Commercial plumbing field supervisor job description
A commercial plumbing field supervisor runs the plumbing crews building new offices, schools and tenant spaces, checking pipe against the drawings before walls close and slabs pour. They walk each site, settle problems with the general contractor's superintendent, and send progress and material needs to the project manager.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Oversees commercial plumbing operations ensuring quality, safety, and technical excellence on-site. Acts as the primary point of contact between plumbing teams and management, resolving issues promptly. Contributes to company success by maintaining high service standards and optimizing operational efficiency.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Monitor and supervise plumbing teams on-site to ensure compliance with project specifications and safety guidelines.
Conduct regular quality inspections and technical assessments to identify and resolve issues promptly.
Coordinate with project managers to ensure seamless communication between field teams and office staff.
Enforce adherence to company policies and industry regulations while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Perform daily site inspections to assess work quality and compliance.
Resolve technical challenges and provide on-site coaching to plumbing teams.
Document work progress and report deviations from project plans.
Facilitate effective communication among crew members, subcontractors, and clients.
Ensure timely procurement and proper usage of tools, materials, and equipment.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Quality Inspection Score: Achieve a score of >95% on all site audits.
Callback Rate: Maintain a callback percentage of <5% for service corrections.
Project Completion Rate: Complete >90% of projects on schedule.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain an average rating of >4.8 stars on client feedback surveys.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Associate’s or Bachelor's Degree in Plumbing Technology, Construction Management, or a related field.
3+ years of experience in a plumbing or field supervisory role.
Strong problem-solving and technical troubleshooting skills.
Excellent communication, leadership, and team collaboration capabilities.
Background in construction or facility maintenance within commercial settings.
Familiarity with digital reporting tools and project management software.
Experience working in fast-paced, high-demand environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. and perform physical tasks associated with on-site supervision.
Exposure to varying weather conditions including hot, cold, and humid environments.
Mobility to navigate job sites, including stairs and uneven terrain.
Frequent requirements to stand, walk, and occasionally climb ladders.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with flexibility required to meet project deadlines.
Occasional travel between job sites as needed.
On-call duties may be required during peak project periods.
Field-based role with significant time spent outdoors in diverse work conditions.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $55,000 - $70,000 per year based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses or incentives.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
Additional employee benefits including paid time off, training programs, and career development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we cultivate a dynamic and supportive work environment where every team member is empowered to excel.
We value continuous growth, innovation, and collaboration, encouraging our employees to expand their skills and advance their careers within the company.
Our commitment to customer satisfaction drives our success, and we strive to provide exceptional service to every client we serve.
Join us on our mission to redefine the commercial plumbing industry and make a lasting impact.
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 changes for a field supervisor in commercial plumbing
Here the field supervisor answers to your company and to the general contractor's superintendent on every job. The work is mostly new pipe in unfinished buildings, so most checks happen before something gets covered.
Plastic drain lines get a water test
Commercial jobs run a lot of PVC and ABS for drains and vents. Charlotte Pipe's safety sheet says never to test those pipes with compressed air or gas, or with air-over-water boosters, because they can fail explosively and cause severe injury. The field supervisor plans water tests for plastic lines and makes sure no one grabs the compressor to save time. Source: Charlotte Pipe: Important Safety Information (updated July 26, 2024).
Every core hole gets a marked cover
Plumbing crews leave core holes, open sleeves and pipe chases on every floor, and other trades walk the same deck. OSHA requires each hole cover to carry at least double the combined weight of workers, gear and stock that might rest on it. Covers must be fastened so wind or a bump can't move them, and either color coded or stenciled with “HOLE” or “COVER.” Check every opening your crew made before they leave for the day. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.502(i), covers for holes.
Rigging is checked every shift
Water heaters, booster pumps and cast iron stacks go up on chain hoists, slings and shackles. OSHA requires rigging to be inspected before use on each shift and as needed during use, and defective gear to be removed from service. Make the check part of the morning walk, and tag a damaged sling and pull it from the gang box on the spot. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.251(a), rigging equipment for material handling.
Write down what stopped the crew
When a job runs late or an extra is disputed, the field supervisor's daily report is often the best record of what happened. Note crew size, inspections, weather, areas your plumbers couldn't reach because another trade was in the way, and any verbal direction from the general contractor's superintendent. Add dated photos. The project manager uses these notes to price delays.
How much commercial plumbing field supervisors make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing field supervisors is First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers. First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $44.87 an hour ($93,320 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $79,920 median for First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in all industries. About 60,520 of the 812,210 First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Foremen are often paid by the hour above the journeyman rate, while supervisors who cover several jobs more often get a salary plus a bonus. The template's range falls below the BLS median for construction supervisors in this industry.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$93,320$93,320 median Middle half $75,600–$112,920 10th–90th $61,200–$138,720
All industries
$79,920$79,920 median Middle half $63,400–$101,460 10th–90th $53,280–$128,260
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$61,200
$75,600
$93,320
$112,920
$138,720
All industries
$53,280
$63,400
$79,920
$101,460
$128,260
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC contractors together, residential and commercial. 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
Reads plumbing drawings, riser diagrams and isometrics well enough to catch a wrong size or slope
Has led crews on commercial new construction or tenant improvements
Holds the plumbing license your state requires for the work
Keeps a clear daily report with photos
Speaks plainly with a general contractor's superintendent, even about bad news
Teach these on the job
Your field reporting or project management app
Your company's test and inspection checklists
Tracking labor hours by cost code
Reading a general contractor's three-week lookahead
OSHA 30-hour construction training, if they don't have it yet
Expect a tablet with the drawing set in an app such as Procore, Autodesk Build or Bluebeam, plus a time card and daily report app. On site the supervisor checks work with test gauges and plugs, a laser for slope, and a torque wrench for no-hub couplings.
Commercial plumbing field supervisor 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 · Hot work safety
You find a plumber soldering copper next to stored cardboard in an occupied building, with no hot work permit and no fire watch. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops the work, clears or shields the combustibles, gets the hot work permit and fire watch in place, and talks with the crew about why.
Behavioral · Coaching on site
Tell me about a time you taught a plumber a better way to hang, support or test pipe on a commercial job.
A strong answer: Explains what they saw, how they showed the better way, and how they checked it stuck.
Base these numbers on your own finished jobs. The template's figures are only a rough sketch. Track each by supervisor and job.
Quality Inspection Score
Score each job on the same checklist, covering slope, supports, test results and labels, on a set schedule. Track the average by supervisor and read the misses, not just the score.
Callback Rate
Count return trips to fix plumbing work after turnover, by job and crew, from warranty and service tickets. Divide by jobs finished in the period and note the cause of each one.
Project Completion Rate
Compare each job's plumbing finish date to the general contractor's schedule at turnover. Keep late slabs and other holdups you didn't cause in a separate column.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask the superintendent who ran the job, and the owner's representative, for a short rating at closeout. Go over their comments with the supervisor before the next job for that customer.
Should a commercial plumbing field supervisor come from your own crews or from another contractor?
Promoting your best foreman keeps your standards and your crews' trust, but only if they've already run work on buildings as big as yours. A hire from another commercial contractor brings fresh habits and may already know your general contractors. Either way, ask which jobs they ran, how many plumbers they led, and how the labor came in against the estimate.
How much does a commercial plumbing field supervisor make?
First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $44.87 an hour ($93,320 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $75,600 and $112,920 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should a field supervisor bring to the general contractor's weekly meeting?
Bring the plumbing crew size for the next two weeks, the areas that are and aren't ready for your plumbers, upcoming tests and inspections, and any open questions holding up pipe. Bring photos of clashes with other trades. Leave pricing and contract talk to the project manager, and send them your notes the same day.
The template lists lifting, weather, stairs and ladders. What tasks are those?
In this job it means carrying test gauges, plugs, fittings and boxes of hangers up to 50 pounds; walking unfinished floors, stairs and dirt building pads during site checks; climbing ladders to look at hangers and slopes above ceilings; and checking underground and roof drain work outdoors in sun, rain or cold. Put that list in your posting, plus a note that you'll work with anyone who needs an accommodation.
Why would a commercial plumbing field supervisor get a call after hours?
Most night calls are about water. A test cap blows off, a temporary water line breaks, or someone opens a valve on an unfinished system and floods a floor. The field supervisor knows where the shutoffs are and which plumber lives closest. Keep a shutoff map for each job in the job box and in your app.
