A junk removal COO runs operations across every branch: trucks, crews, disposal, safety and service standards. The COO sets the targets each branch is measured on and decides how new services, from shed tear-downs to contractor cleanups, fit into the work.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, waste management companies · BLS, May 2025
Lead and streamline daily operations to drive efficiency and profitability across the junk removal business. Develop and execute strategic initiatives to hit revenue and margin targets. Oversee branch and fleet performance, ensuring operational excellence and safety. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and identify opportunities for growth. Collaborate with executive leadership to promote a proactive, customer-focused culture.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Direct day-to-day operations of the junk removal business to maintain high performance levels.
Establish, monitor, and adjust KPIs and standards to meet revenue and margin goals.
Oversee branch and fleet management ensuring compliance with operational policies and safety standards.
Standardize processes and implement best practices across multiple teams and locations.
Collaborate with finance and marketing departments to align operational strategies with overall business objectives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily operational reports and performance metrics to identify areas for improvement.
Conduct regular meetings with branch managers and fleet supervisors to ensure alignment with targets.
Analyze process flows and initiate corrective actions to optimize service delivery and efficiency.
Engage with team members and customers to address concerns and enhance service quality.
Monitor inventory and resource allocation to ensure operational readiness across all locations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: Achieve a minimum monthly increase of 10%.
Gross Margin: Maintain a target gross margin of at least 25%.
Fleet Utilization: Ensure fleet capacity efficiency is above 90%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Sustain an average rating of 4.8 stars or higher.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in operations management, preferably in a service industry.
Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills with the ability to drive change.
Proficiency in process improvement, performance metrics, and operational software tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services or junk removal industry with an understanding of market dynamics.
Familiarity with large fleet management and logistics coordination within a multi-location business.
Proven track record in establishing and managing KPIs to drive operational performance.
Hands-on experience in leading cross-functional teams through periods of rapid growth.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to perform light physical tasks associated with operational oversight.
Occasional lifting of documents and equipment up to 15 lbs.
Frequent visits to branch locations requiring walking and standing for extended periods.
Adaptability to work in environments that may include outdoor conditions and varying temperatures.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours with flexibility for extended hours during peak business periods.
Occasional travel to multiple branch locations to ensure consistent operational standards.
On-call duties may be required during unforeseen operational challenges.
Collaborative office environment with regular virtual and in-person meetings.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 USD, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonuses linked to operational and financial targets.
Comprehensive health benefits including Health, Dental, and Vision.
401k plan with company matching, along with additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
An innovative, growth-oriented environment where every employee’s contribution is valued.
A commitment to continuous improvement, open communication, and professional development.
A collaborative culture that champions teamwork, diversity, and inclusion.
An organization that rewards initiative and supports long-term career growth and 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
Every COO runs the daily machine. In junk removal, that machine is trucks and crews working inside customers' homes, and new services can pull the company into construction rules.
Tear-downs are demolition work
Sheds, decks and hot tub enclosures look like big junk jobs, but taking down a structure is demolition. Under OSHA's construction rules, a competent person checks the structure for collapse risk before work begins, and that survey is kept in writing. Service lines for gas, power, water and sewer have to be turned off, capped or otherwise controlled first. If branches sell tear-downs, the COO puts those steps in the job checklist and limits the work to trained crews. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.850, Preparatory operations (demolition).
Construction debris may have to be recycled
Renovation and contractor cleanouts bring their own rules. In Vermont, whoever produces 40 cubic yards or more of drywall, metal, asphalt shingles, clean wood or plywood at a commercial project within 20 miles of a facility that recycles it must arrange for it to go to a certified facility, or use another method the state approves. Buildings with two or more homes count as commercial. Before branches chase this work, the COO sets how crews keep those materials apart. Source: Vermont Statutes, 10 V.S.A. § 6605m: Architectural waste recycling.
Peak days set the fleet size
Bookings bunch up on weekends, at month-end move-outs and in the warm months, then thin out. A fleet sized for the peak leaves trucks parked for months, and one sized for the average turns away good jobs. The COO picks the mix: owned trucks for steady demand, rentals or vetted outside haulers for spikes, and booking rules that steer flexible jobs to slow days.
Dumpster rental is a different business
Many haulers add roll-off dumpster rentals next to full-service pickups. The new line brings heavier trucks for the fleet team to plan, containers to track and repair, and pricing by weight and rental days instead of truck space. Ask each city what it requires before a container goes on the street. Run it with its own targets and its own P&L so it doesn't hide a weak core business.
How much junk removal chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for junk removal chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for waste management companies earned a median of $172,470 a year ($82.92 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 270 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for waste management companies.
Typically salaried, plus incentive pay for hitting operating and financial targets.
Waste management companies
$172,470$172,470 median Middle half $82,910–$320,060 10th–90th $70,200–$564,650
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
Waste management companies
$70,200
$82,910
$172,470
$320,060
$564,650
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for chief executives at waste collection companies on their own, so these figures cover waste management companies. 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 operations across several branches with trucks and field crews
Builds scorecards that branch managers understand and use
Has rolled out a new process at several sites and made it stick
Ties P&L results back to truck, crew and disposal decisions
Makes branches follow safety and disposal policy, even under pushback
Teach these on the job
Disposal, donation and recycling partners in each market
How estimators quote by the truckload
The company's field software and telematics
State rules on construction debris in your markets
Truck buying and maintenance contracts
The COO works from job, truck and crew reports in the booking software, fleet telematics such as Samsara or Motive, and the review sites where customers rate each branch. Ask candidates which of these they used to change how a branch works, not just to watch it.
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 · Fleet utilization
Trucks sit idle on Mondays and Tuesdays, and you turn away work on Saturdays. How do you fix that?
A strong answer: Tests weekday pricing, books commercial accounts into weekdays, shifts crew schedules toward the weekend and checks the data after a few weeks.
Behavioral · Multi-site rollout
Tell me about a time you rolled out one process across several locations. How did you get managers to use it?
A strong answer: Involved managers early, piloted at one site, trained, audited and tracked results.
Read the template's figures as examples. Base targets on each branch's history and season, and expect slow-month results to look different from peak ones.
Revenue Growth
Judge each month against the year-earlier month at that branch, so seasonal swings don't read as growth or decline.
Gross Margin
Take revenue minus crew labor, disposal, fuel and truck costs for each job, roll it up by branch, and review the branches with the lowest margin first.
Fleet Utilization
Count the hours each truck spends loading, hauling or unloading against the hours it is staffed and ready, and compare branches by day of the week.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Average each branch's star ratings across post-job texts and public review sites, and read the low ones each week for patterns by crew or booking.
Should every junk removal branch offer the same services?
Keep the core service the same everywhere so the call center can book any branch. Add services such as tear-downs, contractor cleanups or hoarding work one branch at a time, only where the local manager has trained crews, the right trucks and a place to take the material. List each branch's services in the booking system so callers aren't promised what that branch can't do.
How much does a junk removal chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for waste management companies earned a median of $172,470 a year ($82.92 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $82,910 and $320,060 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should a COO roll out a new disposal rule to every branch?
When a state adds an item to its landfill ban list or a transfer station changes what it takes, update the booking script, the crew checklist and the price list in the same week. Brief crew leaders on what changes at the door. Then check a sample of jobs at each branch for the next month to confirm the rule is being followed.
How should the COO ad describe branch visits?
Turn the template's physical lines into tasks: walking a truck yard and sorting area, standing through a morning truck rollout, carrying a laptop or a small box of supplies, and riding along on outdoor jobs in any season. Those template lines ship as written. Add that you'll look at reasonable accommodations for a candidate who can do these tasks another way.
What makes a junk removal COO candidate stand out?
Ask for a branch scorecard they built and have them explain each measure and what they did when one slipped. Then show them two branches' numbers side by side and ask which one they would visit first and why. Good answers mention disposal trips and crew hours, not only revenue.
