A fire sprinkler production manager turns signed installs and approved service work into crew schedules, fab shop runs and daily priorities. They check quality on site, approve work orders, and keep install crews and service technicians on time.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing, HVAC and sprinkler contractors · BLS, May 2025
Oversee fire suppression system installations and service operations to ensure top-tier quality and customer satisfaction. Drive efficiency and safety in daily operations while maintaining a continuous improvement mindset. Serve as the pivotal link between installation teams, service technicians, and senior management.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead scheduling and coordination of fire suppression installations and service calls to meet established deadlines.
Ensure quality control by performing regular inspections and audits of work completed.
Develop and implement operational procedures to improve service delivery and reduce downtime.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve customer issues and implement process improvements.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily briefings with installation and service teams to align on work priorities and schedules.
Review and approve work orders, ensuring compliance with all safety and quality standards.
Perform on-site visits to monitor progress and troubleshoot installation or service-related issues.
Engage with customers to follow up on service calls and gauge satisfaction levels.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Installation Completion Rate: Achieve 95% of installations completed on schedule.
Service Call Response Time: Maintain an average response time of less than 30 minutes.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Exceed a minimum customer rating of 4.8 stars.
Quality Control Audit Score: Secure a score of 98% or above on all quality audits.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a closely related field.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in production management within the fire suppression or related home services industry.
Strong leadership and team management skills with a proven track record in operational excellence.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience managing fire suppression system installations in both residential and commercial settings.
Background in lean management or continuous improvement initiatives within a technical field.
Familiarity with industry safety standards and certification requirements.
Proven ability to implement effective quality control measures in fast-paced environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. on a regular basis.
Frequent standing, walking, and occasional climbing of ladders or accessing elevated work areas.
Comfortable working in varying environments including outdoor sites and confined spaces.
Occasional exposure to construction noise and weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with occasional extended hours during project peaks.
Regular travel across various job sites expected.
On-call duties for emergency service support may be required.
Work in a dynamic, field-based environment with varied operational challenges.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Base salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 USD per year depending on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonuses available based on key operational metrics and overall company performance.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance packages provided.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions along with additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative, forward-thinking work environment where professional growth and customer excellence are at the forefront.
We encourage innovation and value every team member’s input in driving operational success and continuous improvement.
Our commitment to safety, quality, and integrity helps us build lasting relationships with our customers and communities.
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
What makes production management different at a sprinkler contractor
A sprinkler production manager plans two kinds of work with one group of fitters: new installs that follow the building's progress, and service work that can't wait long. A shop full of cut pipe sits in the middle.
The fab shop runs in install order
Shop crews cut, thread and groove pipe to the lengths on the shop drawings. The production manager sets the shop's order so pieces for the next floor or area are ready a few days before the crew needs them, not weeks early where they get lost or bent. When a drawing revision lands, they pull the cut list, find the pieces it changes and stop them before they ship.
Pipe machines need guards
In the fab shop, roll groovers, threading machines and cut-off saws have rotating parts and nip points that can catch a glove or sleeve. OSHA's machine guarding rule calls for guarding that protects the operator and others near the machine from those hazards, fixed to the machine where possible. The production manager checks the guards are on, trains shop staff on each machine and stops any machine running without one. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1910.212, General requirements for all machines.
Apartment jobs repeat floor by floor
Multifamily work runs in cycles: mains and branch lines on one floor, drops and heads once framing allows, then testing before drywall closes in. The production manager matches that cycle to the general contractor's floor schedule, keeps the same fitters on a building when possible, and moves crews before the next floor is ready, not after. OSHA's construction fire rule sets the pace too: sprinkler work must closely follow construction and go into service after each story, as soon as local laws permit. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.150, Fire protection (sprinkler protection during construction).
Fire pump tests bring a crowd
Plan a fire pump acceptance test like an event. The pump's start-up technician, the controller maker's representative, the fire official and the engineer may all need to be there at the same hour. Book them early, confirm power and water supply are ready, and have fitters finish flushing and their own checks first so nobody stands around waiting.
How much fire sprinkler production managers make
The closest BLS group for fire sprinkler production managers is construction managers. Construction managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $109,150 a year ($52.47 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $114,990 median for construction managers in all industries. About 21,680 of the 380,360 construction managers in that survey work for plumbing, HVAC and sprinkler contractors.
Pay is mostly salary, with a bonus for schedule, quality and company results as the template describes. That range trails what BLS reports for construction managers at sprinkler, plumbing and HVAC contractors, and its low end is less than what nearly all of them earn in the BLS data.
Plumbing, HVAC and sprinkler contractors
$109,150$109,150 median Middle half $93,220–$137,820 10th–90th $75,490–$171,880
All industries
$114,990$114,990 median Middle half $88,550–$151,640 10th–90th $69,690–$189,440
$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Plumbing, HVAC and sprinkler contractors
$75,490
$93,220
$109,150
$137,820
$171,880
All industries
$69,690
$88,550
$114,990
$151,640
$189,440
BLS doesn’t publish pay for fire sprinkler contractors on their own. These figures cover plumbing, heating and air-conditioning 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 sprinkler installs as a foreman, superintendent or project lead
Reads shop drawings and spots what will cause rework
Plans crews across many jobs and keeps the plan current
Holds quality and safety lines when a schedule is tight
Talks plainly with general contractors and building owners
Teach these on the job
Your scheduling and job costing software
Your fab shop's machines and cut list process
Service calls and inspection visits, for a hire who has only built new systems
Your quality audit checklist
Lean or other improvement methods
The job runs on scheduling or field service software, a job board the whole office can see, and the fab shop's cut lists. List your software, and note whether the production manager runs the shop or shares it with a shop foreman.
Fire sprinkler production 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 · Allocating crews
Two install jobs need fitters on the same Monday. One general contractor is closing ceilings, and the other job has a hydro test booked with the AHJ. You're a crew short. What do you do?
A strong answer: Weighs the cost of each delay, protects the booked inspection, talks with both contractors early, and looks for more help or overtime.
Behavioral · Reducing rework
Tell me about a change you made that cut rework on sprinkler installs.
A strong answer: Names the change, such as a pre-final checklist or pre-cut review, and shows before-and-after results.
The template's targets are examples. Track a few months of installs and calls first, then set numbers from what your crews, shop and market can really do.
Installation Completion Rate
Count installs done on or before their scheduled finish date, from your project or scheduling software. Note when a general contractor's delay moved the date so crews aren't charged for it.
Service Call Response Time
Measure from when a service call is logged to when a technician is assigned and the customer is told when to expect them, using call time stamps. Track leaks and impairments on their own.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Send a short survey after each install closeout and service visit to the building owner or manager, and call back on every low score to learn what went wrong.
Quality Control Audit Score
Score a sample of finished work each month against your audit checklist for hangers, heads, labels and paperwork, done by someone other than the crew's own foreman.
Does a sprinkler production manager need an engineering degree?
This blueprint lists a bachelor's in engineering, construction management or a related field. Whether you keep that line is your call. What matters on the job is planning a month of installs around several general contractors' dates while service calls keep coming. Give finalists a real shop drawing and last month's crew board, and ask what they'd change first and why.
How much does a fire sprinkler production manager make?
Construction managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $109,150 a year ($52.47 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $93,220 and $137,820 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should the production manager run the fab shop?
If the shop mostly feeds your own installs, putting it under production keeps cutting in step with the field. If it also sells cut pipe to other contractors, a shop foreman with separate targets may work better. Either way, one person should set the order pieces are cut in, so the shop doesn't chase whichever crew calls loudest.
What should a sprinkler production manager check before approving a work order?
Look for the approved drawing number, the parts list, lift and access needs, and any shutdown the work will cause. For service work, check that the customer approved the quote and that the parts are on hand. A work order missing one of those goes back to whoever wrote it before a crew is sent.
How hands-on is a sprinkler production manager's site work?
Its physical lines stay word for word. Most weeks they translate to walking buildings under construction, climbing ladders or riding lifts to see pipe overhead, carrying drawings or sample parts up to the template's weight, stepping into valve rooms and other tight spaces, and time outside in noise and weather. Each belongs in the job ad, next to a line saying reasonable accommodation will be considered.
