A gutter cleaning HR manager hires and trains ladder crews for two busy seasons and keeps the files and rules that labor laws require. They also handle winter layoffs and spring rehires, and work with crew leads on conduct and keeping good people.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building services companies · BLS, May 2025
Oversees HR functions for the gutter cleaning division to support recruitment, onboarding, labor compliance, and the cultivation of a positive work culture. Serves as a strategic partner to management, ensuring that human resource practices align with the company’s operational and growth objectives. Plays a key role in maintaining a compliant, safe, and engaging working environment that attracts and retains top talent. Supports overall business success by streamlining HR processes and fostering employee satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage full-cycle recruitment and hiring processes for gutter cleaning and related operational roles.
Develop and implement comprehensive onboarding programs that align new hires with company values and operational standards.
Monitor and enforce labor compliance policies and procedures in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations.
Cultivate and reinforce a strong, inclusive company culture through training, performance management, and employee engagement initiatives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and post job openings on relevant platforms and schedule interviews with prospective candidates.
Conduct orientation sessions and facilitate continuous training sessions to ensure high operational standards.
Audit employee records and manage documentation for labor compliance, ensuring timely updates and accurate reporting.
Collaborate with department heads to address employee concerns, resolve conflicts, and drive productivity improvements.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
New Hire Retention Rate: Achieve a target of 90% retention during the first 12 months.
Onboarding Efficiency: Complete onboarding process for all new hires within 30 days of their start date.
Labor Compliance: Maintain a 100% compliance record with all relevant employment laws and regulations.
Employee Engagement: Achieve an employee satisfaction rating of over 4.5 stars in annual surveys.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of HR management experience, ideally within service-oriented industries.
Strong understanding of labor laws, HR policies, and best practices in employee onboarding and training.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills with a proactive problem-solving approach.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience working within the home services or maintenance industry.
Demonstrated success in implementing effective employee engagement and retention strategies.
Familiarity with HR information systems (HRIS) and performance management software.
Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams in a high-growth, service-focused environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to remain seated for extended periods during meetings or administrative work.
Occasional requirement to move within office environments and short distances between facilities.
Proficient in using computers and standard office equipment for extended periods.
Capability to work in a typical office environment with occasional site visits as needed.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard business hours with occasional extended hours to meet project deadlines.
Primarily office-based work environment with potential visits to operational sites.
Minimal travel required to attend training sessions or compliance audits.
Occasional on-call responsibilities during peak operational periods or compliance reviews.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range between $70,000 - $90,000 USD per year, based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonuses available quarterly.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
Participation in the 401(k) plan with company match and other fringe benefits such as paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of leadership, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Our team is driven by a passion for delivering quality home services, where every employee is valued and empowered to grow.
We believe in celebrating diversity and fostering an environment of collaboration and mutual respect.
Join us in a progressive and supportive workplace that encourages bold thinking and rewards hard work.
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
Crews grow for spring and fall and shrink in winter, and many workers come back year after year. Most of the HR calendar follows that cycle.
Leave balances come back with returning crews
Under Illinois's Paid Leave for All Workers Act, workers earn one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, and an employer can't cap it below 40 hours a year. Rehire someone within 12 months and their unused leave comes back, ready to use on day one. Keep balances on file through the winter layoff. An employer covered by a local paid leave ordinance that was in effect when the Act started follows that ordinance instead. Source: Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act, 820 ILCS 192/15.
Crew members who go solo
A gutter business can start with a ladder, a truck and a phone, so some workers leave to start their own. In Illinois, a non-compete is void unless the worker earns more than 75,000 a year, and a non-solicit unless they earn more than 45,000; both floors rise on January 1, 2027. For most crew members, protect the customer list with confidentiality rules and limited access instead. Source: Illinois Freedom to Work Act, 820 ILCS 90/10.
Required gear is on the company
OSHA's protective equipment rule puts the cost of required gear on the employer. When the job calls for cut-resistant gloves for sharp gutter edges or safety glasses against blown debris, the company pays. The rule exempts plain steel-toe boots and everyday prescription safety eyewear when the company lets staff use them off site, plus weather gear like rain coats. Never take required gear out of pay. Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132: personal protective equipment, general requirements (payment rules in (h)).
Record checks take extra steps in Illinois
Crews work in customers' yards, so many companies run background checks. Federal law requires written permission before a screening company runs one. In Illinois, weigh the factors the law lists first. If a conviction still makes you lean toward not hiring, send a written notice naming it, with your reasoning, a copy of the conviction report if there is one, and their right to respond. Then wait at least 5 business days before you decide. Local rules may add steps. Source: Illinois Human Rights Act, 775 ILCS 5/2-103.1: conviction record.
How much gutter cleaning HR managers make
The closest BLS group for gutter cleaning HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $109,990 a year ($52.88 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $149,280 median for human resources managers in all industries. About 420 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for building services companies.
Most companies pay a salary with the template's bonus each quarter. The template's range falls short of what most HR managers at building services firms earn, per BLS, so expect to pay more for a seasoned manager.
Building services companies
$109,990$109,990 median Middle half $90,180–$145,660 10th–90th $75,280–$179,490
All industries
$149,280$149,280 median Middle half $111,110–$199,290 10th–90th $88,200–$267,810
$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building services companies
$75,280
$90,180
$109,990
$145,660
$179,490
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
BLS doesn’t publish pay for gutter cleaning companies on their own. These figures cover services to buildings and dwellings, 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
Hiring at volume twice a year without losing paperwork
Working knowledge of wage, leave and hiring laws
Plain policy writing for crews who read on a phone
Steady handling of complaints from customers and crew leads
Accurate records across layoffs and rehires
Teach these on the job
The ladder and safety terms crews use
Your HRIS and payroll system
Your state's leave, final pay and non-compete rules
The seasonal hiring calendar
How crews are paid and scheduled
Expect a payroll and HR platform that handles onboarding, a hiring tool that can take seasonal applications in bulk, and a record of every worker's ladder and safety training. Mobile forms matter, since most crew members apply and sign from a phone.
Gutter cleaning HR 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 · Hiring for leaf season
You need [ten] seasonal technicians trained by October. How do you do it?
A strong answer: Starts recruiting in summer, brings back good seasonal staff, is honest about the season, runs structured interviews and trains ladder safety before anyone climbs.
Behavioral · Keeping good people through the off-season
Tell me about how you kept good technicians from leaving after the fall rush, when work drops off.
A strong answer: Specific steps such as off-season work like spring plans or repairs, a returner raise or bonus, early recall dates and staying in touch, and how many came back.
The template's targets are examples. Measure seasonal and year-round staff separately, then set your own goals.
New Hire Retention Rate
Follow each hiring class from start date through the next season. Count rehired seasonal workers as retained, and record why each person left.
Onboarding Efficiency
Track the days from start date to a finished file: tax and work eligibility forms, signed policies, safety training and a crew lead's ladder sign-off.
Labor Compliance
Every quarter, review a sample of personnel files for missing forms, leave balances, final pay timing and posted notices. Count each gap and log when it was fixed.
Employee Engagement
Run a short anonymous survey at the end of each season, not only once a year, so seasonal crews are heard before they leave.
Career path
Recruiting coordinatorRuns seasonal job posts, interviews and start-date paperwork.
HR generalistHandles files, leave, policies and everyday crew questions.
HR managerOwns hiring, compliance and the people side of each season.
HR directorSets HR policy for several branches or a larger group.
The HR template mentions moving between facilities and site visits. What does that involve?
Walking from the office to the shop or yard, driving to a branch for orientation, and standing in a yard to watch a crew's training in action. The HR manager doesn't climb ladders. If someone needs another way to observe crews, such as video or a crew lead's report, that can work too.
How much does a gutter cleaning HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $109,990 a year ($52.88 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $90,180 and $145,660 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Can an Idaho gutter company ask a crew lead to sign a non-compete?
Idaho enforces a written non-compete only for a key employee or key independent contractor. It must also be reasonable in length, area and type of work, and no broader than the business needs. Read the law's meaning of key employee before asking anyone below management to sign one. Have counsel draft it.
Should seasonal crew members get the same handbook as year-round staff?
Yes, one handbook with a short seasonal section. Spell out how layoffs and rehires work, what happens to leave balances and seniority over winter, how pay works when rain sends crews home, and the rules for company ladders and trucks. Have each worker sign it again when they return, since policies change between seasons.
How can HR bring good crew members back each season?
Ask why people leave in a short talk at layoff time, then fix what you can. Consider a return bonus paid after some weeks back, a written rehire date and a raise for each season returned. Crew leads shape most of the experience, so train them to give feedback and hand out jobs fairly.
