A commercial remodeling COO runs many office, store and restaurant jobs at once, most built by subs inside buildings that stay open. They set the steps project managers follow, own safety and sub standards, and step in when a job slips or a client gets upset.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Commercial Remodeling is a dynamic leader responsible for overseeing daily remodeling operations, driving operational efficiency, and coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure project excellence and client satisfaction. This role is pivotal in implementing strategic initiatives to maximize profitability, quality, and innovation within the remodeling industry.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee all daily remodeling operations, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement by developing processes that enhance efficiency and quality.
Coordinate and lead cross-functional teams, including project managers, designers, and contractors.
Establish and implement operational strategies to support long-term business growth.
Ensure compliance with industry standards and safety regulations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor project progress and performance metrics on a daily basis.
Conduct regular meetings with team leaders to review updates, challenges, and improvements.
Engage with clients to address concerns and update them on project developments.
Review and analyze operational data to identify efficiencies and areas for improvement.
Collaborate with the executive team to refine and adjust strategic plans.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project Completion Rate: 95% of projects completed on schedule.
Operational Efficiency Rate: Achieve a minimum efficiency rate of 90%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain an average rating above 4.8 stars.
Cost Variance: Keep project cost overruns below 5% of the budget.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Construction Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 8 years’ experience in operations management within the remodeling or home services industry.
Proven leadership skills with the ability to coordinate diverse teams effectively.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on operational efficiency.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage both internal teams and external clients.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in commercial remodeling, construction, or related home services.
Prior managerial role within a large-scale operational environment.
Demonstrated success in implementing process improvements that drive growth.
Experience with advanced project management software and data analytics tools.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally visit job sites and inspect ongoing operations.
Capability to move around active construction or remodeling sites safely.
Adequate vision and hearing to review project details and safety protocols.
Comfortable working in diverse environments, including on-site inspections and office meetings.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, with occasional evening meetings as needed.
Must be willing to travel to project sites within the region regularly.
Occasionally on-call for urgent site issues or unforeseen operational challenges.
Office environment combined with frequent on-site visits to active remodeling projects.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 per year based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonus structure tied to operational and project KPIs.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on cultivating a work culture where innovation, collaboration, and excellence come together to drive success. We believe in investing in our people and fostering professional growth, ensuring that every team member feels empowered to excel. Our commitment to customer satisfaction and high-quality remodeling projects creates an environment where creativity and strategic thinking are not only encouraged but celebrated.
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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Your crews and subs work inside other people's businesses, often at night, and the next job starts before the last one has closed.
Maryland jobs answer to MOSH
Maryland runs its own job safety agency, called MOSH, under an OSHA-approved state plan. It covers public and private workplaces in the state, with a few exceptions such as federal workers, and its staff write some rules of their own. If you have jobs in Maryland, build the safety program around MOSH's rules and inspectors, not just federal OSHA's. MOSH also offers free consultation. It's worth a call before a large or unusual job. Source: Maryland Department of Labor: Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH).
Sparks travel in an occupied building
Torch cutting old pipe or welding a steel lintel can start a fire in a ceiling space or the suite next door. OSHA's construction rule says to move what can burn or shield it, have fire extinguishing gear ready for instant use, and assign a fire watch when the usual steps fall short, staying on after the work ends. Work on a wall, floor or ceiling needs the same steps on the opposite side. Set one hot work permit that every job uses. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.352, fire prevention in welding and cutting.
Shutdowns go through the building
Turning off sprinklers, a fire alarm zone, power or water in a shared building usually needs the landlord's okay. It also takes the building engineer's time, and some buildings insist on their own fire alarm vendor. Make it a rule: no shutdown goes on the schedule until the building confirms it in writing. Every tenant it affects gets notice too.
The costly misses sit between trades
On a fit-out, the missed items fall between trades. Who patches the wall after the electrician? Who cuts and replaces ceiling tiles for the duct work? Who moves sprinkler heads when the ceiling drops? Keep a standard scope sheet for each trade that answers these. Then project managers don't rewrite them for every job, and subs can't price around them.
How much commercial remodeling chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for commercial remodeling chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $225,550 a year ($108.44 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 840 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
The usual mix here is salary plus a bonus on schedule, cost and client results. BLS has no separate COO line, so the pay shown is for chief executives, and the template's range sits under it.
Commercial building contractors
$225,550$225,550 median Middle half $168,640–$347,300 10th–90th $124,070–$499,640
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
Commercial building contractors
$124,070
$168,640
$225,550
$347,300
$499,640
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for commercial remodelers on their own. These figures cover nonresidential building construction, which include them. 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
Running many short projects at once through project managers
Working knowledge of OSHA construction rules and, where you work, MOSH
Holding subcontractors to scope, schedule and nightly cleanup
Calm, direct talks with property managers when a job slips
Reading job cost reports and acting on them
Teach these on the job
Your project management software and reports
Each landlord's rules for shutdowns and after-hours work
Your hot work permit and safety forms
Your approved sub list and how subs are scored
Brand standards for chain clients
Project management software such as Procore or Buildertrend for daily logs, submittals and punch lists, alongside the job cost reports from accounting. List both in the ad, and tell candidates if they'll get to choose new ones.
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 · Life-safety system impairments
A property manager reports your crew shut down a fire alarm zone to control dust and didn't restore it overnight. What do you do?
A strong answer: Treats it as serious, confirms the system is restored, follows impairment procedures (notices, fire watch when required), investigates, retrains, and adds an impairment checklist.
Behavioral · Cost control on small jobs
Tell me about a time you improved cost variance across many small projects.
A strong answer: Found the common causes, set simple controls (pre-job checklists, purchase approvals), and measured improvement.
The template's targets aren't yours yet. Build yours from the past year's closed jobs, split by client type, and settle them with the CEO at each quarterly review.
Project Completion Rate
How many jobs finish by the contract or turnover date, as a share of all jobs closed, with client-caused delays tracked apart.
Operational Efficiency Rate
Agree on a definition first, for example estimated versus actual labor hours on closed jobs, and don't change it between quarters.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Survey both the tenant and the property manager after the punch walk, since they judge different things, and read every comment under the score.
Cost Variance
Final cost against budget for each job, not counting change orders the client approved, with patterns tracked by sub, project manager and job type.
Career path
Field supervisorLeads crews and subs on site, often on the night shift.
Project managerOwns budget, schedule and client contact on a set of buildouts.
Who should call the client when a job runs late, the COO or the project manager?
The project manager calls first, the same day the delay is known, with a new date and the reason. The COO steps in when the new date puts the tenant's opening or move-in at risk, or when the client asks for someone senior. An early call with a plan keeps a property manager's trust, while a COO who appears only after a complaint looks like damage control.
How much does a commercial remodeling chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $225,550 a year ($108.44 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $168,640 and $347,300 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should a COO plan safety across many short jobs?
Short jobs leave little time for site-specific planning, so build it into the job start. Use a checklist for each job that covers exits, hot work, ladders and lifts, and the building's emergency contacts, and have the field supervisor sign it before the first shift. Review a sample each month and visit the riskiest jobs, not the most convenient ones.
Should estimating report to the COO?
At this size it often does, because estimates set every budget the field has to hit. If it reports to the COO, make a rule that estimators walk occupied sites before pricing them. Access, work hours and building rules change the cost in ways the drawings don't show, and an estimator who has seen the loading dock prices the job better.
What does the COO template's vision, hearing and site wording mean on a visit?
The COO walks active jobs, sometimes at night. They read posted permits and safety signs, check exits and hot work areas, and hear out the field supervisor and subs. That means stepping over cords and debris and taking the stairs when the freight elevator is booked. Head, eye and ear protection go on where tools run. Each visit ends with a short list for the project manager.
