A commercial HVAC chief operating officer turns signed service agreements and project contracts into finished work, from rooftop unit swaps to chiller repairs. The COO owns the methods, safety rules and staffing plan that service crews, supervisors and project managers use on every job.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, HVAC and plumbing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the operational leader for our Commercial HVAC division, driving efficiency, profitability, and excellence in service delivery. Guide daily operations with a focus on process optimization and strategic business growth. Ensure strict compliance with industry standards, regulations, and internal policies. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to foster innovative solutions and outstanding customer service.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee and manage day-to-day operations to maximize productivity and service quality.
Develop, implement, and monitor streamlined processes to optimize operational efficiency.
Ensure all operations adhere to regulatory, safety, and quality compliance standards.
Lead and mentor the operations team while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor daily workflow and adjust resources to meet service demands and project timelines.
Coordinate with field technicians, project managers, and support staff to address operational challenges.
Conduct regular performance reviews and process audits to maintain operational standards.
Engage in strategic planning sessions and operational meetings to align team goals with business targets.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Operational Efficiency: Achieve a minimum capacity efficiency of 90%.
Compliance Rate: Maintain a 100% compliance record with industry standards and safety regulations.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Attain a minimum rating of >4.8 stars on customer feedback surveys.
Process Improvement: Increase process efficiency by at least 15% through continuous improvement initiatives.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 10 years of leadership experience in operations within the home services or HVAC industry.
Demonstrable expertise in process optimization, regulatory compliance, and team leadership.
Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience as an operations leader within the Commercial HVAC or broader home services industry.
Proven track record in streamlining operational processes and achieving significant performance improvements.
Experience working with cross-functional teams in a high-growth environment.
Background in implementing technology-driven operational solutions.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds for operational tasks and site visits.
Exposure to standard commercial HVAC working environments, including site inspections.
Comfortable navigating both office settings and fieldwork conditions.
Capable of standing, walking, and operating within variable temperatures as required.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours typically Monday through Friday with occasional extended hours during peak periods.
On-call responsibilities for urgent operational issues outside normal business hours.
Regular travel to job sites and operational meetings across multiple locations.
Work environment includes a blend of office-based tasks and onsite field evaluations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range typically between $150,000 - $200,000 USD per annum, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonus structure to incentivize operational excellence.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance packages.
401(k) retirement plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking organization committed to excellence in the Commercial HVAC industry.
Our culture emphasizes growth, innovation, and teamwork, ensuring every employee has room to succeed and advance.
We invest in our people and technology to provide unmatched service and value to our customers.
Join us and be part of a team that values creativity, accountability, and a shared vision for 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
A COO's job is to make the work repeatable. For a commercial HVAC contractor, that work is contract visits, large equipment, job sites run by someone else, and crews spread across many buildings.
Sold agreements decide headcount
Every service agreement sold adds planned hours for the year. The COO adds up those hours by month and by skill, compares them with the techs on staff, and hires or lines up subcontractors before the spring and fall visit rounds. Waiting until the board fills means missed visits and agreement customers who don't renew.
Someone has to sign the injury log
OSHA's injury records rule covers many companies that have more than 10 employees, and HVAC contractors don't get the partial exemption some industries have. A company executive, such as a corporate officer, must certify the yearly summary, which stays posted from February 1 to April 30. If the COO is the one who signs, the COO needs to trust how job sites report injuries. Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1904.32, annual summary.
Planned maintenance is easy to skip
A maintenance visit happens up on a roof or behind a locked mechanical room door, where the customer never looks. A skipped coil cleaning or a loose belt shows up months later as a breakdown, and the customer blames you. The COO sets what proof each visit needs, such as photos and readings, and has supervisors spot-check finished visits every week.
Controls: build the skill or buy it
Some comfort complaints trace back to a setpoint or a schedule on the building's controls, not a broken part. Many techs have never worked in those platforms or read a sequence of operations. The COO decides whether to train techs in-house, send them to factory classes, or hire out controls work, and who is responsible when a building runs wrong.
A branch or a traveling crew
A school district or retail chain may want you at sites far from the shop. The COO weighs sending crews out for days at a time against opening a small branch near the work. Either way, it changes how parts get stocked, who answers breakdown calls there, and how the agreement's response times can be met.
How much commercial HVAC chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for commercial HVAC chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $174,130 a year ($83.72 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 760 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for HVAC and plumbing contractors.
Salary with a yearly or quarterly bonus on operating results, such as on-time installs, callbacks, safety and agreement renewals.
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$174,130$174,130 median Middle half $93,740–$271,790 10th–90th $70,780–$421,320
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
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$70,780
$93,740
$174,130
$271,790
$421,320
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS reports HVAC and plumbing contractors together, residential and commercial. 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 service and project crews at a commercial mechanical contractor or a similar firm
Writes safety programs crews actually use on roofs and job sites
Turns service agreements into staffed visit schedules
Finds the cause behind bad labor, job cost or schedule numbers
Holds managers to clear standards and lets them do their jobs
Teach these on the job
Your agreement terms and response time promises
Your startup and closeout paperwork
The controls platforms your customers use
Your project and service software
Which cities need permits for which jobs
Expect Procore or a similar tool for projects, ServiceTitan, BuildOps or another service system for agreements and calls, and fleet GPS. Many customer buildings run on controls platforms such as Tridium Niagara, Johnson Controls Metasys or Siemens Desigo, and the COO decides which ones your techs learn first.
Reset each of the template's targets from your own labor reports and audits. Department heads see the results weekly; the CEO sees them monthly.
Operational Efficiency
Hours booked to jobs and agreement visits against hours your techs and installers are paid, each week, by department. A drop usually traces to drive time, waits for parts or site access, or crews idle between projects.
Compliance Rate
Audit a sample of jobs each month against your safety and quality rules: fall protection on roofs, lockout before service, refrigerant logs, permits and startup sheets. Count jobs with no misses, and track open findings until they close.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Survey facility managers after each project closeout and once a year on every service agreement, using one fixed set of questions. Break results out by site and by crew to see where complaints start.
Process Improvement
Pick a few processes to fix, such as quote turnaround, startup paperwork or invoice lag, and record how long each takes today. Measure the same way after each change and report the gain to the CEO.
Career path
Lead HVAC technicianLearns commercial equipment and runs the hardest service calls.
Project managerRuns installs with general contractors, schedules and change orders.
What does a COO own in a commercial HVAC business?
Everything it takes to deliver the work: service, projects, stock and the fleet. The COO turns agreements into visit schedules and staffs installs. The COO also sets safety rules for roofs and job sites, checks finished work, and leads the managers of each team. Most weeks bring one meeting with project managers on schedules and labor, and one with the service team on response times and open calls.
How much does a commercial HVAC chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $174,130 a year ($83.72 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $93,740 and $271,790 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How does a COO differ from a general manager at a commercial HVAC company?
When a company has both, the GM handles the day's service calls and installs and is judged on their numbers. The COO designs the systems, safety program and staffing plan behind that work, and often oversees the warehouse and fleet as well. At a smaller contractor the two can be one job, so decide which gap matters more and hire for that.
What should a new commercial HVAC COO tackle first?
Start with what customers feel. Check how many agreement visits ran on time last quarter, how long breakdown calls waited, and which projects closed out late. Then walk job sites and ride with techs to see how the written steps match real work. Most new COOs find a few fixes that matter far more than rewriting every procedure.
Should a commercial HVAC COO come from service or construction?
Either can work if you know the gap. A COO from service knows agreements, response times and tech productivity. One from construction knows schedules, project managers and job costs. Ask how each candidate handled the other side before, and pair them with a strong manager there. The template asks for HVAC or home services leadership; a mechanical contractor or facility services firm counts too.
When is a commercial HVAC company ready for a COO?
A common sign is a CEO who spends the week refereeing service and projects. Another is the same safety, quality or schedule problem showing up in several teams. A COO makes sense once several managers need one leader, and the CEO's time is worth more with clients, lenders and bids.
