A plumbing chief operating officer runs the systems behind every job, from booking and dispatch to how service plumbers and install crews work safely and to code. The COO leads the operations, call center and warehouse managers and reports to the CEO.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Oversees daily operations within the plumbing division ensuring strict policy compliance and streamlined efficiency. Plays a strategic leadership role to drive operational improvements, foster a high-performance culture, and contribute to overall company growth. Collaborates cross-functionally to enhance productivity and service quality across all operational aspects.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Direct and manage all aspects of daily plumbing operations with an emphasis on service excellence and efficiency.
Develop and implement operational policies and procedures to ensure consistent and high-quality service delivery.
Monitor performance metrics and adjust strategies to optimize resource utilization and customer satisfaction.
Ensure regulatory compliance and maintain best practices in safety and operational standards.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Oversee daily scheduling, resource allocation, and workflow among plumbing service teams.
Conduct routine operational meetings to review performance, address issues, and set priorities.
Engage with customer service channels to resolve escalated issues and maintain high client satisfaction.
Collaborate with finance and HR departments to align operational budgets, staffing, and training efforts.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Operational Efficiency Rate: Achieve a 95%+ on-time service delivery rate.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Exceed 4.8 stars on post-service feedback surveys.
Cost Management: Meet or reduce operational expenses by 10% year-over-year.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or related field.
Minimum of 8 years of progressive leadership experience in operations management within a service industry.
Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills coupled with a strategic vision.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and team collaboration skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the home services or plumbing industry.
Demonstrated success in leading operational change and process optimization.
Familiarity with industry-specific regulations and safety standards.
Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and performance metric tracking.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in varied environments including typical office settings and occasional site visits.
Capability to oversee operations that may require occasional travel to various service locations.
Standing, walking, and light lifting may be necessary during on-site inspections.
Prolonged periods of sitting during meetings and planning sessions are expected.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Regular business hours with possible extended hours based on operational demands.
Some travel is required to visit service sites and attend industry events.
Availability for on-call duties during critical operational incidents.
A dynamic environment that balances office-based leadership with field oversight.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $120,000 - $160,000 USD per year, commensurate with experience.
Eligible for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance provided.
401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company values innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to excellence in every aspect of service delivery.
We cultivate a supportive environment where employees are encouraged to take initiative, grow professionally, and contribute to transformative operational excellence.
With a dedication to fostering a culture of inclusivity and continuous improvement, we invest in our people as our greatest asset.
Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team committed to elevating industry standards and driving 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
The COO's routines in plumbing cover raw sewage, sewer camera footage, open flame inside walls, and two shops that should work the same way.
Drain work needs its own safety steps
Clearing a main line means raw sewage, spinning cables and high-pressure water jetters. The COO decides what gloves and eye protection every drain tech wears and how cable machines and jetters get inspected. The COO also sets how a dirty truck and its tools get cleaned before the next home.
Two shops should run one playbook
With a second shop, small differences grow fast: one stocks trucks its own way, one skips the camera, one quotes water heaters off an old price book. The COO writes one set of steps for booking, dispatch, the call itself and closeout, then visits both shops to see it followed. If the shops work in towns with different permit steps, those go into the playbook too.
Camera footage is the job record
A sewer camera shows roots, sags and breaks that nobody can see from the cleanout. The COO decides when a camera inspection is required, how the footage is saved to the job, and when it goes to the homeowner. Footage protects the customer from a repair they don't need and protects the company when a drain backs up again.
Torches can start fires inside walls
Sweating copper puts an open flame inches from wood framing and insulation. OSHA's construction rule for welding, cutting and heating says fire extinguishing equipment must be ready in the work area, and nearby fire hazards must be moved or protected. The COO turns that into one company standard: an extinguisher and heat shield on every truck, a check of the wall cavity before the plumber leaves, and when to use press fittings instead. Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.352: Fire prevention (welding, cutting and heating).
How much plumbing chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for plumbing chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $174,130 a year ($83.72 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 760 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Salary, plus a bonus that often tracks goals like the template's: on-time service, policy compliance, ratings and cost control.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$174,130$174,130 median Middle half $93,740–$271,790 10th–90th $70,780–$421,320
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
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
$70,780
$93,740
$174,130
$271,790
$421,320
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC contractors together. 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 led service plumbers and install crews at the same time
Writes job steps short enough to use on a truck, then audits them in the field
Has run a company safety program, with training records and incident reviews
Uses cost and capacity reports to change schedules, staffing or stock within days
Lets managers run their teams and checks results, not every step
Teach these on the job
Job types and tags in your field service software
Permit rules in each city you serve
Drain cleaning, sewer camera and jetter basics
Your membership plan and warranty rules
Your truck stock and supply house setup
The COO spends most days in the field service platform (FieldEdge, ServiceTitan and Successware are common), fleet GPS, a safety and training tracker, and truck stock lists. Say which of these run well today and which ones the COO is being hired to fix.
Use the template's goals as a first draft. Gather a quarter of your own data, set the targets from it, and walk through them with the CEO every month.
Operational Efficiency Rate
Jobs where the plumber arrived inside the promised window, divided by all jobs, using the arrival times your field service software records. Track emergency calls and scheduled installs separately.
Policy Compliance
Each week, pull closed jobs at random and check each for permits pulled, photos, camera footage on drain and sewer jobs, signed estimates and trench checklists. Divide jobs with a missed step by jobs checked.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Post-service survey scores by shop, crew and job type. Set a floor, and have a manager call any customer who scores below it within a day.
Cost Management
Operating costs such as fuel, truck repairs, overtime, dump fees and warranty labor, checked against the same stretch a year earlier. Measure them against revenue too, so growth isn't mistaken for overspending.
The COO is responsible for delivering what the company sells, every day, at every shop. That covers how the call center books jobs, how dispatch assigns them, how service plumbers and install crews do the work, how trucks are stocked, and how safety and permit steps get followed. When the same problem keeps coming back, the COO fixes the process behind it.
How much does a plumbing chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $174,130 a year ($83.72 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $93,740 and $271,790 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Do you need a plumbing COO if you already have a general manager?
With one shop, usually not. A general manager can run a single location well. A COO makes more sense once you have two shops, a call center and separate service, drain and install teams that need the same rules. When the CEO's days go to refereeing departments, it's time for one.
What safety rules should a plumbing COO know?
For sewer and water line digging, OSHA's excavation rules cover cave-in protection, finding underground utilities before digging and daily trench checks by a competent person. Crews and supervisors run those on site; the COO makes sure the training, equipment and records back them up. BLS lists cuts, burns from hot pipes and soldering, and falls from ladders as common injuries for plumbers, so training should cover those too.
Should a plumbing COO be a licensed plumber?
Usually not for the seat itself. License rules attach to the people doing plumbing work and, in states like Minnesota, to a master plumber the company names as responsible. Trade time still pays off: a COO who has cleared drains and soldered joints can read a job photo and earn trust with crews. A COO from outside plumbing should spend early weeks in the trucks with service plumbers and sewer crews.
What should a plumbing COO job ad include?
List the teams the COO will run, such as service, drain, installs, the call center and the warehouse, plus the plumber and truck count at each shop. Name the problem you want solved, such as late arrivals or a messy handoff between sales and installs. Mention ride-alongs and on-call duty, so candidates know the job isn't all office work.
