A commercial plumbing project manager runs each job's plan and paperwork, from underground to closeout. They deal with the general contractor, engineer, inspector and water utility so the crews have approved material and open areas to work in.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
You'll manage commercial plumbing projects from underground rough-in to final. You get under-slab work tested and inspected before concrete pours, run fixture and equipment submittals, book pressure tests and inspections, and line up water and sewer taps with the utility. You handle RFIs, change orders, billing and closeout so the Field Supervisor can run the crews.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Plan underground and under-slab plumbing with the general contractor so it's installed, tested and inspected before the slab is poured.
Coordinate sleeves, embeds and floor penetrations with the concrete and framing schedules.
Submit fixtures, water heaters, backflow preventers and specialties for approval, and order them in time.
Book pressure tests and plumbing inspections, and set up water and sewer taps with the utility.
Plan specialty scopes: grease interceptors with the local sewer authority, and medical gas with certified installers and a third-party verifier.
Price change orders for added fixtures and reroutes, and track costs against the schedule of values.
Close out with water heater and pump startup, water line disinfection where your code requires it, backflow test reports, as-builts and O&M manuals.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Check concrete pour dates with the general contractor and confirm our underground is tested and inspected first.
Walk the site with the Field Supervisor to check rough-in against the drawings and the other trades' work.
Chase open RFIs with the engineer and pass the answers to the crew.
Call the inspector's office to book test and rough-in inspections.
Review labor hours and material buys against budget.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Underground inspections passed before the pour date: [your target].
Rework hours from field coordination conflicts: [your target].
Labor hours per fixture against the estimate: [your target].
Unbilled extra work at job closeout: [your target].
Days from substantial completion to retainage release: [your target].
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
[3+] years as a project manager for a commercial plumbing or mechanical contractor, or [5+] years as a licensed plumber on commercial work.
Can read plumbing drawings, riser diagrams, fixture schedules and specs.
Understands how commercial plumbing permits, pressure tests and inspections work in your area.
Can plan underground and under-slab work around a general contractor's concrete schedule.
Runs submittal, RFI and change order logs in [your project management software].
6. Preferred Experience
A master plumber license in [your state], or the field background to work closely with one.
Backflow prevention assembly tester certification, where your state or water utility issues one.
Medical gas installer certification for healthcare projects.
Experience with domestic water booster pumps, water heater plants and recirculation systems.
7. Physical Requirements
Walk active sites with open trenches and overhead work, and climb ladders to check piping.
Carry drawings, fittings and test gauges up to [30] pounds.
With or without reasonable accommodation.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
On site most mornings during underground and rough-in, then back at the desk for RFIs and pay applications.
Regular hours: [7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday], with early starts on pour and test days.
Occasional after-hours water shutdowns for tie-ins in occupied buildings.
Construction sites with mud, dust, noise and weather.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Pay: [range and hourly or salary basis].
Additional pay: [overtime, bonus or incentive terms, or none].
Benefits: [health, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and when they start].
10. Company Culture and Overview
[Two or three sentences on what your company does, the area you serve, and the support a new project manager gets in the first 90 days.]
11. How to Apply
[Apply link or email]. Our process: [phone interview, in-person interview, and next steps]. Contact [hiring contact] if you need an accommodation during the application process.
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 a project manager in commercial plumbing
Plumbing goes in first and finishes last on a commercial building. The concrete schedule shapes the start of the job, and closeout papers decide when the last check arrives.
The water utility has its own steps
A new building needs a water service from the local utility, and the utility sets the fees and the order of steps. Honolulu's utility, which serves Oahu, charges new developments a water system facilities charge, figured per fixture unit. Developers must pay it before water service is made available. Settle early whether the owner or your company pays. Source: Honolulu Board of Water Supply: Water System Facilities Charge.
Federal jobs can require domestic material
Some federal building contracts carry the Buy American clause for construction. It requires the contractor to use only domestic construction material, except where the contract lists an exception. Ask the general contractor whether the clause is in the prime contract before you submit fixtures, water heaters and valves. Get country-of-origin letters from suppliers for anything you can't prove. Source: eCFR: 48 CFR 52.225-9, Buy American, construction materials.
Underground has to beat the pour
Under-slab drains, cleanouts and sleeves go in before concrete, so the pour date is the first deadline on most jobs. Get the test and inspection on the calendar before the general contractor books the concrete. Send a photo of the signed inspection card the same day, so no one pours over untested pipe.
Start the closeout binder at submittal time
Owners want as-builts, O&M manuals, startup sheets and test reports before they release the last payment. Save each approved submittal, test record and startup sheet in a closeout folder as the job goes. Then closeout takes days, not months of chasing paper from suppliers and foremen.
How much commercial plumbing project managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing project 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 get a bonus for job profit or a fast, clean closeout. Pay isn't listed in this template; choose the range yourself.
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.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Builds a submittal log from the spec and keeps it current
Prices a change order from labor units and supplier quotes
Writes a clear RFI with a sketch and a suggested answer
Spots plumbing conflicts in a general contractor's schedule
Stays firm and polite with general contractors about money
Teach these on the job
Your project management software and cost codes
Your local inspection and water utility steps
Federal contract clauses such as Buy American
Each general contractor's closeout rules
Most run jobs in Procore, Autodesk Build or a similar app, with Bluebeam for markups and the accounting system for job cost and pay applications. List your software in the ad, and mention if a project engineer supports the PM.
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 · Specialty scopes
Your project includes medical gas. What do you line up?
A strong answer: Installers with ASSE medical gas installer certification, NFPA 99 materials and brazing with a nitrogen purge, the required tests, an independent certified verifier, and schedule time for verification before the system is used.
Behavioral · Closeout
Tell me about a plumbing job where you got retainage released quickly. What did you do differently?
A strong answer: Explains how they collected closeout items as the job went (test reports, disinfection records, as-builts, manuals) and pushed punch list work.
Each KPI in this template has a blank target. Fill it in from jobs you've already closed and revisit it at each job review.
Underground inspections passed before the pour date
For each slab pour, record whether the plumbing under it passed its test and inspection first. Note whether a miss came from your side, the inspector's calendar or a moved pour.
Rework hours from field coordination conflicts
Have foremen code the hours spent moving or redoing pipe because of clashes with ducts, beams or other trades. Review the codes each week with the field supervisor.
Labor hours per fixture against the estimate
Divide field hours by fixtures set, by job and phase, and compare the result to the labor units in the estimate. Send what you learn back to estimating.
Unbilled extra work at job closeout
At closeout, total the extra work that never got a signed change or a billed ticket. Track it by job and by general contractor.
Days from substantial completion to retainage release
Count the days from the substantial completion date in the contract to the day retainage is paid. Note which closeout item held it up.
Who orders material on a commercial plumbing job, the project manager or the warehouse?
The project manager buys out the big items, such as fixtures, water heaters, pumps and specialties, because they depend on approved submittals and job pricing. Pipe, fittings and hangers often come through the warehouse or straight from the supplier when the foreman releases them. Write down who buys what so nothing gets ordered twice.
How much does a commercial plumbing project 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.
How much of the week does a commercial plumbing project manager spend on site?
During underground and rough-in, most mornings. The PM walks the site with the field supervisor, steps along open trenches and under overhead work, and climbs ladders to look at pipe above ceilings. They carry drawings, fittings and test gauges up to the weight you set in the template. Later in the job, more of the week is at the desk. Keep the template's accommodation line in the ad.
What should a project manager hand the field supervisor before work starts?
Hold a short turnover meeting. Hand over the approved submittals, the RFI log, the general contractor's schedule, material delivery dates, the labor budget by phase and any special rules in the contract. Walk the site together once. The field supervisor should leave knowing what the job was bid to include and what counts as extra.
What experience matters most in a commercial plumbing project manager?
Look for jobs like yours. A PM who ran apartment buildings may struggle on a hospital, and the reverse. Ask about contract sizes and how they closed out their last job. A licensed plumber background helps with inspectors and crews, but strong paperwork habits matter just as much.
