A restoration HR manager finds and keeps the people who answer water, fire and mold calls at all hours, from drying techs to rebuild carpenters. They also handle what emergency work brings: pay for night calls and storm trips, training records, and background checks for crews who work in homes.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, waste management companies · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the key strategic partner for managing recruitment, training, and labor compliance for restoration contractors. Ensure that all HR functions support the operational strategy and growth objectives of the company. Develop and implement HR strategies that foster employee engagement, compliance, and operational efficiency.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee end-to-end recruitment processes, including job postings, candidate screening, interviewing, and onboarding.
Develop and coordinate training programs to ensure all team members meet industry standards and regulatory requirements.
Monitor labor compliance, ensuring adherence to state and federal employment laws and industry-specific guidelines.
Act as a point of contact for HR-related issues, providing effective solutions and support to employees and management.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review applicant resumes and schedule interviews with potential candidates.
Coordinate and conduct employee training sessions and refresher courses to maintain compliance standards.
Manage HR documentation and records for accurate reporting and audit readiness.
Address employee concerns and facilitate conflict resolution to maintain a positive work environment.
Perform regular compliance audits and update policy manuals as needed.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Time-to-fill open positions: Target of 30 days or less.
Training completion rate: Minimum of 95% of employees trained on schedule.
Labor compliance audit score: Achieve a minimum compliance rating of 98%.
Employee retention rate: Target of 90% annually.
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 restoration industry.
Demonstrated knowledge of labor laws, HR best practices, and workforce management.
Excellent communication and problem-solving skills, with a friendly yet professional demeanor.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in the restoration contracting or home services industry.
Previous role managing recruitment, training, and compliance in a fast-paced environment.
Familiarity with HR software systems and digital HR management tools.
Background in change management and employee engagement initiatives.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in an office environment with occasional visits to job sites.
Capacity to stand, walk, and occasionally lift up to 25 lbs to transport files or materials.
Visual and auditory capacity to conduct meetings and training sessions effectively.
Routine use of a computer and associated office equipment in a standard work setting.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours from Monday to Friday, with occasional extended hours during peak periods.
Predominantly office-based with periodic travel to job sites as needed.
Minimal exposure to outdoor or construction site environments.
On-call availability during urgent HR issues or compliance audits.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $65,000 - $80,000 USD per year, based on experience and qualifications.
Eligible for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off, professional development, and wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of continuous growth, innovation, and collaboration.
We empower our employees to take initiative, develop professionally, and share ideas openly.
Our commitment to quality service, ethical practices, and employee satisfaction is at the heart of our operational philosophy.
Join us if you are passionate about making a positive impact in an environment that values teamwork, integrity, and excellence.
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
Restoration crews roll out at night, travel to storm zones and work in homes full of the owner's things. Each of those brings pay and hiring rules that an HR manager at an office-hours business rarely meets.
Night call-out travel counts as work time
The Labor Department's rules say that when a worker who has gone home for the day is called out at night to travel a good distance to a customer's emergency job, all of that travel is work time. In restoration that happens often. Timekeeping has to catch those trips, and overtime math has to include them. Source: 29 CFR 785.36: Home to work in emergency situations (Cornell LII).
Storm trips need a travel pay policy
After a hurricane or ice storm, crews may work out of town for weeks. Under the Labor Department's rules, overnight travel is work time if it cuts across the worker's normal hours, including the same hours on days off. Riding as a passenger outside those hours generally isn't counted. The driver of the company truck is different, and so is a helper required to ride along: both are working while they ride, apart from meal breaks. Put travel, lodging and meal rules in writing before the first trip. Source: U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #22, Hours worked under the FLSA.
Certifications belong to the technician
IICRC certifications, such as water damage (WRT) and mold (AMRT), belong to the tech, not the company. They renew each year, and techs need continuing education hours to keep them. An IICRC Certified Firm must have at least one active certified tech. Lose your only one and the firm's status is at risk. So HR tracks renewals and spreads them across the team. Source: IICRC: Frequently asked questions.
Crews work among the owner's belongings
Crews pull carpet in bedrooms and box up jewelry after a fire, so many restorers screen new hires. When an outside screening firm does the check, federal law, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, controls how. First the candidate gets a written notice on its own page, then signs a consent. Before the report costs anyone a job, hand over the report itself and the official summary of their rights; a final notice comes after. State and city rules can add more. Source: Federal Trade Commission: Background checks, what employers need to know.
Mitigation and rebuild hire from different pools
Drying techs answer emergencies, set up fans and dehumidifiers, and take night calls. Rebuild crews are carpenters, drywall hangers and painters who work days. The two groups look for work in different places, expect different pay and leave for different reasons. HR writes separate ads, interviews and pay plans for each.
How much restoration HR managers make
The closest BLS group for restoration HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for waste management companies earned a median of $137,030 a year ($65.88 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 220 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for waste management companies.
Usually salaried. Some pay a bonus for staffing up quickly after a big storm or for keeping technicians through the year.
Waste management companies
$137,030$137,030 median Middle half $111,060–$168,070 10th–90th $91,380–$230,260
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
Waste management companies
$91,380
$111,060
$137,030
$168,070
$230,260
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
BLS counts too few human resources managers at remediation companies for a steady figure, so these figures cover waste management companies. 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 for field jobs that include nights, weekends and storm travel
Can work out pay for call-outs, travel days and overtime correctly
A system for dozens of renewal dates, so none slip past
Handling a homeowner's complaint about a crew member fairly and fast
Running an organized onboarding when a whole crew starts in one week
Teach these on the job
IICRC certification paths and how renewals work
Your respirator program, fit test vendor and clinic
What each crew role does from first call to rebuild
Your storm deployment rules for travel, lodging and meals
State license rules for mold and rebuild work where you operate
The time clock matters most: a mobile clock lets a tech log a 2 a.m. call-out and the drive home, so overtime comes out right. Add an applicant tracking system for technician ads and a certification tracker that warns before fit tests and IICRC renewals lapse.
Restoration 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.
A storm year and a quiet year look nothing alike, so base these targets on your company's past hiring and quit rates. The template's figures hold the place until then.
Time-to-fill open positions
Start the clock when an opening is approved and stop it at the accepted offer. Storm-surge hires and planned hires behave differently, so report them on separate lines.
Training completion rate
List every dated requirement per person, such as the yearly fit test, IICRC renewal and any state license, and count those finished before they lapsed. A missed fit test can keep a tech off respirator jobs.
Labor compliance audit score
Each quarter, check a sample of files against a list: I-9s, time records, call-out and travel pay, required posters and training files. Score items passed against items checked.
Employee retention rate
Compare who was on payroll on January 1 with how many of them remain on December 31. Break it out by mitigation, rebuild and office, and read exit interview notes for patterns.
Career path
Recruiter or HR coordinatorFills technician openings and runs new-hire paperwork.
HR ManagerOwns hiring, pay rules, training records and employee issues.
HR and safety directorTakes on the safety program and workers' comp claims too, often once the company opens a second branch.
Which certifications should restoration technicians get first?
Match them to your work. Start new drying techs with IICRC's water damage class (WRT). Add structural drying (ASD) for leads, and mold (AMRT) or fire and smoke (FSRT) as you take on those jobs. Contents processing (CPT) and odor control (OCT) suit the people who handle pack-outs and smoke odor.
How much does a restoration HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for waste management companies earned a median of $137,030 a year ($65.88 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $111,060 and $168,070 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What respirator records does HR need to keep?
OSHA's respirator rule asks for three kinds. Keep a copy of the current written program. Keep each fit test record, with the mask's make, model and size, until the next test. Keep medical evaluation records as OSHA's medical records rule says, which in general means as long as the person works for you plus 30 years. If your clinic holds those records, confirm it keeps them that long.
How do we keep technicians after paying for their certifications?
Give the certificates a payoff inside your company. Tie pay steps to each new certification, make the path to lead technician and field supervisor clear, and rotate night calls fairly. A clear next step gives them a reason to stay, because the certificates go with them either way.
How should HR get ready for a hurricane or hard-freeze surge?
Do it before the season. Keep a list of past applicants and former techs you would hire again. Have offer letters and new-hire paperwork ready to send the same day. Have a one-day safety class ready to run. Agree in advance on who can approve short-term pay rates and extra overtime, so hiring doesn't stall while managers are out on jobs.
