An industrial cleaning operations manager builds the crew schedule, assigns people and trucks to each plant job, and tracks every job until the customer signs off. When a plant moves its shutdown or a truck breaks down, this person reworks the week so qualified crews still arrive on time.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building services companies · BLS, May 2025
The Operations Manager will oversee and streamline scheduling, crew allocation, and job completion tracking in the industrial cleaning and degreasing sector. This role is critical in ensuring efficiency and high-quality service delivery across all projects. The ideal candidate will lead operational activities with a focus on continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Allocate and dispatch cleaning and degreasing crews to ensure optimal workforce distribution.
Organize and manage daily, weekly, and monthly schedules for field operations.
Track and document job completions and performance metrics to ensure accountability.
Maintain compliance with safety, environmental, and operational standards.
Coordinate with clients and internal teams to communicate project updates and resolve issues.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and adjust daily work schedules based on project priorities and crew availability.
Monitor job progress through regular site checks and progress reports.
Liaise with field teams to address operational challenges and provide timely support.
Update and maintain digital records of completed jobs, crew assignments, and maintenance logs.
Conduct briefings or debriefings with crews to ensure clarity on project expectations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Job Completion Rate: Achieve 100% adherence to scheduled deadlines.
Crew Efficiency: Maintain at least a 95% on-time dispatch rate.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Surpass a target of >4.8 stars in post-service feedback.
Scheduling Accuracy: Ensure 99% accuracy in crew allocation and project timelines.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 3-5 years’ managerial experience in operational oversight, preferably within home or industrial services.
Strong leadership and team coordination skills.
Proficiency with scheduling software and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS).
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous work experience in industrial cleaning, degreasing, or a similar home services industry.
Familiarity with environmental regulations and safety procedures applicable to industrial cleaning.
Proven track record of managing large teams in a fast-paced field service environment.
Experience with lean management practices and process improvement initiatives.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
Frequent exposure to outdoor and industrial work environments.
Capability to work in various weather conditions including heat, cold, and humidity.
Standing and walking for extended periods during site inspections.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with occasional overtime during peak periods.
On-call duties may be required in case of urgent operational issues.
Minimal travel between job sites within the designated service area.
Office environment combined with on-site field visits.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range of $65,000 - $80,000 per year, based on experience and qualifications.
Annual performance-based bonus opportunities.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off, professional development support, and employee wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment where every team member is empowered to contribute ideas.
Our company is dedicated to continuous growth, innovation, and excellence in service delivery.
We value integrity, dedication, and a passion for customer satisfaction, enabling personal and professional development.
We invest in our people through ongoing training, mentorship, and clear career advancement pathways.
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 makes operations management different in industrial cleaning
The schedule here bends to customers' production calendars, federal plant records and the hours a truck driver may legally work. Any one of them can break a plan that looked fine on Monday.
Meat plant sanitation feeds a federal record
USDA-inspected meat and poultry plants must run the pre-operational steps in their sanitation SOPs before production starts, and keep daily records of that work and any corrective actions. When your crew does the cleaning, its work is what those records describe. Schedule each night so the line is clean and checked before start-up, with time left for a re-clean. Source: eCFR: 9 CFR part 416, sanitation SOPs in meat and poultry plants.
A long shift can ground the truck driver
Under federal hours-of-service rules for commercial trucks, time working at a plant counts as on-duty time. A property-carrying driver can't drive once 14 hours have passed since coming on duty after 10 hours off, and can drive 11 hours at most in that window. A driver who runs the vacuum truck and then works a long cleanup may not be legal to drive it home. Plan a second driver or a hotel. Source: eCFR: 49 CFR part 395, hours of service of drivers.
Frozen lines stop an outdoor job
On an outdoor tank job in a North Dakota January, hoses, pumps and water lines can freeze between uses. Plan hot water units or heated trailers, drain lines whenever work stops, and put outdoor tasks in the warmest hours you can. Check the forecast the night before, and give crews the gear the cold calls for.
The plant's work order is your job ticket
Plants often issue work through their own maintenance software, with a work order number billing will need. Copy that number onto your job ticket at booking, log the crew, hours, chemicals and waste on it, and close it the day the work ends. Keep your own pump and truck repairs in your maintenance system so a broken unit doesn't surprise the schedule.
How much industrial cleaning & degreasing operations managers make
The closest BLS group for industrial cleaning & degreasing operations managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $82,580 a year ($39.70 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 74,770 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for building services companies.
Building services companies
$82,580$82,580 median Middle half $60,290–$118,560 10th–90th $45,720–$164,990
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
Building services companies
$45,720
$60,290
$82,580
$118,560
$164,990
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
BLS doesn’t publish pay for industrial cleaning companies on their own. These figures cover services to buildings and dwellings, which include them. 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 scheduled field crews across several sites at once
Keeps track of who is trained and cleared for which plant
Calm when a plant moves a shutdown with a day's notice
Uses scheduling software and a maintenance system every day
Gives crews clear briefings they can repeat back
Teach these on the job
Your customers' plants, gates and contacts
Your trucks, pumps and high-pressure units
Each service's crew size and setup time
Your job ticket and closeout steps
The sanitation schedules of your food plant accounts
The operations manager runs the scheduling or job management software, the company's maintenance system for trucks and pumps, and a training tracker by person and by site. Many also work inside customers' maintenance software to pick up work orders.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Shrinking windows
A client cuts a three-day shutdown to two days but wants the same scope. What do you do?
A strong answer: Re-plans with more crews or shifts within fatigue limits, tells the client what can safely be done, and gets agreement on any scope or price change.
Behavioral · Leading supervisors
Tell me about a time you coached a supervisor to run safer jobs.
A strong answer: Gives specific coaching from site visits, clear expectations, and a measured change such as fewer incidents or better audits.
The template's targets are examples. Don't hold crews to them until your own schedule data shows what is realistic.
Job Completion Rate
Compare each job's finish with the deadline the plant set, and write down why each miss happened: a late line stop, a failed check or a crew member who didn't show.
Crew Efficiency
Record when each crew and truck leaves the yard against the planned time, from the vehicle tracking or the timesheet. Look for repeat causes like late loading or missing gear.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask the plant contact who signs off each job for a rating and one comment. Share the comments at the next crew briefing, good and bad.
Scheduling Accuracy
Check each week how many jobs ran with the crew, truck and hours you planned. Changes the customer asked for count separately from your own planning misses.
What do the operations manager template's weather, lifting and walking lines mean?
They describe site checks. The operations manager walks a tank farm or plant floor to see how a job is going, carries a pump part or a gas meter out to a crew, and checks outdoor jobs in summer sun, winter wind or humid washdown areas. With those tasks listed, applicants can judge how much of the week happens on site.
How much does an industrial cleaning & degreasing operations manager make?
General and operations managers who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $82,580 a year ($39.70 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $60,290 and $118,560 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
When should an industrial cleaning operations manager start planning a shutdown?
As soon as the plant names the window. Book crews, trucks and rental units first, then chemicals, disposal, lodging and site orientation dates. Hold a short call with the plant a week out to confirm the start time and lockout plan, and keep a backup crew list in case people drop out.
Does an industrial cleaning company need a dispatcher if it has an operations manager?
At a company this size, usually yes. The dispatcher handles the day: who drives which truck, which crew goes first, and the calls when something changes. The operations manager owns the weekly and monthly plan, crew qualifications and job closeout. Splitting it keeps the long view from getting lost in the morning rush.
How should an industrial cleaning operations manager handle a shutdown that moves at the last minute?
Call the plant to confirm the new window in writing, then work down the list: crews, trucks, rentals, disposal and lodging. Tell the GM what it costs, such as idle crews or rebooked hotels, so standby can be billed if the contract allows. Offer the freed crews to other jobs before sending anyone home.
What records should an operations manager keep for each industrial cleaning job?
Keep the signed ticket, crew names and hours, the trucks and units used, chemicals and amounts, waste volumes and where they went, permit copies the plant issued, and before and after photos. Those records settle billing questions, back up the safety program and help price the same job next year.
