A commercial plumbing HR manager recruits plumbers, apprentices and office staff, gets new hires started, and keeps training files for crews on many job sites. If the company has a union contract, they also handle hiring hall requests and work with the union's business agent.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as a strategic HR leader for our commercial plumbing division, ensuring effective recruitment, staff training, and stringent labor compliance to support business growth and operational excellence.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage the end-to-end recruitment process to attract and select top talent for various operational roles.
Develop and implement comprehensive staff training programs tailored to commercial plumbing requirements.
Oversee and ensure adherence to labor laws and safety regulations across all operations.
Collaborate with senior management to design HR policies and procedures that support business objectives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and screen candidate applications in collaboration with hiring managers.
Coordinate and conduct interviews, onboarding sessions, and training workshops.
Monitor employee performance and provide guidance on professional development.
Maintain accurate HR records and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Recruitment Cycle Time: achieve an average hiring time of less than 30 days.
Training Completion Rate: maintain a program completion rate of over 95%.
Employee Retention Rate: secure an annual retention rate of at least 90%.
Compliance Audit Score: ensure a compliance rate of 98% or higher during audits.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
Minimum of 3-5 years of HR management experience in a similar or related industry.
Strong understanding of labor laws and compliance standards specific to technical industries.
Excellent communication, leadership, and conflict resolution skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience working in home services or commercial plumbing sectors.
Familiarity with unionized environments and collective bargaining agreements.
Experience using HRIS and recruitment software in a fast-paced setting.
Demonstrated success in leading HR initiatives that drive operational excellence.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
Occasional visits to job sites which may require standing, walking, and exposure to outdoor weather conditions.
Adaptability to work in a dynamic environment that may include confined spaces.
Consistent use of standard office equipment and technology.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office-based work environment with collaborative team settings.
Typical work hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Occasional travel to on-site locations for training and compliance checks.
Possibility of on-call responsibilities during critical operational periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 to $90,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
Participation in a 401k plan with company matching and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a growth-oriented company that values innovation, teamwork, and continuous learning.
Our culture emphasizes professional development and recognizes individual contributions toward our collective success.
We foster a supportive and inclusive environment that encourages open communication and work-life balance.
Join us and become part of a dedicated team striving to redefine excellence in the commercial plumbing industry.
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 changes for HR at a commercial plumbing contractor
Construction has its own corner of labor law, and union and open-shop crews are hired in different ways. Most of the workforce is in the field, so training records have to hold up on job sites too.
A union agreement can come before the crew
Federal labor law treats building trades differently. A construction employer can sign a union contract before the union speaks for most of its workers. That contract can make union membership a condition of the job after the seventh day, unless state law bars it. It can let the union refer job seekers and set minimum training or experience. HR needs to know if the company signed one, since it changes how field hiring works. Source: U.S. Code: 29 U.S.C. 158(f), building and construction industry agreements (govinfo).
Idaho keeps union ties out of the hiring decision
Idaho's right-to-work law says a job can't depend on joining a union, paying union dues or fees, or being referred or cleared by a union. Some contractors work in Idaho and in a state without that law. They should ask a labor lawyer how their union contracts apply on each side of the line before a crew crosses it. Source: Idaho Code 44-2003: Right to work, conditions of employment.
Fall protection training needs a signed record
Under OSHA's construction rule, fall protection training has to be backed by a written certificate. The record names the worker, gives the training dates, and carries the trainer's or employer's signature. Plumbers work near open floor edges and roof holes on new buildings. HR should keep this record for each field hire and pull it fast when an inspector or a general contractor asks. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.503, Fall protection training requirements.
Each site can have its own entry rules
General contractors and building owners often add their own site rules to the subcontract. Examples are badges, a site orientation or a drug testing program. Track which workers have cleared each site and where their papers sit. Then supervisors won't send a plumber who gets turned away at the gate.
How much commercial plumbing HR managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $132,700 a year ($63.80 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $149,280 median for human resources managers in all industries. About 370 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Salary is the norm, and a yearly bonus is common. The template's highest figure only touches the lowest tenth of BLS pay for HR managers here, closer to the HR specialist median. Expect to raise it if you want a seasoned manager rather than a generalist.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$132,700$132,700 median Middle half $110,800–$158,580 10th–90th $90,210–$198,170
All industries
$149,280$149,280 median Middle half $111,110–$199,290 10th–90th $88,200–$267,810
$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
$90,210
$110,800
$132,700
$158,580
$198,170
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
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
Clear, fair handling of discipline and complaints from field crews
Organized records for many workers on many sites
Working knowledge of wage and hour rules for hourly trades
Comfort talking with foremen, union representatives and office staff alike
Knowing when a question needs labor counsel
Teach these on the job
Your union agreements or open-shop policies
Your HR and payroll software
Which general contractors require what before a worker starts
State wage and posting rules where your crews work
Your training calendar and record forms
Expect payroll and personnel records in one platform, for example ADP, Paycom or Paylocity, plus a hiring tool for postings and a shared drive or safety app for training files. Tell applicants which ones you use, and whether HR also prepares union fringe and dues reports.
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 · Pay and classification rules
A foreman wants an apprentice doing journeyman work at apprentice pay because they're short-handed. What do you do?
A strong answer: Checks the collective bargaining agreement, apprenticeship rules and prevailing wage classifications, explains them to the foreman, and makes sure the work and pay match.
Behavioral · Labor relations
Tell me about a time you handled a grievance or formal complaint from field staff, such as over overtime rotation or apprentice ratios.
A strong answer: Knew the agreement or policy, gathered facts, met with the people involved, and reached a resolution that held.
Replace the sample targets with figures drawn from last year's hires and exits. Bring them to the COO's quarterly review.
Recruitment Cycle Time
For each role, log the date a req gets signed off and the date someone says yes, and report the gap. Field and office roles fill at different speeds, so report them apart.
Training Completion Rate
Share of required trainings finished by their due dates, from your training records. Flag anyone working on a site with an overdue item.
Employee Retention Rate
Of everyone employed when the year opens, the share still on staff when it closes. Look at it by crew and by first-year hires, where leaving tends to bunch up.
Compliance Audit Score
Run a yearly self-audit of personnel files, hiring forms, postings and training records against a written checklist, and score the share of items found complete.
Career path
Payroll and HR coordinatorHandles new-hire forms, timecards and benefits questions.
HR managerOwns hiring, training records, policies and employee relations.
HR directorLeads HR, and often safety and training, across several offices or companies.
Does travel to a job on another island or out of state count as work time?
Often, yes, for hourly workers. When a job keeps a worker out of town overnight, federal rules count the travel that falls inside their usual work hours as work. The same hours count on a Saturday or Sunday too. Hours spent as a passenger on a plane, boat or car outside that window usually aren't counted. State law or a union contract can add more. Write the policy down before crews fly out.
How much does a commercial plumbing HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $132,700 a year ($63.80 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $110,800 and $158,580 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What should HR do when a general contractor asks to remove a plumber from its site?
Get the reason in writing and the foreman's account the same day. A site ban is not a termination, and the plumber can often move to another job. Decide whether the complaint is a conduct or safety issue under your own rules, and handle it the way you've handled similar cases before.
What HR numbers should go to the COO each month?
Each open role and its age. Hires and quits by crew. Training that's overdue, open complaints, and overtime by job. Also list anything a general contractor or agency asked for that HR couldn't send on time. That's where a missing record turns into a lost bid.
The template mentions lifting, weather and confined spaces. What tasks does that mean for HR?
Write them as tasks. HR carries boxes of records or training supplies. HR walks active job sites outdoors for training and site checks. Now and then HR may look into a tight space, like a mechanical room or crawl space, after an incident. Say that HR doesn't do plumbing work, and that site visits follow the job's safety rules, with gear provided.
