Commercial pest control technician job description
A commercial pest control technician services restaurants, food plants, warehouses and other businesses on a regular schedule, many of them before opening or after closing. They check numbered traps and bait stations, treat by the label away from food, and leave the written report a health inspector or food safety auditor will ask to see.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, pest control companies · BLS, May 2025
Pest Control - Commercial - Pest Control Technician
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Field Supervisor]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
The Pest Control Technician will deliver high-quality, commercial pest management services by performing routine treatments, implementing preventive measures, and fostering positive customer relationships to ensure client satisfaction and safety.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Perform routine pest control treatments and inspections for commercial properties.
Execute preventive measures and maintenance programs tailored to each client’s specific needs.
Maintain high standards of safety and adherence to regulatory guidelines.
Record detailed service reports and documentation after each visit.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Arrive at job sites on time and prepared with necessary tools and equipment.
Conduct thorough inspections to identify pest issues and determine appropriate treatments.
Communicate with clients regarding treatment plans, follow-up visits, and preventive strategies.
Follow up on previous service visits and adjust treatments as needed for ongoing effectiveness.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Service Completion Rate: 95% or above on scheduled appointments.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars on post-service feedback surveys.
Callback Percentage: <5% for repeat service calls due to unresolved issues.
Treatment Efficiency: Maintain a minimum productivity rate of 8 treated sites per day.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Minimum of 1-2 years’ experience in pest control or a related field.
Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
Excellent communication skills with a customer-focused mindset.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience performing pest control services in a commercial setting.
Knowledge of integrated pest management (IPM) practices and chemical safety regulations.
Previous training or certification in pest control management.
Familiarity with industry-standard equipment and technology.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and work in physically demanding environments.
Capacity to work in varied weather conditions including outdoor environments.
Frequent exposure to confined spaces during treatment applications.
Required to stand, walk, and bend for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Occasional overtime during peak service seasons.
Minimal travel within the assigned service region.
May require on-call support for urgent service calls.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly wage range: $18-$25 per hour depending on experience and location.
Performance-based bonus structure available.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) retirement plan options with company match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of growth, excellence, and teamwork where every team member is empowered to develop professionally and contribute to the overall success of the company. We value integrity, customer satisfaction, and innovation, ensuring that our employees thrive in a supportive and dynamic work environment.
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
Commercial clients answer to someone else: a health inspector, an FDA investigator or a food safety auditor. The technician's work and paperwork have to hold up when that person looks.
Food plants have a federal pest rule
FDA's food safety rule for plants says pests must not be allowed in any area of a food plant, and the plant must take effective steps to keep them out. Pesticides may be used inside only with precautions that keep them off food, food-contact surfaces and packaging. So the technician works with the plant's quality staff on when and where to treat, and follows the label for food areas. Source: 21 CFR 117.35: Sanitary operations, pest control (Cornell LII).
The service report goes in the audit file
Plants certified to SQF, one of the food safety audit standards plants use, must hold their pest contractor to set rules. The contractor uses only trained, qualified operators who follow the law. They report to an authorized person on arrival and again when done, and they leave a written report of findings, inspections and treatments. A missing signature or a blank finding can become an audit problem. Source: SQFI: SQF Food Safety Code, Food Manufacturing, Edition 9 (section 11.2.4, pest prevention).
Every device has a number
A large plant account can hold a long list of numbered traps, bait stations, glue boards and fly lights. On each visit the technician checks every one, records what it caught by number, cleans or replaces what's damaged, and tells the client if one is missing or moved. Sloppy device notes make the client's trend reports useless.
Service hours belong to the client
A restaurant can't have a technician in the prep line during dinner, and a plant won't stop a line for a routine visit. Commercial technicians work early mornings, late nights or between shifts, sign in with whoever is in charge, and plan treatments for when food is put away or covered. Being on time matters more when the client opens the door just for you.
A license category built for businesses
EPA's rules sort commercial applicators of restricted use pesticides into categories. One covers industrial, institutional and structural pest control. That means food handling places, packing houses and food processing plants, institutions such as schools, hospitals and prisons, and warehouses and grain elevators. States set up their own versions, so ask your state agency which category your commercial route needs. Source: 40 CFR 171.101: Commercial applicator certification categories (Cornell LII).
How much commercial pest control technicians make
The closest BLS group for commercial pest control technicians is pest control workers. Pest control workers who work for pest control companies earned a median of $21.60 an hour ($44,930 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $45,250 median for pest control workers in all industries. About 96,000 of the 102,620 pest control workers in that survey work for pest control companies.
Hourly with overtime, plus the template's performance bonus. Decide before you post the job whether night and weekend stops carry a shift premium, since many commercial accounts can only be serviced then.
Pest control companies
$44,930$44,930 median Middle half $37,300–$49,190 10th–90th $34,370–$61,580
All industries
$45,250$45,250 median Middle half $37,440–$49,600 10th–90th $34,680–$61,890
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Pest control companies
$34,370
$37,300
$44,930
$49,190
$61,580
All industries
$34,680
$37,440
$45,250
$49,600
$61,890
BLS reports residential and commercial pest control 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
Tells mouse, rat, roach, fly and stored product pest signs apart
Writes clear findings and recommendations on every service report
Follows label limits for food areas without being reminded
Checks every device on the map, not just the easy ones
Explains a sanitation problem to a kitchen manager respectfully
Holds or will earn the state license your accounts need
Teach these on the job
Your device numbering and site map format
Each client's sign-in, hygiene and glass rules
Fly light service and bulb change schedules
Your service app and report templates
Stored product pest monitoring for warehouses
Commercial techs carry a bait gun, a hand sprayer and duster, a flashlight, glue boards, replacement traps and stations, and a scanner or phone for barcoded devices, along with service software such as PestPac or ServSuite. Fly lights and their bulbs are part of many accounts. In the ad, list the account types, how many night or weekend stops to expect, and whether a company vehicle comes with the job.
Commercial pest control technician interview questions
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 · Captures in sensitive areas
At a food plant, you find a dead mouse in an interior trap next to a production line. What do you do?
A strong answer: Removes it the way the plant's rules require, records the device and finding, tells the client's QA contact right away, inspects for entry points, and documents corrective actions.
Behavioral · Documentation
Tell me about a time your careful records helped a client or your company.
A strong answer: A specific example, such as an audit, dispute or inspection, where their records made the difference.
Build your goals from your own account data, not the template alone. A food plant with hundreds of devices and a small office are both one stop, so count work by account type.
Service Completion Rate
Scheduled commercial services finished inside the client's service window, out of all scheduled, from your routing software each month. Log refused access separately so it isn't counted against the technician.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Survey the person who signs for service, often a kitchen or quality manager, after each visit or each month. Read comments about timing, sign-in and report clarity.
Callback Percentage
Unscheduled return visits for pest activity on the technician's accounts, divided by completed services. Track food plants, restaurants and warehouses apart, since each has its own normal level.
Treatment Efficiency
Accounts serviced per working day, weighed against device counts and account type, from your routing software. Watch it alongside report quality so speed doesn't cost thoroughness.
Career path
Apprentice / helperRides along on restaurant and warehouse routes while studying for the license.
Pest control technicianServices business accounts on a set schedule.
What does a commercial pest control technician do?
They service businesses on a recurring schedule. A typical visit means signing in, reading the client's pest sighting log, inspecting kitchens, storage, docks and drains, checking every numbered device, treating where the label allows, and writing a report with findings and fixes for the client. Accounts include restaurants, food plants, warehouses, offices, apartment buildings and healthcare sites.
How much does a commercial pest control technician make?
Pest control workers who work for pest control companies earned a median of $21.60 an hour ($44,930 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $37,300 and $49,190 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Can a technician treat a restaurant kitchen while it is open?
Usually not, and the label has the final say. EPA notes that every label warns that using the product in a way its labeling doesn't allow breaks federal law. The directions say who may use a product, in which places, at what amounts and how often. Most commercial programs book kitchen work when food is put away or covered, often after close. Train new technicians to read each label's directions before treating anywhere near food.
How many accounts can a commercial technician cover in a day?
It depends on the mix. A small office may take minutes, while a food plant with a long device map can fill half a shift. The template's daily target is a starting point. Build routes from device counts and logged visit times, then check that report quality holds up as stops are added.
What should a commercial pest control job ad include?
List the account types, such as restaurants, food plants or warehouses, and say how many early, late or weekend stops to expect. Say which state license they need on day one, or whether you'll train them for it, and who covers the exam fee. Mention any plant rules a new hire must follow, such as hairnets, no jewelry or sign-in steps.
