A home builder general manager runs the day-to-day business across construction, quality control, customer service and project management, so homes close on time and buyers stay satisfied after move-in. They meet department heads each week, review build and warranty numbers, and step in when a buyer's problem stalls.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $52,000, middle half $72,790 to $156,380, 90th percentile $210,110. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Chief Operating Officer
Department
Operations
Schedule
40-hour week, weekly site visits · Regular 40-hour week with site visits and inspections each week, longer hours in peak build phases, and some hybrid days
Also called
Division manager · Area general manager · Vice president and general manager
Home builder general manager 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.
Oversee all aspects of home building operations while ensuring departments work cohesively to meet strategic targets and deliver exceptional quality products. Lead and inspire teams across departments, track KPIs, and maintain timely project completion. Foster a culture of continuous improvement and customer satisfaction within a growth-focused company.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Direct and manage multiple departments including construction, quality control, customer service, and project management.
Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive operational efficiency and productivity.
Ensure build quality and adherence to design specifications, safety standards, and timelines.
Collaborate with senior leadership in strategic planning and decision-making to achieve business goals.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor daily operations and project progress to ensure deadlines and quality standards are met.
Conduct regular meetings with department heads to review performance and address operational challenges.
Engage with customers to gather feedback, resolve issues, and strengthen client relationships.
Evaluate operational data and implement process improvements to enhance overall efficiency.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-time project completion rate: ≥ 95%.
Customer satisfaction rating: > 4.8 stars.
Reduction in project rework or errors: < 5%.
Annual revenue growth: ≥ 10%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum 8 years of management experience with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
Strong leadership, strategic planning, and financial management skills.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home building or construction industry.
Proven track record of managing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
Familiarity with construction quality standards, building codes, and regulatory requirements.
Previous involvement in project management or operation optimization initiatives.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to navigate construction sites and office environments.
Occasional requirement to lift materials or supplies up to 25 lbs.
Comfortable working in varying environmental conditions including outdoor settings and on-site visits.
Adept at standing, walking, and occasional bending or reaching.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Regular 40-hour work week with occasional extended hours during peak project phases.
On-site visits and inspections required weekly.
Minimal travel may be necessary to meet with key stakeholders or attend industry events.
Hybrid work flexibility available dependent on project demands.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $90,000 - $120,000 per year.
Performance-based bonuses available.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off and professional development programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is committed to building quality homes and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
We value diversity, empower our employees to lead change, and invest in professional growth to help you achieve your full potential.
We believe in teamwork, transparency, and creating an inclusive workplace where every voice matters.
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 a home builder general manager does differently
At a home builder, the buyer's experience runs from contract to the end of the warranty. The GM ties together every team that touches it: construction, quality, customer service and the project managers.
FHA buyers bring builder paperwork
When a buyer finances a new home with an FHA loan, the lender needs builder documents for its case file. HUD's Mortgagee Letter 2020-36 lists the builder's certification of plans, specifications and site (form HUD-92541), the warranty of completion of construction (form HUD-92544) and the required inspections. Have them ready for every FHA buyer, and check the current FHA handbook for changes. Source: HUD Mortgagee Letter 2020-36: New construction documentation for FHA loans.
Two kinds of warranty in one house
Under the FTC's warranty rules, the beams, wallboard, wiring and plumbing in a new home are not consumer products when sold with the house under a written warranty. Furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters and appliances still are. They often carry the maker's own warranty. Train customer service to tell buyers which requests come to you and which go to a manufacturer. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR 700.1, FTC interpretation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (products attached to homes).
Your own checks at fixed stages
City inspections check the code. Your own checks catch what buyers notice. Set internal inspections at the same stages on every house, such as before drywall and before the buyer's walkthrough. The GM owns the checklists and the results, and sends repeat failures back to construction and the trade that caused them.
Selections run on a deadline
Buyers pick flooring, cabinets and upgrades after they sign, and each choice has a cutoff tied to the build stage. A late change can stall a house or force a reorder. The GM sets those cutoffs with construction and sales, writes them into the contract packet, and names who can approve an exception.
Meet around houses, not departments
Run the weekly department meeting from a list of homes: each house's stage, its closing date, open buyer issues and warranty tickets from recent closings. Construction, customer service and project managers then look at the same problem at the same time, and each item leaves the room with one owner.
How much home builder general managers make
The closest BLS group for home builder general managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $105,010 a year ($50.48 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 40,030 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for residential builders and remodelers.
A builder GM draws a yearly wage plus a results bonus. Link that bonus to closings, build quality and buyer survey scores you can measure.
Residential builders and remodelers
$105,010$105,010 median Middle half $72,790–$156,380 10th–90th $52,000–$210,110
All industries
$105,770$105,770 median Middle half $72,320–$167,280 10th–90th $50,090–$253,390
$0k$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
Residential builders and remodelers
$52,000
$72,790
$105,010
$156,380
$210,110
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
BLS reports home builders and remodelers together. 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 managed construction and customer service teams at a home builder or a similar business
Reads build schedules, cost reports and warranty logs
Handles upset buyers face to face
Runs a weekly operating meeting where every item has an owner
Knows residential building codes and quality standards
Teach these on the job
Your plans, options and selection cutoffs
The closing documents each loan program asks for
Your warranty standards and how fast you answer requests
Your scheduling and customer service software
A home builder GM works from the build schedule in software such as BuildPro or Buildertrend, a warranty ticket system and the buyer survey reports. Ask candidates which numbers they looked at every Monday and what they did when one moved.
Home builder general 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 · Finding root causes
On-time closings are down and warranty claims are up in the same quarter. Walk me through how you find out why.
A strong answer: Breaks both down by community and superintendent, checks whether homes were rushed at the end, talks with the teams, and sets fixes with owners and dates.
Behavioral · Hiring superintendents
Tell me about a strong superintendent or manager you hired. What did you look for?
A strong answer: Describes specific signals (how they ran a schedule, how trades talked about them, a site walk test) and how the hire performed.
Those template targets are only examples. Set yours from recent closings, warranty records and survey results, then review them with the COO at each quarter's end.
On-time project completion rate
Count homes that closed on or before the date in the buyer's contract or latest written update, out of all closings. Split it by community and plan.
Customer satisfaction rating
Survey buyers after closing and again before the warranty year ends. Read the comments with the scores, and follow up on every low rating within the week.
Reduction in project rework or errors
Track items found at internal checks, walkthroughs and warranty requests per home. Compare by trade and phase against the prior period.
Annual revenue growth
Split the change in closed revenue into more homes closed and a higher average price, so you can see which one drove the year.
Career path
Field supervisorBuilds a group of homes and leads buyer walkthroughs.
Who should lead a buyer's walkthrough before closing?
The superintendent who built the house, with a customer service rep taking notes. Walk the house in the same order every time, show the buyer how the systems work, and write every item on one list that both sides sign. Promise dates only for items the trade has confirmed it can fix.
How much does a home builder general manager make?
General and operations managers who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $105,010 a year ($50.48 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $72,790 and $156,380 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should a GM handle a buyer who wants to cancel?
Meet the buyer in person and find the real cause: a delay, a financing problem, a low appraisal or a change in their life. Check what the contract allows before offering anything. Bring the sales manager in, since a cancelled contract also means a house to resell and a deposit question to settle.
What has to happen before a builder leaves a finished community?
Finish the punch list on streets, sidewalks, ponds and common areas, and get the city to accept them so any bonds are released. Hand the homeowners association its records and accounts on the schedule its documents set. Keep warranty staff on the last homes until their warranty periods end.
Does a home builder GM spend time on job sites?
Yes, every week. The template's lines on lifting, standing, walking, bending and outdoor work describe tasks like walking a house before drywall, checking a finished home before the buyer's walkthrough, bending to look under a sink or at a foundation, and carrying a sample box into a model. Most of the rest of the week is meetings and reports.
