Commercial plumbing production manager job description
A commercial plumbing production manager runs the field side of every job at once: crews, foremen, quality and safety. They move plumbers between jobs as general contractor schedules shift, and they answer for labor cost, injuries and failed inspections across the company.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Oversee and manage large-scale commercial plumbing installations to ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest quality and safety standards. Lead cross-functional teams in the coordination, planning, and execution of plumbing projects that comply with all local, state, and federal codes. Serve as a key contributor to the operational excellence and strategic growth of our commercial plumbing services. Uphold a proactive approach in promoting a safe work environment and enforcing rigorous quality controls.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage day-to-day operations of large plumbing installations ensuring adherence to project timelines and budget constraints.
Enforce stringent safety protocols and ensure all work is compliant with local, state, and federal regulations.
Collaborate with project managers, engineers, and subcontractors to streamline installation processes and resolve on-site challenges.
Monitor job site progress, conduct regular inspections, and address quality or compliance issues immediately.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Coordinate daily project schedules and logistics with on-site teams and vendors.
Conduct routine inspections to verify adherence to safety standards and building codes.
Review project plans and modify work strategies in response to challenges or unforeseen circumstances.
Communicate with clients and stakeholders to provide updates on project status and resolve any concerns.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project Completion Rate: Achieve at least a 95% on-time project completion rate.
Safety Incident Rate: Maintain a safety incident rate of less than 2% per project.
Code Compliance: Ensure 100% adherence to local, state, and federal regulations on all projects.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Attain an average customer satisfaction rating of >4.5 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in commercial plumbing or construction project management.
Strong leadership capabilities with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Proficient in project planning software and require strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience managing large-scale plumbing installations in a commercial environment.
Background in working within regulated industries with stringent safety and compliance requirements.
Prior exposure to budget management and resource allocation in large projects.
Demonstrated ability in improving operational efficiencies and implementing process improvements.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move equipment weighing up to 50 lbs.
Frequent exposure to outdoor work environments including varying weather conditions.
Periods of standing, walking, and moderate physical exertion on job sites.
Occasional requirement to navigate confined spaces and elevated work areas.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional early mornings, late evenings, or weekend work may be required to meet project deadlines.
Regular travel to multiple job sites within the region.
On-call availability for urgent project needs or compliance issues.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $80,000 to $100,000 USD per year based on experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and/or profit-sharing opportunities.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance packages provided.
401(k) plan with company match along with paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster an inclusive, innovative, and growth-oriented environment where every team member is valued.
We are committed to excellence, safety, and customer satisfaction, empowering our employees to excel in their careers and deliver outstanding service.
Our collaborative culture promotes continuous improvement, accountability, and a strong sense of community within a dynamic market.
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 production manager in commercial plumbing
In commercial plumbing, production means pipe going in at many buildings at once. The production manager spreads one workforce over schedules that general contractors set.
Labor is the cost you can still move
Material is mostly priced when the job is bought out. Field hours move every day. Each week, compare installed work to hours used by phase, such as underground, rough-in and trim. Step in when a job burns hours faster than it puts in pipe.
One crew plan for every job
General contractors often ask for more plumbers in the same week, and every project manager wants their job first. Keep one manpower chart for the whole company. Move foremen by skill, such as underground, high-rise risers or hospital work. Tell the operations manager early when the backlog needs more hires or overtime.
Your injury log goes to OSHA each year
OSHA's list of designated industries includes all of construction. So a plumbing contractor establishment with 20 to 249 workers must send its Form 300A summary data online each year, by March 2. Establishments with 250 or more workers that keep injury records file too. Keep the log current as injuries happen, not in a rush in February. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1904.41, electronic submission of injury and illness records.
Press tools, pipe threaders, core drills and rented lifts cost money every day, used or not. Track which job has each one, charge rentals to that job, and send idle lifts back. A weekly equipment list from each foreman is usually enough.
How much commercial plumbing production managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing production managers is construction managers. Construction managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $109,150 a year ($52.47 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $114,990 median for construction managers in all industries. About 21,680 of the 380,360 construction managers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Most are salaried, and many earn a bonus tied to job margins. BLS puts the typical construction manager at a plumbing or HVAC contractor above this template's pay.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$109,150$109,150 median Middle half $93,220–$137,820 10th–90th $75,490–$171,880
All industries
$114,990$114,990 median Middle half $88,550–$151,640 10th–90th $69,690–$189,440
$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
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
$75,490
$93,220
$109,150
$137,820
$171,880
All industries
$69,690
$88,550
$114,990
$151,640
$189,440
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 several commercial plumbing jobs at once, from underground to trim
Reads a job cost report and spots labor overruns early
Plans crews across jobs with competing dates
Knows the plumbing code and inspection steps in your area
Holds foremen to safety rules without exceptions
Teach these on the job
Your scheduling and job cost software
OSHA injury recordkeeping and reporting
Your general contractors' contacts and habits
Company quality checklists
Equipment rental accounts
Most live in the accounting system's job cost reports, a manpower chart kept in a scheduling tool or shared spreadsheet, and daily reports in Procore or a similar app. Naming these in the ad tells candidates how much they'll have to learn.
Commercial plumbing production 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 · Code compliance pressure
The general contractor wants your crew to cover up work before the inspection to keep the schedule. What do you do?
A strong answer: Refuses, explains the risk, pushes to get the inspection scheduled quickly, and documents the request.
Behavioral · Process improvements
Tell me about a time you moved work from the job site into the shop, such as prefabricated risers or carrier assemblies.
A strong answer: Names what they prefabricated, how they made sure it fit the field, how they tested the idea, and the measured result in hours or quality.
The template's figures are a sketch. Your own past jobs and injury logs should set the real targets.
Project Completion Rate
Count jobs whose plumbing scope finished by the general contractor's current schedule date, out of all jobs closed in the period. Keep a note of which delays came from others.
Safety Incident Rate
Use the OSHA 300 log as the record. Count recordable cases per hours worked, by job, so large and small jobs compare fairly.
Code Compliance
Track failed inspections and correction notices by job and inspection type from the inspectors' reports. Go over each one with the foreman to find whether skill, drawings or haste caused it.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask each general contractor to score the job at turnover on schedule, safety and cleanup. Compare scores by customer and share them with the field supervisors.
Can one person be both production manager and operations manager at a commercial plumbing company?
At a smaller shop, often yes. At this size the jobs usually split. The production manager owns field labor: crews, foremen, quality and safety on every job. The operations manager owns more, such as project managers, purchasing, the warehouse and often service. Splitting them keeps one person in the field while the other runs the office side.
How much does a commercial plumbing production manager make?
Construction managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $109,150 a year ($52.47 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $93,220 and $137,820 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What should a production manager review every Monday?
Start with the manpower chart for the next two weeks against each general contractor's schedule. Then check hours against installed work on each job, tests and inspections coming up, safety items left open last week, and where the lifts and press tools are. End with a short list of calls to make that day.
The template mentions lifting, weather, confined spaces and elevated areas. What tasks are those?
It means walking each site floor by floor, climbing ladders and scaffold stairs, looking into pipe chases, crawl spaces and mechanical rooms, and riding lifts to check work overhead. It can also mean carrying test gear or samples up to 50 pounds outdoors. Spell these tasks out in your job post and explain how someone can request an accommodation.
A job is behind. Should the production manager add plumbers or approve overtime?
More plumbers help only when there's open area for them to work. Long stretches of overtime tend to raise the cost of each hour without adding much output. First ask who caused the delay. If the general contractor did, the project manager should price the catch-up as a change before you spend the money.
