efficiencies.
Expertise in multi-site facility management and cross-department coordination.
Proficient in data analysis and performance measurement tools.
Excellent interpersonal skills and capability to lead high-performing teams.
6. Preferred Experience
Proven track record in managing multi-building operations within the home services or property management industry.
Experience in implementing innovative operational improvements and technology solutions.
Background in budget management and cost reduction initiatives.
Familiarity with vendor negotiations and contract management in facility services.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to conduct regular facility walkthroughs, including climbing stairs and traversing multiple site locations.
Capacity to lift up to 20 pounds when required.
Ability to work in variable environmental conditions at different facility sites.
Occasional requirement to work in confined spaces during facility inspections.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours; however, flexibility is required for occasional evenings or weekends.
May involve up to 20% travel between facility sites.
On-call responsibilities for urgent operational issues, ensuring prompt and effective responses.
Office environment complemented by on-site operational responsibilities.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 USD based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonus structure available.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits, including paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a growth-oriented company committed to delivering exceptional home services with a focus on quality and innovation.
Our collaborative culture empowers every team member to lead and innovate for continuous improvement.
We believe in nurturing talent and providing opportunities for career advancement in a supportive environment.
Our mission is to exceed customer expectations by fostering an inclusive and dynamic workplace culture.
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
How running many client buildings shapes the COO's job
The COO's crews work in buildings the company doesn't own, beside tenants and other vendors, under contracts that each define service a little differently. The job is one way of working that still fits every client.
The vendors you hire are yours to police
When the company brings an elevator, roofing or fire protection vendor into a client building and has the authority to make it fix hazards, OSHA's multi-employer policy can treat the company as a controlling employer. OSHA looks at the contract and at what the company does day to day. Among other things, it checks whether the company inspected the vendor's work often enough and enforced its rules in steps, with follow-up checks. The COO writes those steps, from a first warning to removal from your sites. Source: OSHA Instruction CPL 02-00-124: Multi-employer citation policy.
Which sites should run a water management program
CDC's worksheet flags buildings with a higher risk of Legionella. Examples are apartment buildings with central hot water, buildings over ten stories counting basements, and any building with a cooling tower or a decorative fountain. CDC calls water management programs an industry standard for many buildings. The COO lists which client sites fit. Each contract should say who runs the program: the owner, a water treatment vendor or your team. Then the checks go into planned upkeep. Source: CDC: Identify buildings with increased Legionella risk (water management program worksheet).
Day one in a new building
A new contract often starts on a set date with little overlap. In the first weeks the company needs keys and access cards, a list of equipment with ages and warranties, open work orders, old vendor contracts, and the client's rules for tenants and contractors. The COO owns the start-up checklist. Every new building then starts the same way, and the account team learns early which equipment is close to failing or out of warranty.
One priority scale across many contracts
One client calls a dead lobby light urgent; another saves that word for a flood. The COO sets one priority scale for the company, with a response and finish time for each level, and maps every contract's terms onto it in the work order system. Dispatch and technicians then work one list, and an urgent issue means the same thing in every building.
How much facility management chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for facility management chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for administrative and support services businesses earned a median of $207,900 a year ($99.95 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 8,760 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for administrative and support services businesses.
Salaried, with a yearly operations bonus. BLS counts COOs with chief executives, so the median shown sits above the top of this template's range.
Administrative and support services businesses
$207,900$207,900 median Middle half $124,990–$348,170 10th–90th $68,780–$452,460
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
Administrative and support services businesses
$68,780
$124,990
$207,900
$348,170
$452,460
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for chief executives at facilities support services on their own, so these figures cover administrative and support services businesses. 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 operations across many sites for a building services or property maintenance company
Sets up preventive maintenance and inspection programs that crews follow
Has removed a vendor from client sites over safety or quality, and kept the record of why
Turns work order data into staffing and process changes
Sets clear standards for the general manager and operations team, then checks them
Teach these on the job
Response times promised in each contract
Your work order platform and the client portals that feed it
Which client sites have cooling towers, fountains or water programs
Your vendor list, insurance requirements and site rules
Your start-up checklist for new buildings
The COO works from the work order platform, often a CMMS such as Corrigo, FMX or UpKeep, along with client portals, timekeeping and an inspection app for cleaning and maintenance audits. Ask finalists how they would get every building's equipment into one asset list, since preventive maintenance depends on it.
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 · SLA slippage
SLA response times are slipping at buildings in one region. How do you find the cause?
A strong answer: Breaks the data down by site, shift and tech, checks staffing, travel distances, dispatch habits and vendor delays, then fixes and monitors.
Behavioral · Vendor negotiation
Tell me about a supplier or subcontract agreement you renegotiated, such as janitorial supplies or HVAC service. What did you get, and what did you give up?
A strong answer: Names the terms gained (rates, response times, price caps), the trade they made (longer term, more volume, faster payment) and the result in cost or service.
Pull a year of work order history before setting targets, and set each one with the general manager, who reports the same numbers to clients.
Operational Efficiency Rate
Define it once with the CEO, for example scheduled tasks and work orders closed on time against all that came due. Report it by building and by crew, with vendor work on its own line.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Short surveys to property managers after urgent work orders and each quarter, using the same questions every time. Add tenant comments from client portals, and follow every low score with a call.
Maintenance Response Time
Hours from an urgent request's entry to the moment it is fixed or made safe, pulled from work order records. Check nights and weekends on their own, since on-call coverage is thinnest then.
Budget Variance
Monthly operating costs against budget for each building and for the company: labor, overtime, supplies and vendor spend. Explain each miss past the agreed limit and what changes next month.
Who does what when a facility company has both a COO and a GM?
The general manager answers to clients: service levels, inspections, renewals and monthly results by account. The COO builds what the general manager runs on: the work order setup, preventive maintenance plans, vendor rules, the safety program and the start-up checklist. A smaller company can combine the two. Once client calls crowd out the system work, hire a separate COO.
How much does a facility management chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for administrative and support services businesses earned a median of $207,900 a year ($99.95 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $124,990 and $348,170 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Which background fits a facility management COO best?
Look at where most of your revenue and complaints come from. If cleaning is most of the contract value, favor a candidate who has run night crews and porter programs across many buildings. If repairs and vendor work drive the complaints, look at building engineers and maintenance contractors. Either way, they should have run operations through other managers, not only in person.
How does a COO keep cleaning and repair quality even across buildings?
Use one inspection form with the same scoring at every site, and have supervisors, managers and the COO score a sample each month. Now and then, have two people score the same area on the same night. A lenient scorer can make a weak building look fine, and paired scores bring that out before a client does.
Why does a facility COO template mention confined spaces?
Because the COO audits buildings in person, often on the first walk of a new contract: stair towers, roof hatches, boiler rooms and parking decks, outdoors in any season, with a tablet or sample kit up to 20 pounds. For a COO, the confined space line usually means looking into a vault, pit or crawl space during that audit. If the space is permit-required, entry is for people trained under your permit program. Put the expected site days per month in the posting, along with whom to ask about accommodations.
