Commercial plumbing general manager job description
A commercial plumbing general manager runs estimating, project management and field crews as one business. They lead the weekly job reviews, decide where crews and money go, and answer to the COO for margin and finishing on time.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $57,570, middle half $79,040 to $158,540, 90th percentile $214,590. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Chief Operating Officer
Department
Operations
Schedule
Monday to Friday, some weekends · Occasional weekend oversight and on-call time for critical project issues, with regular trips to job sites and meetings
The General Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of our commercial plumbing operations by directing multiple departments, monitoring key performance metrics, and ensuring successful project execution to drive company growth and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Direct overall operations across departments to ensure seamless collaboration and optimal performance.
Monitor and analyze KPIs to drive efficiency, quality, and profitability.
Manage planning, scheduling, and execution of commercial plumbing projects from inception to completion.
Develop and implement process improvements and safety standards to maintain high operational excellence.
Collaborate with senior leadership to align operations with strategic business objectives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily operational meetings to review project status, address issues, and allocate resources.
Oversee budget management and cost control measures for all commercial plumbing projects.
Liaise with project managers, vendors, and clients to ensure clear communication and adherence to timelines.
Analyze operational performance data and adjust strategies to achieve company targets.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue growth: Achieve a minimum 10% increase per quarter.
Project completion rate: Maintain on-time project delivery at or above 95%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Exceed 4.8 stars on client feedback surveys.
Gross Margin Improvement: Attain a gross margin target of at least 40% per project.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of management experience in a commercial or technical environment.
Strong leadership skills with proven ability to motivate cross-functional teams.
Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the commercial plumbing or home services industry.
Demonstrated success in project management within a high-volume construction or plumbing setting.
Experience implementing cost control measures and performance improvement strategies.
Familiarity with industry regulations and safety standards specific to commercial plumbing.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
Comfortable working in varied environments including job sites with outdoor or confined space conditions.
Capacity to navigate construction sites and perform site inspections as needed.
Ability to stand, walk, and perform inspections for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work schedule is Monday through Friday with occasional weekend oversight as needed.
On-call responsibilities for critical project issues may be required.
Travel to job sites and meetings is expected on a regular basis.
Office-based work combined with periodic field visits across project locations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $90,000 - $130,000 per year depending on experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive compensation.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions and other fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking organization committed to growth, innovation, and excellence in the commercial plumbing industry.
Our team-oriented and collaborative culture focuses on professional development and continuous improvement.
We value diversity, creativity, and a results-driven mindset, encouraging employees to take initiative and drive positive change.
Join a company where your ideas are valued and you are empowered to make a tangible impact on our 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
What a commercial plumbing general manager handles
The GM is where bids, projects and crews meet. These are the commercial plumbing calls that land on their desk.
Hawaii public bids favor registered apprenticeship
Hawaii gives a bid preference on public works contracts worth 250,000 dollars or more. If a bidder has a registered apprenticeship agreement covering every apprenticeable trade it will use, the public agency lowers its bid for comparison. Know whether you qualify before you price a public job there. The preference can decide a close bid. Source: Hawaii Revised Statutes 103-55.6, apprenticeship preference on public works.
New water heater rules change replacement quotes
Gas-fired commercial storage water heaters made on or after October 6, 2026 must meet a higher federal minimum efficiency. Before quoting a replacement, have estimators confirm the exact unit and whether it needs a condensate drain or new venting, since either one changes scope and price. Check the current rule with suppliers too. Source: eCFR: 10 CFR 431.110, commercial water heater efficiency standards.
Someone has to inspect each site, on purpose
Under OSHA's construction rules, competent persons the employer names must inspect job sites, materials and equipment frequently and regularly. The GM decides who those people are on each job, often trained foremen. Then the GM checks that each inspection is written down and acted on. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.20, general safety and health provisions.
Change orders need paper before pipe
On commercial jobs, extra work done without a signed change order or written directive often goes unpaid. Set the rule that crews stop and call the project manager when scope changes. Review open, unpriced changes every week. That list is where good jobs lose their margin.
Estimating hands the job to project management
Before buyout, a turnover meeting should hand the project manager the bid's assumptions, exclusions, labor hours and supplier quotes. The GM runs that meeting. A PM who doesn't know what was bid can't hold the budget. Later, compare actual hours with bid hours to sharpen the next estimate.
How much commercial plumbing general managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing general managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $105,740 a year ($50.84 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 40,250 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Salary plus bonus is the norm. A bonus based on the gross margin of closed jobs rewards finishing well, not just winning bids.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$105,740$105,740 median Middle half $79,040–$158,540 10th–90th $57,570–$214,590
All industries
$105,770$105,770 median Middle half $72,320–$167,280 10th–90th $50,090–$253,390
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
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
$57,570
$79,040
$105,740
$158,540
$214,590
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
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
Has run commercial plumbing or mechanical projects from bid to closeout
Reads estimates, buyout and job cost reports and asks the hard questions
Manages project managers, estimators and field leaders at the same time
Negotiates change orders and schedule disputes with general contractors
Moves crews between jobs without losing sight of margin
Teach these on the job
How your estimators build and format a bid
Your project reports and meeting rhythm
Public bid rules for each state you bid in
Your customers and their key people
Your safety program paperwork
A GM reviews bids in estimating software built for plumbing and mechanical work, tracks jobs in Procore or a similar project system, and reads job cost from accounting. In the interview, have them explain a job cost report they used to rescue a job.
Commercial plumbing general manager 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 · Losing money on a job
A large project is halfway done and forecast to lose money. What do you do?
A strong answer: Reviews cost to complete with the project manager, finds causes (productivity, missed scope, unbilled changes), pursues change orders, adjusts the crew plan and updates the forecast.
Behavioral · Developing leaders
Tell me about a journeyman you developed into a foreman who could run a job on their own.
A strong answer: Names the person, what they needed, such as reading drawings, talking with contractors or leading a crew, how they coached, and how the person performed afterward.
The template's quarterly growth and margin targets are aggressive for hard-bid work. Set yours by work type from your own closed jobs, and review them with the GM each quarter.
Revenue growth
Track earned revenue each quarter by work type: new construction, tenant improvements and owner replacements. Compare it with backlog so a strong quarter doesn't hide an empty pipeline.
Project completion rate
Count jobs where your work was done by the date in the subcontract or owner agreement, adjusted for approved time extensions. Keep a list of the reasons behind every late job.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Send the same short survey to every customer at closeout, and call each low scorer soon after to learn what went wrong and who should fix it.
Gross Margin Improvement
Set each closed job's final gross margin beside the bid margin, and track the trend by project manager and work type. Fade on jobs that looked fine early is the warning sign.
How should a commercial plumbing GM ad describe the site work?
The template's lines on lifting, confined spaces, standing and walking ship as written. In the ad, turn them into tasks. The GM walks the floors of a building under construction to check progress. They carry plan sets or product samples weighing up to 25 pounds and look into mechanical rooms and pipe chases. Say how often the GM is out on sites, so people can weigh the role and raise any accommodation needs.
How much does a commercial plumbing general manager make?
General and operations managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $105,740 a year ($50.84 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $79,040 and $158,540 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should estimating report to the GM?
In most companies this size, yes. Then the person who answers for job margin also signs off on the bids that set it. The risk is a GM who chases volume with thin prices. Judge the GM on margins from closed jobs, not on how many bids they win.
How does a GM reach the template's gross margin target?
It depends on the mix of work. Owner repair and replacement work often earns better margins than hard-bid new buildings, where many contractors price the same drawings. To reach the target, grow negotiated work, price every change order in full and cut rework. Adding markup to every bid rarely works.
What should a GM check before signing a general contractor's subcontract?
Read the scope and exclusions against your bid. Check the schedule, any liquidated damages, the insurance and indemnity terms, and how change orders and backcharges work. Mark up anything that shifts design risk or other trades' delays onto you. Have a construction lawyer review new forms. Keep a short list of terms the company won't accept.
