A plumbing production manager leads the crews that replace things in homes: water heaters, whole-house repipes, sewer lines and fixtures. Every sold job goes through them, from parts and permit to a passed inspection, with crews working safely, homes left clean and the job on budget.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Oversee and coordinate plumbing projects ensuring high-quality workmanship, adherence to safety standards, and efficient project completion. Serve as a key leader in the operations team, driving continuous improvement and customer satisfaction in every job.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Coordinate day-to-day plumbing operations ensuring all projects run smoothly and efficiently.
Enforce strict quality control measures to uphold company standards and regulatory compliance.
Maintain a safe work environment by enforcing safety protocols and conducting regular site inspections.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize resource allocation and project timelines.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Oversee scheduling and dispatch of plumbing teams to various job sites.
Conduct routine site visits to assess project progress and address potential issues proactively.
Engage with customers to understand project requirements and provide timely project updates.
Monitor inventory of plumbing supplies and equipment, ensuring readiness for upcoming tasks.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-Time Project Completion Rate: ≥95%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Safety Incident Rate: <2% per quarter.
Rework / Callback Percentage: <5%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in business, construction management, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in plumbing operations or project management.
Strong leadership and communication skills with the ability to motivate a team.
Proficient in using project management and scheduling software.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in managing plumbing projects within the home services industry.
Proven track record of implementing quality control and safety programs in construction or plumbing environments.
Prior experience working collaboratively with subcontractors and vendors.
Familiarity with relevant local and national plumbing codes and standards.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds safely.
Capable of working in a variety of environments including outdoor job sites and confined spaces.
Standing, walking, and occasional climbing may be required during site inspections.
Comfortable with exposure to construction-related noise and weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM, with occasional weekend oversight.
Ability to travel to various job sites as required.
Possibility of on-call duties during emergencies or critical project phases.
Work in both office settings and active construction sites.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 USD per year, based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses tied to KPIs and project success.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Join a dynamic and growth-oriented company committed to excellence in home services.
We foster an inclusive and innovative work environment that promotes professional development and career advancement.
Our team values collaboration, continuous improvement, and a strong focus on customer satisfaction.
We believe in empowering our employees to make impactful decisions and drive meaningful change within the 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].
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 makes plumbing production management different
Residential plumbing installs happen inside homes where families still live and in yards over buried lines. Much of the work needs a city inspector's sign-off, and a lot of it ends up hidden behind drywall or under dirt.
Sold work becomes a crew schedule
Production crews do the replacement work: water heaters, tankless swaps, whole-house repipes, sewer and water lines, and some remodel rough-ins. A sold water heater may need to go in the same day, while a repipe gets booked further out. The production manager orders the parts, books crews and inspections, and closes out each job so the office can bill it.
Inspectors check more than the tank
A water heater swap can fail inspection over small things. Dublin, California, requires a permit for every water heater install, replacements included. Among other items, its inspectors check that a garage gas heater's burner sits high enough off the floor unless the model is rated to resist igniting fumes, that the relief valve drain runs outside, and that a gas shutoff sits next to the heater. Build your crew checklist from your own city's list. Source: City of Dublin, California: Residential water heaters, permit and inspection.
Dig or go trenchless
A failed sewer line can be dug up and replaced, or fixed without a long trench by pipe bursting or lining. The production manager weighs the camera video, how deep the pipe runs, and what sits on top, like a driveway, a tree or a patio. Crew and machine time count too. The choice changes the equipment, the crew and how much yard has to be put back.
Repipes happen in lived-in homes
A whole-house repipe usually means opening walls and ceilings while the family still lives there. The production manager plans the work so water is back on each night, protects floors and furniture, and decides who patches the drywall. To the family, the mess and the patch work count as much as the new pipe.
Residential vs. commercial plumbing production
Both turn sold work into installed plumbing. The jobs, the customer and the paperwork differ.
Topic
Residential
Commercial
The work
Swapping a water heater, repiping a house or replacing a sewer line, often in a few days or less
Underground, rough-in and finish plumbing for a new or remodeled building, often lasting months
Who signs off
The homeowner who approved the proposal, then the city inspector
The builder's superintendent and the engineer, then the city inspector
Paperwork
A permit, an 811 locate ticket before digging, and the maker's warranty registration
Submittals, requests for information, change orders and as-built drawings at the end
Crews and pace
A small crew at a different house most days, reshuffled when an emergency swap or a new sale comes in
A foreman and a larger crew who stay on one site and follow the builder's schedule
How much plumbing production managers make
The closest BLS group for 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.
The template offers a salary and a bonus tied to its targets, so expect the bonus to follow on-time finishes, safety and callbacks.
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. 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 set water heaters, repiped homes or replaced sewer lines, or led crews who did
Rebuilds the install calendar when an inspection slips or an emergency pulls a crew
Knows the plumbing code your area uses and how local inspectors read it
Runs safety on job sites with trenches, ladders and torches
Checks real labor and materials against each bid and feeds the gaps back to sales
Teach these on the job
Your permit portals and inspector preferences
Your 811 locate process
How each water heater maker wants warranties registered
How you cost each job and read the margin report
Your homeowner walkthrough and cleanup standards
Install calendars and job costs live in software like ServiceTitan or Successware, permits in city portals, and quality checks rely on sewer cameras, pressure test gauges and locators. Sewer crews may also run mini excavators, trench boxes, and pipe bursting or lining equipment.
Plumbing production 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.
Break these out per crew and per job type. Set targets from the last six months of your own jobs, then raise the bar as crews reach it.
On-Time Project Completion Rate
Installs finished on the date promised to the homeowner, out of all installs, from your schedule. Track water heaters, repipes and sewer jobs on their own, since sewer jobs can hit buried surprises.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Post-install survey results by crew and month. Homeowners judge the dust, the drywall patch and the updates along with the pipe, so sort complaints by those causes too.
Safety Incident Rate
Injuries and close calls each quarter, compared with crew hours worked, from your incident log. Add what job site checks find on trenches, ladders and torches.
Rework / Callback Percentage
Installs that had to be redone, brought a crew back, or failed inspection the first time, out of all installs. Log each one's cause and crew.
Career path
Journeyman plumberSets tanks, runs new pipe and lays sewer line on an install crew.
Field supervisorWalks install jobs mid-stream to catch mistakes before the inspector does.
Production managerLeads every install crew, from sold job to passed inspection.
Operations managerAdds service plumbers, drain techs, dispatch and the stockroom.
Is a plumbing production manager the same as a project manager?
In residential plumbing, mostly not. A production manager runs many short install jobs at once. Commercial plumbing contractors use project managers to run a few large building jobs for months, with budgets, submittals and change orders. Some residential shops use the titles loosely, so describe the actual work in your posting.
How much does a 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 are the signs a plumbing shop needs a production manager?
Watch the install side. Signs include sold water heaters and repipes waiting more than a few days to start, crews showing up without the right parts, inspections failed for the same reasons, and an owner who books installs at night. Once a company runs more than one install crew, someone needs to own that calendar full time.
What should sales hand a production manager before a job starts?
A signed scope that says exactly what's included, with photos of the work area, the water heater label or the camera video, and any promises made to the homeowner. Access notes matter too: attic or crawl space, parking, who will be home, and any pets. A rough handoff means a second trip or an awkward talk on install day.
What's a good hiring exercise for a plumbing production manager?
Give them three sold jobs, a water heater, a repipe and a sewer line, and two crews for a week. Then take away a crew on Tuesday and add a failed inspection. Ask how they rebuild the week and what they tell each homeowner. Then have them walk you through a past job that went over budget and what they changed after it.
