A commercial HVAC general manager runs the service and install departments day to day for offices, schools, retail chains and light industrial plants. The GM holds department heads to their numbers and settles problems with facility managers and vendors. Revenue per service hour, callbacks and on-time installs are the GM's to own.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, HVAC and plumbing contractors · BLS, May 2025
[Chief Operating Officer or Chief Executive Officer]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Responsible for overseeing commercial HVAC operations, managing multiple departments, and ensuring service and installation KPIs are met to drive operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead and coordinate the operations of various departments to optimize process efficiency.
Develop and implement strategic plans to achieve service and installation benchmarks.
Monitor and report on performance metrics to ensure adherence to KPIs.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement and customer-focused service delivery.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Oversee daily operations and ensure seamless coordination between service, installation, and support teams.
Analyze operational data and conduct regular performance reviews with department heads.
Engage with customers and vendors to resolve issues and implement service improvements.
Maintain clear communication channels across departments to address real-time challenges.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per Service Hour: Achieve a minimum of $150 per service hour.
Callback Percentage: Maintain a callback rate of less than 5%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Exceed a rating of 4.8 stars.
Installation Timeliness: Ensure 95% of installations are completed according to schedule.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in a leadership role within the commercial HVAC or home services industry.
Strong operational management skills with a proven track record in meeting performance targets.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Over 8 years of experience managing commercial HVAC operations or similar industries.
Proven background in directing multi-department teams within high-volume service environments.
Familiarity with technical HVAC systems and industry best practices.
Experience in implementing service quality and efficiency improvement initiatives.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
Capacity to travel between various commercial job sites.
Regular exposure to HVAC equipment and commercial worksite conditions.
Capability to work in both indoor and outdoor environments under varying weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours required based on project demands.
On-call responsibilities for addressing critical operational issues.
Regular travel to multiple commercial locations as part of daily operations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range of $80,000 - $110,000 USD.
Performance-based bonus structure.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
401k plan with company match along with additional fringe benefits.
Paid time off and opportunities for professional development.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is dedicated to nurturing a collaborative work environment where innovation and teamwork are at the forefront.
We are committed to fostering professional growth and continuous learning among our employees.
Our culture emphasizes transparency, integrity, and a customer-centric approach.
Join our team and be part of a dynamic organization that values and invests in your 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
What's different about running commercial service and installs
Every general manager owns results across departments. In commercial HVAC, the customers are building owners under contract, and the GM's numbers turn on rates, schedules and return trips.
The rate sheet drives revenue per hour
Commercial service is often billed from a rate sheet: hourly rates by trade, after-hours and weekend rates, trip charges, and the prices built into each agreement. The GM sets or approves those rates and watches the hours that never get billed, such as site sign-in, escorts and waiting on a lift. Small leaks there pull down revenue per service hour across the whole crew.
Install dates start with submittals
On bid jobs, most contractors wait for the engineer to approve the submittal before they order equipment. Rooftop units, chillers and boilers can then take weeks or months to ship, and the install still has to fit the building's shutdown window. The GM makes sure project managers promise dates only once the ship date is confirmed, and traces every slip to its cause.
Callbacks cost more on a roof
A return trip to a commercial site can mean a roof hatch key, a site escort, parking and a sign-in before the tech even reaches the unit. The GM tracks callbacks by cause, such as a missed diagnosis, a wrong part or a controls setting. Then the fix goes into training or closeout steps instead of landing on one tech.
Warranty calls need an owner
New installs bring warranty calls during the contract's warranty period, and those trips bring in no revenue. If the service team absorbs them, its numbers look worse and estimators never see what the job really cost. The GM sets how warranty labor gets charged back to the project, and uses the pattern to fix installs and closeout steps.
Big accounts expect a review
School districts, property management firms and retail chains often want a regular account review. It covers visits done, response times, open repairs and a list of aging equipment. The GM runs those meetings with the largest clients. Done well, the aging equipment list becomes next year's replacement projects, and the agreement renews without a fight.
How much commercial HVAC general managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial HVAC general managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $105,740 a year ($50.84 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 40,250 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for HVAC and plumbing contractors.
Salary and a bonus, often paid on gross profit or on the service and install targets the GM owns.
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$105,740$105,740 median Middle half $79,040–$158,540 10th–90th $57,570–$214,590
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
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$57,570
$79,040
$105,740
$158,540
$214,590
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
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 managed service and install teams in commercial HVAC or a close trade
Acts within the week when callbacks, billable hours or install dates slip
Keeps facility and property managers on side after a bad day
Plans crews and overtime around customer shutdown windows
Coaches department heads and holds them to their numbers
Teach these on the job
Each key account's contract terms and site rules
How your crews handle roof access and site sign-in
Your crane, permit and shutdown planning steps
The software your service and project teams use
Your rate sheet and warranty charge-back rules
Day to day, the GM works from the service board and agreement schedule, kept in BuildOps, ServiceTitan or a similar platform, plus the project calendar and job cost reports from accounting. In interviews, hand finalists a job cost report like yours and ask what they see, since they will read one every week.
Commercial HVAC general manager interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Treat each target in the template as a rough draft. Swap in goals from this operation's own track record, and check them weekly with the service and install leads.
Revenue per Service Hour
Service revenue divided by the hours techs spent on service work, pulled weekly from service records and timecards. Track agreement visits apart from time-and-material calls, since the two are priced differently.
Callback Percentage
Count repeat visits for an issue the tech should have fixed the first time, within a window you define. Divide by all completed service calls for the month, and tag each one: diagnosis, parts, workmanship or controls setup.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask each facility manager for a rating when a job closes, and hold a short account review with your largest clients each quarter. Log each complaint that escalates past the service manager and how long it stays open.
Installation Timeliness
Installs finished by the date in the signed schedule, divided by all installs finished that month. Note why each late one slipped, such as late equipment, a crane date, a permit or the customer's shutdown window.
What is a typical day for a commercial HVAC general manager?
Most days start with the department heads, going over open calls and this week's installs. Then come customer and vendor problems, approvals for overtime and subcontractors, and a check of job costs and callbacks. When something goes wrong at a site, the GM is often the person the facility manager calls.
How much does a commercial HVAC general manager make?
General and operations managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $105,740 a year ($50.84 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $79,040 and $158,540 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How is a general manager's work split from a project manager's in commercial HVAC?
A project manager runs single installs from contract to closeout. That covers submittals, equipment orders, the schedule with the general contractor, billing and change orders. The general manager oversees every project manager as well as the service team. The GM moves crews between them and is held to the results of both. Strong project managers often grow into GMs.
How much HVAC know-how does a commercial general manager need?
At least enough to follow a tech's diagnosis and judge whether a quote makes sense. The template prefers someone familiar with technical HVAC systems. A GM who knows how a packaged rooftop unit, a boiler plant or a control system tends to fail can spot a bad repair plan or a weak install schedule. A GM without that background needs a strong lead tech or field supervisor close by.
Should a commercial HVAC GM come from service or from projects?
Look at where your trouble is. If agreements, response times and callbacks need work, a former service manager fits. If installs run late or over budget, a former project manager may fit better. Either way, the candidate should have led other managers, read job cost reports, and kept a large account after a bad week.
Is a commercial HVAC general manager on call?
Usually, yes. The template lists on-call duty for critical problems. A dead chiller at an office in July or a no-heat call at a school on a winter morning can reach the GM after hours, and so can any safety incident. Tell candidates how the on-call rotation works, how often the GM covers it, and whether it earns time off.
