A commercial plumbing office manager leads the office team and owns billing and records. They keep the papers that general contractors, building owners and public agencies ask for, like insurance certificates and safety data sheets, current and easy to find.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Office Manager is responsible for ensuring smooth and efficient administrative operations within our commercial plumbing division. This role plays a critical part in managing billing, document control, and daily administrative tasks to support the operational objectives of the company. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, proactive, and capable of maintaining high standards of office organization, directly contributing to overall business efficiency.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage and oversee daily administrative operations, including scheduling, billing, and document management.
Ensure timely and accurate processing of invoices, customer payments, and supplier billing procedures.
Maintain and organize critical documents and records, guaranteeing compliance with company policies and industry regulations.
Coordinate communications between field service teams, vendors, and corporate staff to facilitate seamless operations.
Provide training and guidance to administrative staff to uphold best practices and efficient workflows.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Process and track invoices, receipts, and billing statements to ensure consistency in the financial workflow.
Update and maintain accurate records within document management systems for easy retrieval and audit readiness.
Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external inquiries related to administrative and billing matters.
Schedule and coordinate meetings, appointments, and communications across multiple teams daily.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Billing Accuracy: Achieve a billing error rate of less than 1%.
Document Retrieval Efficiency: Ensure 95% of critical documents are accessible within two minutes of request.
On-Time Invoice Processing: Maintain a processing accuracy rate of 99% for daily invoicing tasks.
Administrative Task Completion: Achieve a target of 100% on-time completion of all scheduled administrative duties.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, or a related field.
3-5 years of experience in office administration or management, preferably in a service-oriented industry.
Excellent organizational, communication, and multitasking skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and related billing/document management software.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the commercial plumbing or broader home services industry.
Familiarity with industry-specific software and tools used for billing and document management.
Experience working within a fast-paced, service-oriented environment.
Demonstrated ability to effectively support cross-functional teams in operational settings.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work primarily in an office environment with moderate physical activity.
Occasionally required to lift and transport materials weighing up to 25 lbs.
Sufficient visual and auditory acuity to operate standard office equipment.
The role may occasionally require brief periods of standing or walking during site visits.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Office environment with standard lighting and climate controls.
Occasional travel to job sites or vendor meetings may be required.
Limited on-call duties during peak operational periods as necessary.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $50,000 - $65,000 per year based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonus programs.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
Participation in a 401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we are driven by a passion for excellence and a dedication to customer satisfaction. Our collaborative and innovative environment nurtures personal and professional growth, empowering team members to succeed and achieve their career goals. We value integrity, teamwork, and a commitment to delivering top-tier service 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].
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What changes for an office manager at a commercial plumbing contractor
Most of the paperwork goes to general contractors, building owners and public agencies, and much of it is due before a crew can start or a payment can clear.
Safety data sheets go where the crew goes
Plumbers use chemical products such as PVC primer and cement. For hazardous chemicals, OSHA's hazard communication rule says workers must be able to reach the safety data sheets during each shift. On a shared site, you must give other contractors access too. Electronic copies are fine if nothing slows a worker down, so a phone folder can work. Send a set to each general contractor when a job starts. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard communication (applies to construction through 1926.59).
The OSHA poster goes where crews report
OSHA's posting rule names construction as dispersed work, so the required notice goes where employees report each day. If plumbers report to a job trailer instead of the shop for months at a time, the poster belongs there as well. Keep a spare set ready and add the trailer to the start-up list for every long job. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1903.2, Posting of notice.
Hawaii state jobs check your papers before award
Hawaii state agencies must check a vendor's compliance before they award a contract, and vendors can show it through Hawaii Compliance Express. Its certificate covers good standing with the state business registry, state and federal tax clearances, and the state's unemployment, workers' comp, disability and prepaid health care laws. A vendor that isn't compliant when told the state intends to award can lose the job to another bidder, so keep the account current. Source: Hawaii State Procurement Office: What is proof of compliance?.
Insurance certificates come before the first crew
General contractors and building owners usually want a certificate of insurance that names them as additional insureds before anyone starts. Track when each one expires. Ask your agent for renewals a few weeks early. Keep each subcontract's insurance terms where you can find them. A lapsed certificate can stop a crew at the gate or hold up a payment.
One current drawing set, and the old ones marked void
Big jobs go through many drawing revisions and bulletins. Pick one place where the current set lives, mark old sets void, and log who received each update. A plumber who installs from last month's drawings costs the company the rework and the argument about who pays for it.
How much commercial plumbing office managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing office managers is First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers. First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $34.07 an hour ($70,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $69,500 median for First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers in all industries. About 11,910 of the 1,436,680 First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Typically a salaried seat with a possible bonus. The template's ceiling falls short of what BLS reports as the typical wage here, while its floor stays clear of the bottom of that spread.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$70,860$70,860 median Middle half $56,520–$85,630 10th–90th $45,490–$108,020
All industries
$69,500$69,500 median Middle half $55,950–$85,090 10th–90th $45,610–$104,710
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k
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
$45,490
$56,520
$70,860
$85,630
$108,020
All industries
$45,610
$55,950
$69,500
$85,090
$104,710
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
Accurate, on-time billing and recordkeeping habits
Leading and training a small office team
Firm, polite follow-up with general contractors, agents and agencies
Keeping many due dates in one system without misses
Clear writing for letters, notices and staff instructions
Teach these on the job
Construction billing terms like retainage and change orders
Your document and accounting software
OSHA posting and safety data sheet duties
Public bid paperwork in the states where you work
Certificate of insurance and additional insured requests
Expect a document system such as Procore, SharePoint or Google Drive, accounting software with job costing, and a certificate tracking tool or spreadsheet. Name yours in the ad, since an office manager who already knows Procore can answer general contractors from the first day.
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 · Backflow report deadlines
Several backflow test reports are due to water utilities this week, and some technicians haven't turned theirs in. What do you do?
A strong answer: Lists what's missing and the deadlines, gets technicians to submit the same day, files each report as the utility requires, and fixes the process so reports come in with the ticket.
Behavioral · Running an efficient office
Tell me about a time you reorganized how records were kept, like test reports, as-builts or backflow paperwork.
A strong answer: Explains the old problem (lost signed documents, missing test reports), the new system, how they moved people onto it, and how it helped closeout or billing.
Those targets are samples. Log errors and document requests for a quarter, then pick numbers that fit your office.
Billing Accuracy
Count invoices sent back, corrected or credited out of all invoices sent each month. Note each cause, such as a wrong rate, a missing purchase order or the wrong customer contact.
Document Retrieval Efficiency
Time a sample of real requests, such as an insurance certificate, a signed change order or a safety data sheet, from ask to send. Note any document that couldn't be found at all.
On-Time Invoice Processing
Share of daily invoices sent complete and correct on the day they were due to go out, using send dates and corrections from your billing software.
Administrative Task Completion
Keep one calendar of recurring office tasks, from poster updates to insurance renewals, and mark each one done or late at month end.
Career path
Project coordinator or billing clerkHandles submittal logs, invoices and insurance requests.
Office managerLeads the office team and owns billing and records.
Director of administrationRuns the office, contracts paperwork and HR files across departments.
General managerOversees estimating, operations and the office, reporting to the COO.
Who sends paperwork to general contractors: the office or the project managers?
Split it. Project managers send job content like submittals, schedules and change order pricing. The office manager sends company papers like insurance certificates, licenses, tax forms and safety data sheets. One shared log of what went to whom keeps a general contractor from getting two versions of the same thing.
How much does a commercial plumbing office manager make?
First-Line supervisors of office and administrative support workers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $34.07 an hour ($70,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $56,520 and $85,630 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
A general contractor is holding a payment over missing paperwork. What does the office manager do?
Find out exactly what's missing, often a lien waiver, a payroll report or an updated insurance certificate, and get it out the same day. Then add that item to the job's billing checklist so next month's payment doesn't stall on the same thing.
How should the office manager and general manager work together?
Meet weekly. Cover billing that went out and billing that's stuck, papers due to general contractors and agencies, office coverage, and any customer complaint that reached the office. The general manager sets the priorities. The office manager reports what's late and why.
The template lists lifting, vision and hearing, and some walking. What tasks are those?
As tasks: carrying boxes of records or supplies, reading screens and fine print on drawings, handling phone calls, and now and then walking a job site with a supervisor or a general contractor's staff. Add those plain examples beside the template's lines in the posting.
