An HR manager runs hiring, onboarding and people records for a home service business: job ads, new-hire paperwork, the handbook, leave, workers' comp claims, and coaching managers through discipline. The hard part is reach. Most of the staff work from trucks and in customers' homes, so the HR manager has to earn trust in the shop, not only in the office.
HR Manager · Any home service business · Word (.docx) · No email needed.
HR Manager job description template
Free to copy. Replace the highlighted fields, delete anything you don’t offer, and set your pay range before you post.
[Company name] · [City, State]
HR Manager
[Full-time / part-time] · [Base pay range and pay period] · Reports to [owner, general manager or chief operating officer]
Position summary
As HR manager at [Company name], you'll own hiring, onboarding and people records for our field and office teams. You keep the handbook and policies current, handle leave and workers' comp claims, back up managers on coaching and discipline, and keep personnel files complete and private. You'll spend time in the shop and on job sites, not only at a desk.
What you’ll do
Run hiring with department managers: job ads, interviews, offers, and [background or driving record checks, where you use them].
Onboard every new hire: Form I-9, [E-Verify, if you're enrolled], tax forms, handbook sign-off and first-week training.
Keep the employee handbook, policies and job descriptions current with federal, state and local employment rules.
Manage leave requests, benefits enrollment and workers' compensation claims, including return-to-work plans after an injury.
Keep the injury log and safety training records with [the safety lead or field supervisor], and track licenses and certifications before they expire.
Advise managers on reviews, coaching, discipline and terminations, and investigate complaints fairly and on the record.
Report open roles, time to fill and turnover to [the owner or general manager] each [month].
A typical day
Review new applicants and open roles with hiring managers, and keep each opening moving.
Process new hires, pay changes and separations before payroll closes.
Answer staff questions about pay, schedules, benefits and time off.
Follow up on open injury reports, leave cases and employee complaints.
Check the expiration report for licenses, driving records and required training.
What you need
[3+] years of HR experience, including hiring and employee relations for an hourly workforce.
Working knowledge of federal and [your state's] wage and hour, leave and anti-discrimination rules.
Experience with Form I-9, personnel files and workers' compensation claims.
Comfort with [your HR and payroll system] and an applicant tracking system.
Keeps employee and medical information private, and runs investigations fairly.
Nice to have
SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR or SPHR certification.
HR experience at a contractor, home service business or another employer with field crews.
Has written or updated an employee handbook and a safety program.
Speaks English and [a language many of your staff speak].
Physical requirements
Work at a computer and in meetings for much of the day.
Visit the shop, branches and job sites to meet crews, [with some driving between locations].
With or without reasonable accommodation.
Schedule and work environment
Based at [office location], visiting [the shop, branches and job sites] each week.
Office hours: [days and times], plus some early starts to catch crews before they leave.
On call for urgent issues, such as an injury on a job: [your on-call setup].
Pay and benefits
Base pay: [range and hourly or salary basis]. Additional pay: [overtime, bonus or incentive terms, or none].
Benefits: [health, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and when eligibility starts].
How to apply
Apply at [application link]. Our process is [phone interview, in-person interview, and next steps]. Contact [hiring contact] if you need an accommodation during the application process.
How the HR manager role changes by industry
Every HR manager hires, onboards and handles people issues. The difference by industry is in the records each workforce brings: licenses and CPR cards in healthcare, food handler cards and tip policies in restaurants, child labor rules where teens work, and job site training and safety records in the trades. Each industry version of the Role Blueprint reflects that.
Runs full-cycle hiring and training programs for technicians and support staff, and looks for someone who knows HVAC safety standards and has worked in union or non-union shops.
Supports a mostly part-time hourly team across stores and a warehouse, with holiday hiring, fair workweek scheduling rules where they apply, and training for store managers.
Keeps hiring moving for high-turnover hourly roles, tracks food handler and alcohol service cards, keeps the tip policy current, and manages claims for kitchen injuries.
Keeps a verified copy of every dental license, permit and CPR card, and runs OSHA bloodborne pathogens and HIPAA training records across several practices.
Runs background, registry and exclusion checks before caregivers start, takes anyone with a lapsed credential off the schedule, and keeps files ready for state surveys.
Fills seasonal jobs before opening day, runs background checks for staff who work with children, and tracks work permits and hour limits for teen staff.
Choose the few that fit what your HR manager owns; your hiring and turnover history should set the numbers.
Days from an approved opening to the new hire's first day: [your target].
New hires still on staff after [90 days and one year]: [your target].
New hires with all paperwork done before their first shift: [your target].
Required safety and onboarding training finished by its due date: [your target].
Licenses, certifications and driving records current: [your target].
Investigations finished within [number of days] of the complaint: [your target].
Before you hire an HR manager
Decide what HR owns. At many home service businesses, HR also runs payroll, safety records or recruiting ads. List each one in the job description so candidates know the real size of the job.
Test it with a real file. Give finalists a short case: a technician with repeated late arrivals, an old write-up and a complaint about a supervisor. Ask what they'd write down, who they'd talk to first, and what they'd tell the technician.
Ask about paperwork habits. Form I-9, payroll changes, leave notices and injury claims all run on deadlines. Ask how they kept track of them at their last job; a good answer describes a system, not a good memory.
Look for someone crews will talk to. An HR manager who never leaves the office hears about problems last. Ask how they built trust with field or hourly staff, and have a field supervisor sit in on one interview.
Hire someone who knows when to ask. Employment rules vary by state, and some cities add their own. A strong candidate knows the federal basics and knows when to call your employment lawyer instead of guessing.
When applications come in, Iris interviews applicants by phone using your requirements. Your team reviews the answers and decides who to meet.
HR Manager interview questions
Two of the 10 questions in our HR manager interview guide, and what a strong answer sounds like.
Situational · Hiring process design
Our managers each interview their own way, and most of the technicians we hired this year left within [90] days. Walk me through what you'd change in how we hire.
A strong answer: Starts with a scorecard of what the hire must get done, writes job-related questions with rating guides, has interviewers rate alone before comparing, and adds a short work exercise, real reference checks and a frank job preview. Tracks early turnover by manager and hiring source.
Behavioral · Hiring process design
Tell me about a hire you recommended that didn't work out. What did your process miss?
A strong answer: Names the role and the specific miss, like a skipped reference, no work exercise or a doubt in the ratings that got talked away, and a process change that has held since.
An HR manager runs hiring, onboarding and personnel records. In a home service business that also means new-hire paperwork, the employee handbook, leave requests, workers' comp claims, safety training records, and helping managers with reviews, discipline and terminations. At smaller companies the same person often runs payroll too.
How much does an HR manager make?
U.S. median pay for human resources managers was $71.77 an hour, or $149,280 a year, in 2025, according to BLS data published by O*NET. That figure covers HR managers in every industry, including large corporations and government. If you're hiring your first HR manager, compare local postings for HR managers and HR generalists at companies your size.
What paperwork does an HR manager handle for new hires?
Every new hire needs a Form I-9. USCIS says the employer must complete Section 2 within three business days of the first day of work for pay, or by the first day if the job lasts less than three days. E-Verify is a voluntary federal program, but employers whose federal contracts or subcontracts include the E-Verify clause must use it, and some state laws require it too. Tax forms and other new-hire forms vary by state.
Which federal leave and discrimination laws cover a small business?
It depends on headcount. The Labor Department says the Family and Medical Leave Act covers private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or previous calendar year. The EEOC says most of the laws it enforces cover employers with 15 or more employees, and its age discrimination law covers those with 20 or more. State laws can add more, so check with your state labor department.
Should the HR manager also run safety?
Often, at a company this size, HR keeps the safety records while a field supervisor runs safety on site. OSHA says many employers with more than 10 employees must keep a record of work-related injuries and illnesses, and every employer must report a death or a serious injury to OSHA within hours. Write down who keeps the log and who makes that call.
What should an HR manager job description include?
Besides the usual sections, from the summary through how to apply, say whether the role also covers payroll, safety or recruiting. Name your HR and payroll system, and give the headcount and number of locations it supports.
Is the HireBus Role Blueprint free?
Yes, at no cost. Take the template as it appears here; the Word file is a direct download with no email form, and every industry's version sits in the download box.
HireBus Role Blueprints: 76 industry versions of the HR manager job description, reviewed for publication on October 20, 2026.
Pay and outlook figures cover all human resources managers in every industry, including large corporations and government, not only home service businesses. O*NET reports 224,900 people employed in 2025 and projects faster than average growth (5% to 6%), with about 16,800 job openings a year, on average, from 2025 to 2035.
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