A plumbing HR manager recruits licensed plumbers, apprentices and call center staff, and keeps every plumber's license and apprentice registration current. They also build the raise ladder from apprentice to master, run onboarding, and handle staff problems and injury claims across one or two shops.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for overseeing and enhancing the HR functions within our plumbing division while driving hiring, onboarding, and employee relations to foster a positive and inclusive work culture.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and execute comprehensive recruitment strategies tailored to the plumbing industry to attract top talent.
Manage the onboarding process to ensure a smooth transition and effective integration of new hires.
Oversee employee relations initiatives to resolve conflicts and enhance workplace satisfaction.
Champion and nurture a culture of continuous improvement, teamwork, and professional growth.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and update job postings and recruitment materials on a daily basis.
Conduct initial candidate screenings and schedule interviews with department heads.
Manage employee records, performance appraisals, and HR documentation accurately.
Collaborate with department managers to address employee concerns and develop engagement initiatives.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
New Hire Retention Rate: Achieve a minimum of 90% retention within the first 12 months.
Time-to-Fill: Maintain an average time-to-fill of 30 days for open positions.
Employee Satisfaction Rating: Secure an internal satisfaction score of over 4.5 stars.
Onboarding Completion Rate: Ensure 100% completion of onboarding processes within the first 30 days of hire.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years’ experience in HR management, preferably within the home services or plumbing industry.
Strong interpersonal, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
Proficient with HR information systems (HRIS) and Microsoft Office Suite.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience working in a service-based or construction-related industry.
Demonstrated ability to develop and implement culturally-driven employee engagement programs.
Experience in managing high-volume recruitment and onboarding processes.
Familiarity with plumbing industry regulations and labor laws.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment with periods of extended computer use.
Occasional lifting of moderately heavy documents or office supplies (up to 20 lbs).
Frequent sitting and standing during daily tasks.
Minimal exposure to on-site operational environments if necessary.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours, Monday through Friday, with occasional extended hours during peak hiring periods.
Minimal travel required for recruitment events and on-site employee meetings.
On-call availability for urgent HR issues as needed.
Collaborative work environment with clear communication channels.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range: $70,000 - $90,000 USD annually, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonuses available annually.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
Employer-sponsored 401(k) plan with company match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is dedicated to excellence, innovation, and growth. We believe in supporting our employees through continuous learning and development while maintaining a respectful, inclusive, and engaging work environment. Our culture embraces collaboration, accountability, and celebrating success at every level, making it an ideal place to build a rewarding career.
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
Recruiting, training and staff problems are HR work anywhere. In plumbing, state boards decide who may do the work, apprentices need years of tracked hours, and your people work inside customers' homes.
A license check comes before the offer
Plumber licenses come from states and sometimes cities, and BLS notes the rules vary. HR checks each plumber's license with the state board before an offer, then tracks every renewal date. HR also keeps the apprentice hour logs. Texas asks for at least 8,000 hours in the trade before the journeyman exam, so accurate logs decide when each apprentice can test. Source: Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners: Journeyman Plumber license.
Supervision limits can cap apprentice hiring
Check whether your state limits how many trainees one licensed plumber may supervise. Washington does. Through 2028, a home job site may have up to three trainees for each certified specialty plumber, and after that the cap drops to two. On commercial and other journeyman-level work, it's one trainee per certified journeyman. Your count of licensed plumbers then decides how many apprentices you can send out at once, so plan both together. Source: Washington WAC 296-400A-120: Plumber trainee supervision.
Raises that follow the license ladder
Plumbers move up through license levels, from apprentice to journeyman to master, and each step should bring more pay and more trust. HR writes the ladder down: raises at set hours, finished classes, a passed exam and a new license. Without one, a plumber who just passed an exam may take that license to a competitor. A clear ladder also shows recruits how far they can go with you.
Background checks for work inside homes
Customers let your plumbers into their homes, and they expect you to know who you sent. Timing matters. California generally bars employers with five or more employees from asking about conviction history before a job offer. Before a screening company runs the check, the FCRA requires a written notice kept apart from the job application, and written permission from the applicant. If the report may lead you to say no, send a copy of it and the FCRA rights summary before the decision is final. Source: California Civil Rights Department: Fair Chance Act.
How much plumbing HR managers make
The closest BLS group for 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.
Paid by salary, often with a year-end bonus for filling licensed plumber seats or keeping new hires past their first year. If HR is a department of one, compare what local trade contractors of your size pay for the job.
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. 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
Recruiting skilled trades people who aren't job hunting
Sound grasp of wage and hour law, including overtime on job pay
Keeps license, apprentice-hour and I-9 files ready for an audit
Handles write-ups and hard talks with plumbers face to face
Comfortable at the early shop meeting and on a job site
Teach these on the job
License levels, exams and renewal dates in your state
Apprentice supervision rules where you work
How you pay service plumbers, drain techs and installers
How injuries get reported and who files the comp claim
Your payroll platform and applicant tracking setup
Expect payroll and HR software such as Paycom, Paychex or Gusto, a hiring tool that posts jobs and tracks applicants, and a log of license expirations, apprentice hours and class dates. That log is often still a spreadsheet, so let applicants know if they'd inherit a system or build one.
Plumbing HR manager interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
The template's targets will do for year one. After that, set them from your own hires and exits, and check them quarterly with the leader this role answers to.
New Hire Retention Rate
List each month's hires and mark who is still working for you when their training period ends and again at their one-year mark. Split plumbers, apprentices and office staff, since they leave for different reasons.
Time-to-Fill
Calendar days from the day an opening is approved to the new person's first day, taken from your hiring software. Report licensed plumber openings on their own line, because a slow plumber search gets lost in an average with quick office hires.
Employee Satisfaction Rating
Ask the same few questions on an anonymous survey twice a year and average the scores. Break results out for plumbers, apprentices and the call center, and look for themes that match what people said when they quit.
Onboarding Completion Rate
Share of new hires who finish every onboarding step on time: I-9, license or registration check, safety and vehicle training, and software setup. Check it weekly during each new hire's first month.
Career path
HR assistant or recruiterPosts jobs, books interviews and keeps personnel files.
HR managerRuns hiring, license records, the raise ladder and staff relations.
HR directorAdds recruiters and a safety lead as the company opens new shops.
They find and keep plumbers, apprentices, and office and call center staff. They check licenses before hiring, help apprentices register, and track the hours each apprentice needs for their exam. Onboarding, training records, injury claims and staff files sit with them too, and they back up managers when a review, a write-up or a complaint comes up.
How much does a 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.
Should a plumbing company hire experienced plumbers or train apprentices?
Most need both. Licensed plumbers can run calls from week one and supervise others, but they often bring habits from their last shop. Apprentices take years to license, though they learn your way of working. BLS puts a typical plumbing apprenticeship at four or five years. Start hiring apprentices well before you need more licensed plumbers.
How do plumbing companies set up on-call rotations?
A common setup rotates one or two plumbers through nights and weekends, from a schedule posted weeks ahead. Write down how fast they must answer, what counts as an emergency, whether they take the truck home, and how call-outs go on the time sheet. Many shops add an on-call stipend or a minimum per call-out. Share holidays fairly.
What records should HR keep for each plumber?
The license number, level and expiration date, or the apprentice registration. Hour logs and class certificates that count toward the next exam. The I-9 for each employee. Training records for safety and vehicles, and the signed consent for any background or driving record check. Set reminders well ahead of every renewal.
Does a plumbing HR manager need trade experience?
Not as a plumber. What matters more is recruiting people who already have jobs, and knowing wage and hour rules. In the first weeks, ride along on a few service calls and a sewer job, and learn your state's license levels. Plumbers listen to an HR manager who knows what their day looks like.
