An HVAC warehouse manager runs the stockroom that keeps a heating and cooling company working. They stage the furnace, condenser and coil for each install and keep service trucks stocked. They also track refrigerant tanks, returns and scrap.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, HVAC and plumbing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing the HVAC warehouse operations, overseeing parts, equipment, and inventory logistics to ensure seamless supply chain support for service and installation teams.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee daily warehouse operations including the receipt, storage, and distribution of HVAC parts and equipment.
Develop and implement effective inventory control procedures and periodic audits.
Ensure compliance with safety guidelines and industry regulations.
Coordinate with service and repair teams to meet scheduling and supply needs.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor inventory levels and conduct regular stock counts to prevent discrepancies.
Manage the timely ordering and replenishment of HVAC parts and equipment.
Liaise with vendors and suppliers to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness.
Prepare and maintain detailed activity reports and operational documentation.
Order Fulfillment Rate: Achieve a 99% on-time order fulfillment rate.
Warehouse Efficiency: Attain a capacity efficiency of >90%.
Safety Compliance: Ensure 0 safety violations on a monthly basis.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, or related field.
Minimum 3 years of warehouse management experience, preferably in HVAC or related industries.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with a keen eye for detail.
Proficient in warehouse management software and MS Office applications.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in managing HVAC parts and equipment in a fast-paced environment.
Proven record of effective inventory control and cost-reduction strategies.
Background in process improvement and lean logistics practices.
Familiarity with industry safety standards and compliance requirements.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move items up to 50 pounds.
Prolonged periods of standing, walking, and manual handling.
Work in environments with varying temperature conditions.
Occasional exposure to confined spaces within the warehouse.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with occasional extended hours during peak seasons.
Minimal travel required between warehouse and operational sites.
On-call duties during emergencies as required.
Collaborative and fast-paced work environment.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range of $55,000 - $70,000 USD per annum.
Performance-based bonuses and potential commission structure.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a culture of continuous growth, innovation, and teamwork. We are committed to supporting our employees’ professional development while delivering top-notch service excellence in the HVAC industry. We value initiative, collaboration, and a drive for operational excellence, creating a work atmosphere that is dynamic, supportive, and rewarding.
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
Every warehouse manager receives, stores and ships stock. An HVAC warehouse feeds two kinds of work at once: sold installs and same-day repairs. Some of what it stores is under pressure, flammable or regulated.
Installs ship as matched systems
A replacement usually needs an outdoor unit, an indoor coil or air handler, and often a furnace. AHRI rates a split system as a pair, not unit by unit, and rebate programs may ask for its AHRI certificate. A wrong coil can stall the install or cost the customer a rebate. So the warehouse checks every model number against the job before the crew loads up. Source: AHRI: How and why certified.
Truck stock is a budget decision
The warehouse manager sets what each service truck carries. Too little, and techs lose time driving to the supply house. Too much, and cash sits on trucks, where parts get lost or damaged. The manager reviews the list before each season, sets limits by truck, and uses counts to spot trucks that keep coming up short.
Refrigerant tanks need their own system
The warehouse holds new refrigerant, recovered refrigerant and empty tanks, and they can't get mixed up. Tanks for the newer A2L refrigerants have a red band and a left-hand thread, so they take different fittings than older tanks. Supply can run tight when the industry switches refrigerants. The manager tracks every tank in and out and orders ahead of each season. Source: Arkema Forane: The difference between A2L and A1 cylinders.
Brazing gases have storage rules
Many crews braze with oxygen and acetylene. OSHA says stored oxygen cylinders must sit at least 20 feet from fuel-gas cylinders. The other choice is a barrier that won't burn, at least 5 feet high and rated to resist fire for half an hour. Acetylene cylinders must be stored valve end up. The manager sets up storage that way and checks it on every safety walk. Source: OSHA: Oxygen-fuel gas welding and cutting (29 CFR 1910.253).
Old equipment becomes scrap
Change-outs bring old condensers, coils and furnaces back to the shop. EPA says the refrigerant in central home AC gear must be recovered, under its service rules, before the unit is thrown out or scrapped. The manager keeps a scrap area and checks that each unit's refrigerant was recovered. They also track scrap metal sales, so the copper and aluminum don't walk off. Source: U.S. EPA: Stationary refrigeration safe disposal requirements.
How much HVAC warehouse managers make
The closest BLS group for HVAC warehouse managers is transportation, storage, and distribution managers. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $74,660 a year ($35.89 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $107,230 median for transportation, storage, and distribution managers in all industries. About 960 of the 221,180 transportation, storage, and distribution managers in that survey work for HVAC and plumbing contractors.
Usually a salary or hourly with overtime, sometimes with a bonus tied to inventory accuracy or shrink.
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$74,660$74,660 median Middle half $58,090–$97,100 10th–90th $46,240–$128,000
All industries
$107,230$107,230 median Middle half $82,440–$146,770 10th–90th $65,120–$194,900
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
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
$46,240
$58,090
$74,660
$97,100
$128,000
All industries
$65,120
$82,440
$107,230
$146,770
$194,900
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
Runs an accurate count and finds out why a count is off
Plans stock around the season, not just this week
Reads model numbers carefully and catches the wrong part before it ships
Keeps a small team on a tight morning schedule
Handles heavy equipment and gas cylinders safely
Teach these on the job
HVAC parts, equipment types and model numbers
Your inventory software and truck restock process
Your distributors, order cutoffs and warranty returns
Refrigerant cylinder handling and records
Forklift operation, with training and evaluation
HVAC warehouses track stock in the inventory part of field service software such as ServiceTitan, or in a separate inventory system, often with barcode scanners. Name your software in the ad, and say whether the role also covers purchasing, truck stock, job site deliveries or a forklift.
HVAC warehouse 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.
Track these monthly, and look harder at them in the weeks before summer and winter. The targets in the template are examples to set from your own numbers.
Inventory Accuracy
Compare counted stock with system records each month, for the warehouse and for each truck. Track both the number of part numbers that are off and their value.
Order Fulfillment Rate
Install jobs staged complete and correct before the crew arrives, plus truck restock requests filled on time, out of all orders that week. Pull it from your inventory or field service software.
Warehouse Efficiency
Compare the shelf and floor space in use with what you have, so stock fits without overflow. Also time the morning load-out, from pick ticket to loaded truck, so crews leave on schedule.
Safety Compliance
Results of your monthly warehouse safety walk, including cylinder storage, racking and forklift checks. Log every injury, near miss and finding, and how fast each one gets fixed.
Career path
Warehouse associate or driverReceives stock, loads trucks and makes job site deliveries.
They run the place where equipment, parts and refrigerant come in and go out. They take deliveries, stage equipment for each install, restock service trucks, order from suppliers, and keep counts right. They also handle warranty returns, scrap from change-outs, and safe storage of gas tanks.
How much does an HVAC warehouse manager make?
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $74,660 a year ($35.89 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $58,090 and $97,100 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What's the difference between a warehouse manager and an inventory specialist?
An inventory specialist keeps the numbers right: counts, reorders and truck stock. A warehouse manager runs the whole place. That means the team, receiving and staging, the distributors, safety and the budget. In a smaller shop one person may do both. At this size the specialist usually reports to the warehouse manager.
Does an HVAC warehouse manager need EPA 608 certification?
Not just to store tanks and hand them out. The rule covers people who service or scrap equipment that can release refrigerant. Buying is different. A certified tech can buy refrigerant, and so can their employer or someone the employer authorizes. The employer has to give the wholesaler written proof that it employs a certified tech.
Do HVAC warehouse workers need forklift certification?
OSHA requires employers to train each forklift driver and make sure they can drive it safely. Training has to mix class lessons with hands-on practice and a check of how they drive at work. A qualified person has to run it. Each driver's skills must be checked again at least once every three years.
Should an HVAC warehouse manager also handle purchasing?
At many companies this size, yes. The person who sees what's on the shelf and on the trucks is in the best spot to reorder. If you keep purchasing separate, set clear rules for who orders equipment for sold jobs, who orders truck stock, and who can approve large buys before the season.
What should an HVAC warehouse manager job ad include?
Say how many people the role manages and how many trucks it stocks. Name your inventory software and main distributors. Say whether the job includes purchasing, deliveries or a forklift. Be clear about start times and busy-season hours.
