Fireplace and stove chief operating officer job description
A fireplace and stove chief operating officer owns the install and service system at every location. The COO plans crew time for the fall rush, then lines up the gas fitters and propane suppliers each job needs. When a maker recalls a model, the COO's plan finds the homes that have it.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other building equipment contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) drives the overall daily operations of our Fireplace & Stove Installation division, ensuring seamless service delivery and operational excellence. This role is pivotal in fostering efficiency, enhancing team performance, and maintaining high-quality customer experiences.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee daily installation operations to maintain optimal service delivery.
Implement and refine operational strategies that enhance efficiency and safety.
Lead, mentor, and coordinate service crews to meet performance benchmarks.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with company objectives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor and manage day-to-day operational tasks for installation projects.
Coordinate schedules and assignments among service crews for efficient workflow.
Conduct regular site inspections and quality reviews to uphold best practices.
Engage directly with customers to address inquiries and resolve issues promptly.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Installation efficiency with a target capacity of 90%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating exceeding 4.8 stars.
Callback Rate maintained below 5%.
Gross margin improvement with a target increase of 15%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or a related field.
Minimum 10 years of experience in operations management.
Strong leadership, strategic planning, and team coordination skills.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and analytical abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services industry, particularly within Fireplace & Stove Installation.
Background in managing multi-site operations and field service teams.
Proven track record of implementing efficiency improvements in operational processes.
Familiarity with industry-specific regulations and safety standards.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
Exposure to various on-site operational environments.
Extended periods of walking and standing during site visits.
Use of personal protective equipment in field conditions as required.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard working hours from Monday to Friday, with occasional weekend projects.
Moderate travel required to various operational sites.
Flexibility to respond to emergency service calls as needed.
A dynamic work setting that includes both office and field environments.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $140,000 - $180,000 USD per year.
Annual performance bonuses tied to operational KPIs.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision benefits.
401k retirement plan with employer matching and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
A collaborative, growth-focused environment that champions innovation and open communication.
A commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement across all functions.
An inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives and professional development.
A customer-centric approach aimed at delivering exceptional service and long-term 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].
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
Each install depends on a unit that arrives whole, gas or power work that someone else may do, and a customer who was promised a date. The COO builds the systems that keep those pieces lined up at every location.
Recalls come back to the dealer
When Miles Industries recalled two Valor gas fireplace models in 2020, CPSC told owners to stop using them and call their Valor retailer or contractor to book a free repair. A recall like that lands on your service calendar. The COO makes sure every install record holds the model and serial number, so the office can find each affected home quickly and book the fix ahead of routine work. Source: CPSC: Miles Industries recalls Valor H5 gas fireplaces (July 30, 2020).
The holiday install runs on other people's clocks
A buyer in October may want a fire by the holidays. That date depends on the maker's ship date for the model, the town's permit and inspection, any gas fitter or propane delivery, and dry days for roof work on a new chimney. The COO sets a cutoff for each product type from those clocks, and a sale after the cutoff gets an honest January date.
Gas and power often come from other people
A gas insert may need a new line run by a licensed fitter or plumber, a propane tank set and filled by the customer's supplier, and an outlet for its blower. Pellet stoves need power too. Where your installers can't do that work themselves, the COO picks the subcontractors and suppliers, agrees on how fast they respond, and builds their visits into the install sequence. Source: Regency U32SE gas insert owner's and installation manual.
Some customers have no other heat
For a family whose only heat is a pellet or wood stove, a breakdown in January is an emergency, not a routine ticket. The COO decides how those homes get flagged when they buy, which parts every service truck carries for them, such as pellet stove igniters and auger motors, and who takes their calls after hours. A home with a furnace can wait until morning; these homes can't.
How much fireplace and stove chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for fireplace and stove 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, with a yearly bonus on operating KPIs per the template. Count a job toward the bonus only after it passes inspection and gets through its first month of use without a callback.
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 fireplace and stove installers 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 installs and service across several crews or locations under one set of procedures
Plans crew capacity against special-order lead times and a fall peak
Builds working ties with gas fitters, electricians and propane suppliers
Keeps install records complete enough to trace any unit by model and serial number
Has run a recall or service bulletin from first notice to the last home fixed
Teach these on the job
Each maker's service programs and parts support
The gas fitters, electricians and propane suppliers each location uses
How your job records are set up today
How CPSC recalls and maker service notices reach you
The manufactured-home rules for wood and pellet units
The COO needs one record per home: the unit's model and serial number, startup readings, photos and every service visit since, plus open orders from the inventory system. Add a recall log and, for each location, a list of subcontractors with the response times they agreed to.
Fireplace and stove 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 · Stopping unlicensed gas work
You find out some crews have been connecting gas lines without the license your state requires. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops it immediately, has a licensed person check every affected job for leaks and code issues, talks with counsel, and sets up licensing or licensed subcontractors going forward.
Behavioral · Scaling without losing quality
Tell me about a time you added install crews or a new showroom without callbacks going up. What had to be in place before you grew?
A strong answer: Standards, training, the right leaders and measures, set up before the growth, with results.
The template builds a target into each KPI's name. Keep the names, and set the numbers with the CEO from a full heating season of your own installs.
Installation efficiency with a target capacity of 90%
Install hours booked against install hours available, by location and month. Read it next to the fall wait: high use with a long wait means it's time to add a crew before next fall.
Customer Satisfaction Rating exceeding 4.8 stars
Ratings by location and job type, from surveys and reviews. When a location's service ratings trail its install ratings, look first at the parts its trucks carry and how fast it answers no-heat calls.
Callback Rate maintained below 5%
Sort each return trip by who can fix its cause: the crew, the maker, the customer or the fuel supplier. Send each group its own monthly report so the fix lands with the right people.
Gross margin improvement with a target increase of 15%
Install and service margin by location, year over year. Gains from faster installs count only if callbacks hold steady; savings on venting count only if the parts are listed for that unit.
Career path
Operations managerPuts the right installer on each job and the right parts on each truck.
General managerTakes charge of one location and every team in it.
Chief operating officerSets how every location installs, services and handles recalls.
Who should own the install record: the installer or the office?
Both, at different steps. The installer fills it in before leaving the house, the office won't invoice a job until every field is complete, and the COO audits a sample each month. Ortal's 2022 recall of two gas fireplace models, after improper installs led to fires, shows why: the maker set out to reach every known dealer, installer and owner of those units. An optional field will be blank the day you need it.
How much does a fireplace and stove 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.
Can a hearth company put a wood or pellet stove in a manufactured home?
Only with the right unit and parts. HUD's construction standard for manufactured homes sets the terms for a solid-fuel fireplace or fireplace stove: doors that close the fire chamber, a listed factory-built chimney with a spark arrester, a combustion air inlet that feeds the fire chamber directly, secure attachment to the home, and never in a sleeping room. State and local rules decide how that applies to a later install. The COO has sales flag these homes when the order is written.
What background suits a fireplace and stove COO?
Leaders from HVAC, plumbing or appliance service bring routing and gas experience. Leaders from cabinet, window or closet companies bring special orders and installs. Either kind has to learn how venting, clearances and product listings drive every hearth install. Ask finalists how they would learn that before their first fall.
How do you turn the COO template's lifting, site visit and protective gear lines into tasks?
Carrying a box of venting parts or a vent cap into a house, walking a new-home site with a builder, and standing through a long install to watch a crew work. Hard hats, safety glasses or gloves come along on construction sites. Name each task in the posting. Under the ADA, needing a reasonable accommodation to do them doesn't make a candidate unqualified.
