A commercial lead roofer runs one crew on a low-slope roof and takes the hardest work on it: drains, crickets, the joints where new roof meets old, and flashings at walls and rooftop units. They set up the crew each morning, train apprentices on seams and details, and walk the finished roof with the manufacturer's inspector.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Roofing - Commercial - Master Roofer / Lead Roofer
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Field Supervisor / Foreman]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Serve as the expert leader in commercial roofing projects, applying advanced techniques and ensuring exceptional, high-standard finishes. Mentor and guide staff to enhance quality, safety, and operational efficiency across all roofing operations. Contribute to the company’s growth by upholding superior workmanship and maintaining customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead and oversee commercial roofing projects from planning to completion, ensuring all work meets industry standards.
Utilize advanced roofing techniques to address complex challenges and ensure superior workmanship.
Mentor team members, providing training and on-site guidance to enhance skills and maintain quality.
Conduct regular inspections to evaluate project progress and adherence to safety, quality, and compliance standards.
Collaborate with project managers and other stakeholders to coordinate resources and maintain schedule integrity.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Perform detailed roof inspections and identify areas requiring repair, maintenance, or specialized attention.
Execute advanced roofing installations on commercial buildings, ensuring high-quality finishes and structural integrity.
Mentor and coach roofing staff, offering on-the-job training and technical support.
Interact with clients and project managers to provide progress updates and address technical queries.
Monitor material usage, equipment functionality, and project timelines to ensure efficient workflow.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per project: Achieve an average revenue of $15,000 per completed commercial roof.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain a rating of >4.8 stars on client feedback surveys.
Project Completion Efficiency: Complete 95% of projects within the scheduled timeline.
Safety Compliance: Achieve a safety incident rate of <1% monthly.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
A minimum of 5 years’ experience in commercial roofing or a related field.
Proven proficiency in advanced roofing techniques and methodologies.
Strong leadership, mentoring, and team management skills.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to solve technical challenges effectively.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience as a Master Roofer or Lead Roofer in the commercial roofing industry.
Demonstrated success in managing large-scale commercial roofing projects.
Hands-on experience with modern roofing materials and installation technologies.
Familiarity with local and national roofing standards and safety regulations.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
Frequent exposure to outdoor and elevated work environments.
Capacity to work under varying weather conditions including hot, cold, and windy climates.
Endurance to work on sloped surfaces and at heights for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work schedule is from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday.
Occasional extended hours may be required to meet project deadlines.
On-site work in diverse commercial environments across multiple locations may include travel.
Expectation of adherence to rigorous safety protocols and on-call availability during critical project phases.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate between $30 - $40 or salary range of $65,000 - $85,000 per year, depending on experience.
Performance-based bonuses tied to project efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage available.
401(k) retirement plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a growth-oriented company dedicated to excellence in commercial roofing, fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment.
Our culture is built on continuous improvement, empowering employees to sharpen their skills and drive innovation.
We pride ourselves on a strong safety record, exceptional quality standards, and a commitment to customer satisfaction.
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 lead is the crew's best roofer and its teacher. On a commercial job they also answer for how the roof drains, how the fire risk is handled and whether the manufacturer signs off.
The final inspection is the lead's exam
A manufacturer's warranty can depend on its own inspection. Carlisle, for one, says every roof it warrants is inspected by a field service representative to check the installation against its specifications. The lead walks the roof first, probes seams and checks each detail, then walks it again with the inspector and clears the punch list before the crew leaves the job. Source: Carlisle SynTec: Warranty services.
Kettles and propane need a plan
Hot-mopped built-up roofs use asphalt from a kettle, and torches and many kettles run on propane. OSHA requires an extinguisher rated at least 10-B within 50 feet wherever more than 5 pounds of flammable gas is in use, and it bans storing LP gas inside buildings. Spare cylinders spend the night outside the building, never in a stairwell or a mechanical room. Source: 29 CFR 1926.150: Fire protection in construction (Cornell LII).
Drilling a concrete deck brings silica rules
Fastening into a concrete deck or adding drains means hammer drilling, coring or sawing concrete. OSHA's silica rule lists controls by tool that a company can follow instead of measuring the dust: a shroud and dust collector on a handheld hammer drill, water to the bit on a rig-mounted core drill, and water on the blade of a handheld saw. No dry sweeping where it adds to exposure. On top of that, the company keeps a written exposure control plan and names a competent person to enforce it. Source: 29 CFR 1926.1153: Respirable crystalline silica in construction (Cornell LII).
Water has to reach the drains
Ponding on an old roof often points to too little slope, a sagging deck or a clogged drain. A reroof is the chance to fix it with tapered insulation, crickets between drains and sumps at each drain. The lead lays these out from the spec or the engineer's plan, checks the drain bodies, strainers and overflows, and flags any spot where water will still sit.
Test welds set the day
Hot-air welders act differently as the air warms up, the wind picks up or a new membrane roll arrives. Have the lead run test welds each morning and whenever conditions change, set heat and speed from the results, and probe the crew's seams. Apprentices pick up the habit by seeing it every day.
How much commercial lead roofers make
Roofers who work for roofing contractors earned a median of $26.86 an hour ($55,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $55,440 median for roofers in all industries. About 122,140 of the 135,490 roofers in that survey work for roofing contractors.
The template offers hourly pay or a salary. If you pick salary, keep paying overtime unless a lawyer confirms an exemption fits. The federal white-collar exemptions say they never cover non-management construction workers, however well paid, and a lead who welds and flashes most of the day is still doing that work.
Roofing contractors
$55,860$55,860 median Middle half $46,340–$65,210 10th–90th $37,540–$81,290
All industries
$55,440$55,440 median Middle half $46,260–$65,390 10th–90th $37,460–$81,720
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Roofing contractors
$37,540
$46,340
$55,860
$65,210
$81,290
All industries
$37,460
$46,260
$55,440
$65,390
$81,720
BLS reports residential and commercial roofing 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
Years of low-slope work on more than one system, such as TPO and modified bitumen
Lays out tapered insulation and crickets that move water to the drains
Hands an apprentice the welder, then cuts open their test strip with them
Keeps torches away from wood nailers and crews inside the warning lines
Answers a building manager's leak or odor question without overpromising
Teach these on the job
Your warranty paperwork, punch list and photo app
Silica controls and your written exposure plan
Kettle setup and propane handling for leads from single-ply-only shops
A second membrane system, through the manufacturer's applicator classes
Lead roofers run the crew's robotic welder and test-weld routine, a moisture meter and probe for checking insulation, and a level or laser for checking slope to drains. They look after the fire extinguishers, warning line stanchions and any kettle or propane on the roof, and the job's punch list usually lives on their phone.
Commercial lead roofer interview questions
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 · Closing out a manufacturer inspection
The manufacturer's inspector flags [12] punch items on a big job, and the GC wants your crew off the roof tomorrow. What do you do?
A strong answer: Sorts the items, assigns the crew, fixes and photographs each one, tells the project manager the real finish time, and doesn't leave items that would block the warranty.
Behavioral · Developing roofers
Tell me about a roofer you trained from basic tasks to running seams or flashings alone. What steps did you take?
A strong answer: Clear stages, practice on scrap, checked work, more responsibility over time and a named result.
Think of the template's figures as a first guess. Replace them with your own after enough finished roofs and inspection reports pile up.
Revenue per project
Billed revenue for each roof the lead's crew completes, from job costing. Group roofs by size and system, since a small repair-heavy roof and a large warehouse reroof don't belong in one average.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
What owners, building managers and general contractors rate the lead's roofs when each one closes. Look for remarks about tenant disruption, odors and how fast questions got answered.
Project Completion Efficiency
Roofs handed over on the promised date, counting the manufacturer's punch list as part of the job. Track weather days apart from delays the crew could control.
Safety Compliance
Take the lead's injuries and near misses out of the incident log, and add what the foreman's spot checks found: warning lines, fire watch after torching and silica controls.
Career path
Journeyman rooferBuilds low-slope roofs and details with no one checking.
Lead rooferRuns one crew and passes the manufacturer's inspection.
Field supervisorCovers several roofs at once and works with each building's manager.
Project managerPlans reroofs from signed contract to delivered warranty.
Each morning they set the warning lines and work area, run test welds and hand out tasks. Through the day they build the toughest details, like drains and wall flashings, and probe seams behind the crew. They answer the foreman's calls and the building manager's questions. Before leaving, they seal every open edge of new roof to the old one so it stays watertight overnight.
How much does a commercial lead roofer make?
Roofers who work for roofing contractors earned a median of $26.86 an hour ($55,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $46,340 and $65,210 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Should a lead roofer know more than one roof system?
Yes, if you sell more than one. A lead who only knows TPO can't run a modified bitumen repair or a coating job on their own. Ask which systems they've installed, which they've flashed details on, and which manufacturers' inspections they've passed. Then fill the gaps with the maker's training before you need them.
What happens if the manufacturer's inspector finds problems?
Expect a punch list on most big roofs. The lead sorts the items, assigns them to the crew, fixes and photographs each one, and tells the project manager when the roof is ready to check again. Don't let a general contractor's schedule pull the crew off the roof with items still open.
What shows a commercial roofer is ready to lead?
Their name keeps showing up on clean inspections. Pull your last few manufacturer reports and see whose sections had the fewest punch items. Then watch how they set up a test weld and explain it to an apprentice. A good first lead job is a small recover, with a journeyman they already work well with.
Can I ask a lead roofer candidate about past injuries?
Not before a job offer. EEOC guidance bars asking applicants about job injuries or workers' compensation claims at that stage. Ask instead whether they can do the tasks the template lists, such as carrying 50-pound loads and working at heights. After a conditional offer the question is allowed, as long as you ask everyone hired into that job. The template's line about endurance at heights describes the person, so describe the roof work in your ad instead.
