A landscaping chief operating officer writes the rules every crew and yard works by: route design, the install process, and who may spray, climb or tow. The COO converts the CEO's goals into standards, training and schedules, and manages the people who run production.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Responsible for overseeing and driving operational excellence across the landscaping division. Ensures efficiency and streamlined processes to support both current operations and strategic expansion initiatives. Acts as a key leader in developing and implementing growth strategies reflective of best practices in the home services industry. Collaborates with executive leadership to maintain a competitive edge in the market.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage daily operations and long-term strategic planning for the landscaping division.
Ensure operational efficiencies and optimize resource allocation to meet business objectives.
Lead expansion efforts through market research, process improvement initiatives, and innovative service strategies.
Oversee compliance with industry regulations, safety standards, and quality assurance protocols.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor daily operational performance and address issues proactively.
Interact with customers and stakeholders to ensure high levels of satisfaction and service delivery.
Review and analyze performance data, preparing reports for executive leadership.
Actively engage in business prospecting and networking to spur growth and new market initiatives.
Expansion success rate: Achieve a minimum 10% increase in new service areas annually.
Cost management efficiency: Reduce overhead by 8% through process improvements.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 8-10 years’ experience in operations management, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
Strong strategic planning, analytical, and decision-making skills.
Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the landscaping or home services industry.
Proven track record in managing operational expansions and process improvements.
Experience in leading cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
Familiarity with industry-specific software, CRM systems, and project management tools.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to travel to various project sites and regional offices.
Occasionally required to visit outdoor locations in varying weather conditions.
Ability to participate in brief site inspections that may involve moderate physical activity.
Must be able to communicate effectively in diverse work environments.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard business hours with flexibility for extended hours during peak expansion phases.
Regular travel requirements to multiple operational sites and client meetings.
On-call responsibilities during emergencies or critical operational issues.
Collaborative office setting with periodic field visits for operational oversight.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 depending on experience and qualifications.
Annual performance bonuses tied to operational efficiency and expansion targets.
Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, and Vision coverage.
401(k) plan with company matching and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of innovation, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Our commitment to excellence in the landscaping services industry is reflected in our supportive environment, where every team member is valued and encouraged to grow. We believe in a dynamic, collaborative atmosphere that empowers our employees to achieve their best while delivering exceptional service to our customers. This is an opportunity to join a forward-thinking organization that recognizes and rewards your contributions.
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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What makes running landscaping operations different
Landscaping operations mean many crews doing much the same work every week, outdoors, with mowers, saws, chemicals and trailers. Small habits repeated on every route decide the margin.
Routes are the product
Weekly lawn customers usually get one crew on one fixed weekday. The COO sets the routing rules: how many stops per crew, how far apart, and how much drive time is too much. Tight routes raise revenue per crew hour. The COO also sets crew size per route and decides when a route is full enough to split.
Lawn treatments bring license rules
Most states license workers who apply pesticides, according to BLS. Texas shows how wide that can reach: anyone who applies any pesticide to lawns, trees, ornamental plants or weeds for hire needs a Texas Department of Agriculture license, general-use products included. Fertilizer-only work doesn't need it. The COO decides who on each crew may spray and keeps license records current. Source: Texas Department of Agriculture: Applying pesticides to lawns, trees and ornamentals.
California names landscaping in its heat rule
Cal/OSHA's heat illness rule covers all outdoor work. Its high-heat procedures, which start at 95 degrees, apply to a short list of industries, and landscaping is on it. Shade must be up when it's over 80 degrees, and workers need enough drinking water for a quart each per hour of the shift. Rules differ elsewhere. The COO puts those steps in writing, makes sure every crew carries water and shade, and trains new hires before summer. Source: California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3395: Heat illness prevention in outdoor places of employment.
Blades, saws and chippers need written rules
OSHA's landscaping guidance tells crews to keep clear of turning mower and brush-cutter blades. It says to train for chainsaw use, wear chaps, and wear ear protection around chippers and saws. For irrigation and hardscape digging, it lists utility locates, and for tree work at least 10 feet of clearance from power lines, more for higher voltages. The COO makes those into equipment checklists, sign-offs on who may run what, and spot checks on job sites. Source: OSHA: Landscape and horticultural services, hazards and solutions.
Trucks and trailers can bring CDL rules
Towing an equipment trailer behind a heavy crew truck can put a driver over the federal line for a commercial license. Under 49 CFR 383.91, a truck and trailer with a combined weight rating of at least 26,001 pounds is a Group A combination if the trailer alone carries a weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, and the driver needs a CDL that covers Group A. The COO checks ratings before buying and decides which drivers may tow what. Source: 49 CFR 383.91: Commercial motor vehicle groups (Cornell LII).
How much landscaping chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for landscaping chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $158,670 a year ($76.28 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 200 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for landscaping companies.
A salary, plus the yearly bonus the template ties to efficiency and expansion targets, such as labor hours kept to budget and new routes filled.
Landscaping companies
$158,670$158,670 median Middle half $122,870–$215,290 10th–90th $91,010–$267,670
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
Landscaping companies
$91,010
$122,870
$158,670
$215,290
$267,670
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS reports residential and commercial landscaping companies 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 led mowing crews and install crews in the same season
Writes down what your best crew leader does so every crew can copy it
Catches a job running over its budgeted hours while it can still be fixed
Enforces safety rules with crew leaders, even in the spring rush
Can build a spring hiring plan and keep crews through leaf season
Teach these on the job
Your routing setup and service days
Which crews need a pesticide or irrigation license holder
Your plant, turf and install standards
Your equipment fleet and service schedule
Job order rules for H-2B crews
The COO works in the routing and job-costing parts of programs like Aspire or LMN, along with truck GPS and a service record for every mower, trimmer and trailer. The ad should list which of these are in place and which the COO is expected to set up.
Set each target in winter from what your crews actually did last year, then check progress monthly with the CEO and with the manager responsible for each number.
Operational efficiency improvement
Revenue per crew hour, or budgeted hours against actual hours on each job, set against the same weeks a year earlier. Pull hours from crew timecards and your job-costing reports.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Online star ratings plus a quick survey sent after installs and spring cleanups. Sort every complaint by crew and route, since repeat problems usually trace back to one of them.
Expansion success rate
New zip codes, service lines or yards added this year, and whether each one covers its own costs within a season. Count only areas where crews run full routes, not one-off jobs.
Cost management efficiency
Fuel, equipment repairs, overtime, materials and overhead, each measured against revenue and against last year. Look line by line so one big saving can't cover a growing leak.
Career path
Field supervisorOversees several crews across one part of the service area.
Production managerSchedules installs and lines up crews, machines and materials.
Everything about the way crews work lands with the COO. That includes route design and when to split a route, crew sizes, the install process from layout to final walkthrough, equipment buying and upkeep, safety training, and the plan for staffing spring. Operations, production and branch managers bring problems to the COO, who fixes the system behind them instead of each problem one at a time.
How much does a landscaping chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $158,670 a year ($76.28 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $122,870 and $215,290 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Landscaping operations manager or COO: which do you need?
It comes down to scope and time. An operations manager owns this week: who is on which route, what to do about Tuesday's rain, which install is behind. The COO owns how next year should run: the standards, the equipment plan, the training calendar and which managers lead each division. A second yard or a new service line is often when the COO seat gets added.
Does a landscaping COO need a pesticide license?
Not usually. Licenses are held by the workers who apply pesticides and by those who supervise them, and the rules differ by state. The COO should know who holds a license, which categories it covers and when it expires. The COO should also make sure no one without a license is sent to spray where the state requires one.
What should a landscaping COO fix first?
Usually whatever is burning the most labor hours. Ride with crews, compare budgeted and actual hours on recent jobs, and look for the pattern: routes with too much drive time, crews waiting at the yard for materials, mowers down for parts, or install estimates that run short. Fixing one of those before spring does more than a new org chart.
What should a landscaping COO job ad include?
Will the COO be building systems from scratch or tightening ones that already work? Say which, since each calls for a different person. Then give the facts: crews and yards, service lines, the managers under the COO, any work you subcontract, such as tree care or irrigation, and whether you bring in H-2B crews.
