An HVAC general manager runs one heating and cooling business or branch day to day. The service, install, sales and office managers report to the GM. The GM checks the numbers each morning, handles customer problems, and owns the location's profit.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, HVAC and plumbing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the strategic leader for our HVAC operations, directing multiple departments and ensuring that business objectives and high performance standards are consistently achieved.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Direct and oversee all departmental functions to maintain alignment with overall business objectives.
Evaluate performance metrics and implement strategic initiatives to drive operational improvements.
Ensure strict adherence to regulatory standards, safety protocols, and industry best practices.
Collaborate closely with executive leadership to guide company growth and streamline operations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Oversee daily operations including customer service management, service dispatch, and administrative support.
Conduct performance reviews and strategy sessions with department heads.
Monitor financial reports and operational metrics to adjust tactics in real time.
Engage directly with key customers to ensure top-tier service quality and satisfaction.
Coordinate regular team meetings to communicate objectives and resolve operational challenges.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: Achieve a minimum of 10% monthly increase.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain an average rating of >4.8 stars.
Operational Efficiency: Ensure at least 95% efficiency in project completions.
Employee Performance: Attain at least 90% of staff meeting or exceeding targets.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years of progressive leadership experience in the home services or HVAC industry.
Strong leadership, organizational, and analytical skills demonstrating a proven track record.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively manage diverse teams.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience managing multi-department operations within the HVAC or home services industry.
Demonstrated success in budget management and strategic planning initiatives.
Hands-on experience with regulatory compliance and safety standards specific to HVAC operations.
A history of driving operational improvements and efficiency in service-based organizations.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs occasionally.
Extended periods of standing and walking within operational environments.
Capability to work in varied temperature conditions and outdoor environments.
High visual and auditory acuity required to ensure safety and quality control standards.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional travel to regional sites and customer locations is required.
On-call duties may be necessary for addressing emergency operational situations.
Combination of office-based work and field-based operational oversight.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $90,000 - $120,000 USD depending on experience.
Performance-based bonus structure aligned with key operational metrics.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company match along with additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
A collaborative and innovative environment that values transparency and teamwork.
A strong commitment to continuous improvement and professional development.
Recognition and reward for excellence and customer-focused performance.
Opportunities for career growth within a company dedicated to operational success and employee empowerment.
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].
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Every general manager leads a team of managers. In HVAC, the weather can reset the day, and service, installs and sales all lean on each other.
The day is set before the trucks leave
A good HVAC general manager starts with a short huddle. Which calls are on the board, which technicians are out, which parts are waiting, and which installs still need a permit or an inspection? The calls made in that first hour decide whether the day runs on time.
A full board is a whole-location call
When a heat wave fills the board, the service manager and dispatch move technicians around. The GM makes the calls that cross departments: whether to keep ads running, how far out sales can promise install dates, whether office staff help on the phones, and how much overtime the location can pay for. Each choice trades revenue now against customers left waiting.
Someone has to decide who pays
Manufacturers such as Carrier give their longer warranties only if the equipment is registered within a set time after install, 90 days in Carrier's case. When a part fails on a system the office never registered, the customer may have only the shorter warranty, and the angry call reaches the GM. The GM decides whether the company pays to make it right, and fixes the closeout step that missed the registration. Source: Carrier: Warranty registration and information.
Efficiency rules depend on where you install
In the Southeast and Southwest, DOE's regional efficiency standards for split-system central air conditioners go by the date of installation, not the date the unit was made. If DOE finds an installer broke them, it issues that installer a notice of violation. The GM makes sure every quote and every system installed meets the standard for your region. Source: U.S. Department of Energy: Regional standards enforcement.
Technicians and salespeople share leads
A replacement sale often starts with a technician who finds an old or failing system. The GM sets how those leads pass to the comfort advisors, how technicians get credit, and how unsold estimates get followed up. When that handoff is slow or unfair, both teams lose trust and the company loses jobs.
How much HVAC general managers make
The closest BLS group for 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.
Usually a salary plus a bonus tied to the location's profit, often paid quarterly or yearly.
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. 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 managers in more than one department
Reads the daily numbers and acts the same day
Handles upset customers and makes things right
Coaches technicians and comfort advisors fairly
Stays steady when the board fills up in a heat wave
Teach these on the job
Your field service software dashboards
Your price book, plan perks and discount rules
Local permit and inspection steps
HVAC equipment basics
Your manufacturers' warranty registration process
The GM works from field service software dashboards in tools such as ServiceTitan, FieldEdge or Housecall Pro, plus the dispatch board, the price book and your review sites. Name your software in the ad so candidates know whether they can read your numbers on day one.
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.
The targets in the template are examples. Set yours from this location's own history, and go over the numbers weekly with the department managers.
Revenue Growth
Revenue by department each month from your accounting or field service software. Compare each month with the same month last year, since weather moves HVAC sales, and look at service, installs and maintenance plans separately.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Your average star rating on Google and other review sites, plus post-job survey scores, checked weekly. Also count the complaints that reach the GM and how fast each one gets resolved.
Operational Efficiency
Jobs and installs finished on the day they were scheduled, divided by all jobs scheduled, from your field service software each week. Compare it with callbacks so speed doesn't come at the cost of quality.
Employee Performance
Give each person a scorecard with clear targets. Each month, count how many met or beat them, by department, and divide by headcount. Look for patterns in who falls short and why.
What does a general manager do at an HVAC company?
The GM runs the business day to day. That means planning the morning with dispatch and service, checking yesterday's numbers, coaching managers, handling complaints, and making the calls on overtime and staffing. In a company with several branches, each GM runs one branch and usually reports to the COO or the owner.
How much does an 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.
What is the difference between a general manager and an operations manager at an HVAC company?
A general manager runs the whole location, including sales, the office and the profit. An operations manager covers the field side: dispatch, technicians and installs, and often reports to the GM. In a small company one person may do both, so write the ad around the departments you need them to lead.
Does an HVAC general manager need a license?
Usually not personally. In states that license HVAC contractors, the business often needs a licensed person on staff, and the rules vary by state. In Texas, each permanent location must have a licensed air conditioning and refrigeration contractor on staff. A branch that lacks one when a contract is signed can't collect a fee or enforce that contract. If your GM isn't the license holder, they should know who is and plan for days off and turnover.
Should an HVAC general manager come from the field or from sales?
Both can work. A former technician or service manager knows the work and earns trust with crews. A former sales manager knows how to grow revenue and coach comfort advisors. Whichever you pick, check that the candidate has managed other managers, reads a profit and loss, and has handled upset customers. The template asks for a bachelor's degree, so drop that line if your best candidate came up through the field without one.
What should an HVAC general manager job ad include?
Name the departments and managers the GM will lead, your truck count and service area, and who the GM reports to. Spell out peak-season hours, on-call duties and how the bonus works. If you have more than one branch, say whether the GM runs one or several.
