Framing and carpentry chief operating officer job description
A framing and carpentry chief operating officer sets the steps every crew follows on crane days, job site power and morning briefings, on many builders' lots at once. They keep frames on schedule and on budget, and guard the safety record, since repeat OSHA citations follow the whole company.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $69,930, middle half $100,570 to $283,340, 90th percentile $386,670. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, specialty trade contractors.
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays 8 to 5, on call, site travel · Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, with longer days in peak phases, frequent drives between job sites and on-call duty
Also called
COO · Vice president of operations · Director of field operations · Vice president of construction
Framing and carpentry chief operating officer job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
Serves as the operational leader for the Framing & Carpentry division, ensuring efficient execution of large-scale home service projects. Drives operational strategies to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and maintain industry-leading quality standards.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee daily field operations ensuring adherence to project timelines and quality benchmarks.
Coordinate and manage multiple Framing & Carpentry projects simultaneously.
Develop and implement operational processes and best practices to optimize resource usage.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth project execution across departments.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor field activities and provide on-site guidance to project managers and crew leaders.
Conduct daily briefings and safety checks to maintain operational efficiency and job site safety.
Review performance reports and operational metrics for continuous process improvement.
Engage with customers to address project concerns and ensure satisfaction throughout project phases.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project Completion Rate: Achieve a 95% on-time project delivery.
Budget Adherence: Maintain project costs within a 5% variance of forecasted budgets.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Exceed a 4.8-star average rating on post-project surveys.
Operational Efficiency: Improve field productivity by at least 10% year-over-year.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Construction Management, or related field.
Minimum of 8 years’ experience in operations management within the home services industry.
Strong leadership and team building skills with a proven track record in managing large field teams.
Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in Framing & Carpentry operations or similar construction-related fields.
Background in scaling operational processes in a fast-paced, growth-oriented home services environment.
Proven history of implementing operational improvements and managing multi-site projects.
Familiarity with construction project management software and digital workflow systems.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to conduct periodic site visits, including climbing ladders and navigating active construction sites.
Capacity to lift and carry up to 25 lbs when required.
Comfortable working in varied weather environments including outdoor settings.
Extended periods of standing, walking, and moderate physical activity.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Flexibility required for occasional extended hours during peak project phases.
Frequent travel between job sites to oversee operations.
On-call duties may be required to handle emergencies or last-minute operational changes.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 USD, commensurate with experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and profit sharing.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and results-driven environment dedicated to growth and innovation.
Our culture embraces continuous learning, professional development, and mutual respect among employees.
We are committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences and maintaining industry excellence.
Join our team and become a valued contributor to a forward-thinking company where your skills help shape the future of home services.
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
Framing crews spread across many builders' lots, and on most of them they lift trusses, run saws off temporary power and work at height. The COO turns OSHA's rules into the same steps on every lot.
Truss day can be a crane job
OSHA's crane rules reach past the crane company's rig. A telehandler or forklift rigged with a winch or hook to lift, lower and move a hanging load is covered. So is a supplier's knuckle-boom truck that handles trusses or wall panels, even just to unload them, because its delivery exclusion leaves out prefabricated parts. The COO decides which machines crews may rig loads to, and when a lift needs the crane company. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1400: Crane standard scope and exclusions (eCFR).
Riggers and signal people need proof
When framers hook, guide or first fasten a truss in the fall zone, OSHA wants the load rigged by a qualified rigger. J hooks are allowed for wood trusses. If the operator can't see where the trusses land, a signal person is required. That person must pass an oral or written test and a hands-on test, and the papers stay on site. The COO names who fills each role before every crane day. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1425: Keeping clear of the load (eCFR).
Temporary power needs one company rule
Saws, compressors and chargers run off temporary poles and long cords. OSHA gives the employer two choices. One is ground-fault circuit interrupters on the temporary 120-volt, 15- and 20-amp outlets in use. The second option, the assured equipment grounding conductor program, needs a written plan, a named competent person, a look at every cord before each day's use, and set tests. The COO picks one for all crews and checks it on visits. Source: 29 CFR 1926.404: Wiring design and protection (eCFR).
One crew's citations can follow the company
Any two willful, repeated or failure-to-abate citations from one inspection, tied to high-gravity serious hazards, can put a company in OSHA's severe violator program. For a construction company, OSHA then looks into its wider compliance and may inspect its other job sites. A settlement may require notice before work starts at new sites for three years. Getting off the list usually takes at least three years after OSHA accepts proof of the fixes. So one crew's repeat citation is a company problem. Source: OSHA directive CPL 02-00-169: Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
How much framing and carpentry chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for framing and carpentry chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $169,170 a year ($81.33 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 3,830 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for specialty trade contractors.
In the template, profit sharing and performance bonuses sit on top of the salary. Weight part of the bonus on framed output per crew hour and on callbacks, which the COO controls more directly than a builder's start dates.
Specialty trade contractors
$169,170$169,170 median Middle half $100,570–$283,340 10th–90th $69,930–$386,670
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
Specialty trade contractors
$69,930
$100,570
$169,170
$283,340
$386,670
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS counts too few chief executives at structure and exterior contractors for a steady figure, so these figures cover specialty trade contractors. 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 framing production for several builders at once, through a full building season
Has planned crane and telehandler lifts for trusses or wall panels
Writes site rules that crews follow without a supervisor watching
Knows OSHA's construction rules for cranes, temporary power and work at height
Compares square feet framed per crew hour across leads and acts on the gaps
Teach these on the job
The site rules each builder adds on top of yours
Your crane company's booking and lift steps
The forms your leads fill out at day's end
The equipment rental yards near each community
Your truss and panel suppliers' layouts and delivery habits
Training records for riggers, signal people and telehandler operators, the crane and delivery calendar, crew daily reports with photos, and the written temporary power rule make up most of a framing COO's paperwork. In the interview, ask how they confirmed a signal person's papers were on site before the first truss came off the truck.
Framing and carpentry 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 · Labor cost control
Labor cost per square foot is rising across crews while builder prices are flat. What do you do?
A strong answer: Breaks it down by crew and plan, looks at rework, travel and crew structure, considers panels or other methods, and renegotiates pricing on hard plans.
Behavioral · Inspection quality
Tell me about a process you set up that improved first-time inspection pass rates.
A strong answer: Describes a pre-inspection walk or checklist, how crews adopted it, and the measured change.
Framing and carpentry chief operating officer KPIs
Split every one of these by building type, such as single-family homes, apartments and additions, before setting a target. Their timelines and costs aren't comparable.
Project Completion Rate
Houses and apartment floors framed by the builder's date, tracked as a company trend by month and building type. When one cause of lateness shows up under several leads, it's a process to fix, not a crew problem.
Budget Adherence
Crew hours, crane bills and equipment cost on each house or building against what the estimator planned. Leave change orders out, and look for plans that run over no matter which lead frames them.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask each builder's superintendents to score the frame at inspection on safety, cleanup and readiness for the next trade. Low safety scores reach the COO the same week.
Operational Efficiency
Framed square feet per paid crew hour this year against last, by building type. A gain that came only from easier plans doesn't count as better operations.
Career path
Field supervisorMoves among crews on several builders' sites each day.
Only someone your company has evaluated and certified on that kind of machine. OSHA's forklift eTool lists a telescoping-boom machine as a rough-terrain forklift, and the forklift training rule covers construction. Keep a record per operator: name, dates of training and evaluation, and who trained and evaluated them. Evaluate each operator at least every three years. Retrain after an accident or near miss, unsafe driving, or a move to a different type of truck. Fitted with a hook or winch to hang a load, the machine falls under the crane rules too.
How much does a framing and carpentry chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $169,170 a year ($81.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $100,570 and $283,340 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Whose safety rules apply on a builder's site?
Both sets. Your crews follow the builder's orientation and site rules, and your company still answers for its own workers. Where the two differ, the COO adopts the stricter rule for that site and tells the leads in writing. Write a one-page sheet per builder covering hard hats, ladder types, tie-off rules and where trucks park, so a crew moving between builders doesn't have to guess.
What belongs in a framing crew's morning briefing?
Today's lifts and who rigs and signals each one, the wind forecast, open edges and stairwells on each house, power and cords, and the lumber or truss loads due. Then one item from yesterday's site walks, such as a cord lying in standing water or a missing guardrail. Keep it to ten minutes, and log who attended so the record backs up your training.
How physical are a framing COO's site visits?
The template's ladder, 25-pound, weather and standing-and-walking lines ship as written. On a framing COO's visits they mean going up a ladder to a second-floor deck to check guardrails, looking over wall bracing, carrying a laser level or a bag of truss anchors, and staying through a crane day in summer heat or winter wind. Put those visits in the posting, with a line inviting accommodation requests.
