Pest control chief operating officer job description
A pest control chief operating officer decides how service runs in every branch. That covers how routes are built, how technicians are trained and licensed, and what each visit must include. The COO also owns the paper trail: license records, product use records and the safety steps for rodent and wildlife jobs.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building and home services companies · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $93,610, middle half $102,340 to $208,630, 90th percentile $275,020. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, building and home services companies.
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays, longer in peak season · Branch visits and route ride-alongs most weeks, office days for planning, and on call through the spring and summer rush
Also called
Vice president of operations · Director of operations · Director of service operations
Pest control chief operating officer job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
Responsible for overseeing daily operations within the pest control division, ensuring efficient scheduling, crew deployment, and high service quality. Plays a pivotal role in developing operational strategies that enhance customer satisfaction and company growth. Serves as a key leader in streamlining processes to achieve operational excellence.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee daily pest control operations and ensure adherence to established quality standards.
Manage scheduling and crew deployment to address customer needs and service demands promptly.
Develop and implement operational policies that drive efficiency and effectiveness.
Collaborate with other executive team members to align operational strategies with overall business objectives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor field operations and provide immediate guidance to pest control crews.
Review daily schedules and adjust deployments to maximize productivity and customer satisfaction.
Conduct routine inspections and quality checks on service delivery.
Communicate with customers and team leads to promptly resolve service issues.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Service Quality Rating: >4.8 stars.
Crew Deployment Efficiency: ≥95%.
Daily Operational Cost Savings: 10% reduction.
Customer Callback Rate: <5%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 8 years of progressive leadership experience in field service operations.
Strong leadership and decision-making abilities.
Excellent communication and organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in pest control or home services industry.
Proven track record of managing large operational teams in a dynamic environment.
Familiarity with modern scheduling software and operational management tools.
Previous involvement in quality assurance and process improvement initiatives.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
Navigate field environments that may include exposure to outdoor elements.
Comfort working in varied weather conditions and confined spaces as required.
Occasional visits to operational sites may require standing or walking for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Regular office hours with additional field visits as needed.
Occasional travel to regional pest control service sites.
On-call responsibilities during peak service periods.
Collaborative and fast-paced office environment supported by modern technology.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $120,000 - $150,000 USD.
Performance bonuses based on achieving operational targets.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
Retirement plan options, including a 401(k) program with company match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and growth-oriented environment where every team member is empowered to excel.
We value innovation, collaboration, and the drive to deliver outstanding service.
Employees are encouraged to bring new ideas forward and contribute to our continuous improvement efforts.
We support professional development and offer opportunities to advance within the organization.
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
A residential pest control company earns its living from technicians visiting the same homes again and again. The COO makes those visits efficient, legal, recorded and safe.
Every mile between stops is unpaid
Rollins, the company behind Orkin, names route density as one way it manages variable costs. At a regional company, density comes from the COO's choices. Which zip codes does each branch serve? How are quarterly and bimonthly customers grouped so a technician works one neighborhood at a time? Is a new sale far from any route worth taking? Every cancellation leaves a gap the routes have to absorb. Source: Rollins, Inc.: Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC filing).
Supervision rules shape the routes
Licensing ladders for pest control workers differ by state. In Texas, a licensed technician works under a certified applicator's direct supervision. An apprentice is registered by one business to train for a technician license and may work only for that business. The COO sets up training, ride-alongs and route assignments so each new hire gets the supervision the state requires. Each hire also gets a clear timeline to move up. Source: Texas Administrative Code: 4 TAC 7.121, types and requirements of structural pest control licenses.
Every service leaves a record
Florida requires pest control records, contracts included, to be kept at the licensed business location for at least two years. State inspectors can ask to see them. For restricted-use pesticides, the record shows the product, amount, use, and the dates and places of application. The COO decides what technicians must enter in the field software before they close out a service, and checks a sample each month. Source: Florida Administrative Code: Rule 5E-14.142, records, reports and advertising.
Rodent and wildlife jobs need their own safety steps
Attics, sheds and crawl spaces full of droppings carry a disease risk. CDC says not to sweep or vacuum rodent urine, droppings or nests, because that can put virus particles in the air, and to soak them with bleach solution or an EPA-registered disinfectant first. For heavy infestations, CDC lists coveralls, gloves, goggles and a respirator with HEPA filters, used under fit-testing rules. The COO writes those steps into the job plan and stocks the gear. Source: CDC: How to clean up after rodents.
Residential vs. commercial pest control operations
Both jobs build routes, set standards and staff the branches. Here is what shifts when the accounts are businesses instead of homes.
Topic
Residential
Commercial
How often
Plan visits every month, two months or quarter, plus one-time jobs
Weekly, twice-monthly or monthly visits, set by the account
When the work happens
Daytime, often outside only or with someone home
Before opening or after closing, when kitchens and floors are empty
What sets the standard
The homeowner's satisfaction and the plan's guarantee
The service contract and the customer's own audits and inspections
Records
A service ticket sent to the homeowner
A logbook or portal with device maps, trend reports and fixes
Typical work
Ants, spiders, roaches, mice, termites and mosquitoes around the house
Rodents, roaches, flies and stored-product pests, with monitoring stations and traps
How much pest control chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for pest control chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 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 430 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for building and home services companies.
Salary and a performance bonus. In pest control, tying the bonus to cost per stop and re-service rates rewards the route and training choices a COO controls.
Building and home services companies
$130,000$130,000 median Middle half $102,340–$208,630 10th–90th $93,610–$275,020
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
Building and home services companies
$93,610
$102,340
$130,000
$208,630
$275,020
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for chief executives at pest control companies on their own, so these figures cover building and home services 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 managed technicians across several branches or a large territory
Builds routes and schedules from data, not habit
Turns a top technician's habits into a written standard others can learn
Treats safety and record keeping as daily work
Holds the service standard when the summer schedule is overbooked
Teach these on the job
Pest biology, products and treatment methods
Your state's license, supervision and record rules
Your service ticket fields and close-out rules
Your re-service and guarantee policies
Safety steps for rodent, wildlife and attic work
Route and service software such as FieldRoutes, ServSuite or PestPac holds the routes, the mobile service tickets and the product use records a state inspector can ask for. Fleet GPS adds drive time between stops. The COO should be able to set the close-out rules in that software, not just read its reports.
Pest control chief operating officer 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.
Give each branch its own targets from its own service records, since a new branch and an old one won't match. Roll them up for the CEO every month.
Service Quality Rating
Post-service survey and review ratings by branch, route and technician, plus a field supervisor's scored check of a sample of finished stops each month.
Crew Deployment Efficiency
The share of paid technician hours spent on service rather than driving, loading or waiting, pulled weekly from GPS and routing data. Compare routes within the same branch first.
Daily Operational Cost Savings
Cost per completed stop, covering labor, fuel, vehicle and product, tracked weekly against the same weeks last year. Don't count savings that come from skipped steps or rushed visits.
Customer Callback Rate
Free return visits as a share of all completed services, by pest, branch and technician. Read the notes to see whether the first visit missed something or the plan set the wrong expectation.
What does a pest control COO do in a typical week?
Most weeks, the COO reviews each branch's completed stops, re-services and cost per stop. The COO rides with a technician or field supervisor and checks a sample of service records against product labels and state rules. Branch managers meet with the COO about staffing for the weeks ahead. In winter, the focus shifts to rebuilding routes, writing training plans and getting trucks and sprayers ready for spring.
How much does a pest control chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $102,340 and $208,630 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Does a pest control COO need a pesticide applicator license?
Only if the COO will be the person a state names on a license, or will apply restricted-use products or supervise those who do. Under federal law, EPA says, a person who applies restricted-use pesticides or supervises their use must be certified. It adds that many states require all commercial applicators to be certified. Every pest control COO needs a working grasp of each state's license types, since they set how fast a new branch or service can be staffed.
How should a pest control COO get ready for the spring rush?
Use the slow months to rebuild routes around last year's cancels and new sales, service sprayers and trucks, and set product orders with suppliers before termite swarm season. Decide in writing which calls go first when the schedule fills, such as a termite swarm, stinging insects by a door or a rodent inside the home. Settle how re-services fit around plan stops, too.
What should a pest control COO job ad include?
Describe the operation in pest control terms. How many technicians and routes does each branch run? How many technicians are licensed, and how many are still training? What mix of monthly, bimonthly and quarterly plans do you sell, and do any commercial accounts run audits? Say whether the COO will be a certified operator for any branch. The template wants a degree and long field service leadership. Decide whether pest control experience matters more to you than either.
