A roofing chief operating officer is responsible for getting every sold roof installed safely, on time and to the approved scope. The COO runs the crews and subs, materials and warranty repairs, and plans for the rush that follows a big storm.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for guiding large-scale roofing operations, ensuring high levels of efficiency while spearheading business expansion initiatives. Acts as a strategic partner to the CEO and executive team in achieving organizational goals. Plays a critical role in maintaining operational excellence and driving financial performance.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement operational strategies that support sustainable growth and enhanced profitability.
Oversee daily roofing operations ensuring adherence to quality and safety standards.
Monitor key performance metrics and drive process improvements across all operational areas.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align operational goals with business objectives.
Evaluate and enhance operational systems to reduce inefficiencies and support expansion initiatives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily performance reports and operational dashboards to identify areas for improvement.
Engage with field operations leaders to ensure project progress and resolve any critical issues.
Manage business prospecting initiatives in alignment with growth objectives.
Facilitate regular operational meetings to synchronize efforts across departments.
Interface with key clients to address their operational concerns and ensure customer satisfaction.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per project: $150,000.
Operational efficiency: Achieve a minimum of 90% capacity efficiency.
Customer satisfaction rating: >4.8 stars.
New sales leads generated per quarter: Minimum 15.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or related field.
Minimum of 10 years in operational leadership roles, preferably within the home services industry.
Strong strategic planning and financial acumen.
Excellent communication, leadership, and decision-making skills.
Proficient with operational analytics and performance monitoring tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience as a senior operational leader within the roofing or construction industries.
Background in managing large-scale projects and multi-site operations.
Proven track record of business expansion and process optimization.
Familiarity with regulatory and safety compliance in the roofing industry.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to travel frequently to multiple job sites and corporate locations.
Occasionally work in onsite environments which may require adherence to safety protocols.
Occasional lifting or moving materials may be required during site inspections.
Work in variable weather conditions when visiting roofing sites.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
May require extended hours during peak operational periods.
Frequent travel between office and job sites is expected.
On-call availability during critical operational emergencies.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 USD.
Performance-based bonuses tied directly to operational KPIs.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
Additional fringe benefits include life insurance and paid time off.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a collaborative and innovative culture where every team member’s contributions are valued.
We believe in continuous learning, professional growth, and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction.
Join us and be part of a supportive environment focused on building a lasting legacy in the roofing industry.
Our culture champions transparency, diversity, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
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 COO owns the stretch between a signed contract and a finished roof. In residential roofing, that stretch runs over steep pitches, stops for rain, and often depends on crews who work for someone else.
Fall protection is the first procedure
OSHA requires fall protection once residential construction workers are 6 feet or higher above a lower level. The standard options are guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest, meaning a harness tied to an anchor. If an employer can show those aren't feasible or create a greater hazard, it must follow a written fall protection plan. The COO decides what gear each crew carries, how anchors go in, and who checks it on every roof. Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1926.501, Duty to have fall protection.
Training has to be on paper
OSHA requires fall hazard training for each worker who might be exposed, given by a competent person. Each worker's training is certified in writing, with their name, the training dates and a signature from the trainer or the employer. Workers are retrained when changes in the work or the gear make old training out of date. When a storm brings a rush of new hires, the COO makes sure nobody goes up before that record exists. Source: OSHA: 29 CFR 1926.503, Fall protection training requirements.
Sub crews still work under your name
Many roofing companies use subcontracted crews. Under OSHA's multi-employer citation policy, an employer with general supervisory authority over a site, by contract or in practice, must use reasonable care to prevent and find violations, though less than it owes its own workers. The COO sets how often supervisors check sub crews, and what happens when one is found without fall protection. Source: OSHA directive CPL 02-00-124: Multi-employer citation policy.
Rain sets the production schedule
A crew should tear off only what it can dry in the same day. When rain is in the forecast, production decides which jobs start, which wait, and how to move materials, dumpsters and crews without leaving a homeowner's roof open. After a storm, that same board has to absorb weeks of new work, and the COO decides how it stretches.
The approved scope runs the job
On insurance jobs, the crew builds what the insurer's estimate and any approved supplements cover, plus anything the homeowner adds. The COO sets the handoff from sales to production. Measurements, photos, scope, shingle color and permit status are all confirmed before material is ordered. Surprises found on the roof, like rotted decking, go back through the same steps.
How much roofing chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for roofing chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $169,170 a year ($81.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 3,830 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for specialty trade contractors.
Base pay plus a bonus for job margins, on-time installs and customer satisfaction scores.
Specialty trade contractors
$169,170$169,170 median Middle half $100,570–$283,340 10th–90th $69,930–$386,670
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
Specialty trade contractors
$69,930
$100,570
$169,170
$283,340
$386,670
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS counts too few chief executives at roofing contractors for a steady figure, so these figures cover specialty trade contractors. 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 run production for roofing or other exterior construction crews
Builds safety programs that crews follow on the roof, not only in a binder
Manages subcontractors with clear standards and follow-up
Catches capacity and job cost problems early and fixes them
Adds storm-season capacity and keeps install quality steady
Teach these on the job
The job boards and checklists you run in your CRM
What an insurance scope covers and how supplements get approved
The install specs your shingle brands set for warranty coverage
How reroof permits and inspections work in your towns
Your supply house's delivery and return process
Production runs on the job boards in your roofing CRM (JobNimbus, AccuLynx and similar tools), aerial measurement reports, photo apps such as CompanyCam, and the supply house's ordering portal. A COO candidate will want to know whether those systems are already in place or still need building.
The template's revenue-per-project figure reads like commercial work, not home reroofs, so set targets from your own job mix. Production and sales should see these every week, and the CEO at each monthly review.
Revenue per project
Monthly revenue divided by jobs closed out, pulled from your CRM. The template's figure fits large or commercial jobs, so set a reroof target from your own average and track repairs separately.
Operational efficiency
Each week, compare the crew days you scheduled with the crew days you had, in-house and sub crews alike. Log rain days separately so the weather doesn't hide a scheduling problem.
Customer satisfaction rating
Ratings and post-job surveys sorted by crew and by project manager. Comments about cleanup, nails left in the yard or missed updates point to fixes that production owns.
New sales leads generated per quarter
Leads that come from the production side: neighbors who stop a crew to ask about their roof, repairs that turn into replacements, and warranty visits. Tag the source in your CRM so the field gets credit.
The COO makes sure what sales signs gets built well and on time. That covers scheduling, crews and subs, material orders, safety, quality checks and warranty repairs. The COO sets the procedures, plans crew capacity for storm season, and leads the production manager, project managers and field supervisors. The CEO looks out at markets and money. The COO looks in at how the work gets done.
How much does a roofing chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $169,170 a year ($81.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $100,570 and $283,340 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What is the difference between a roofing COO and a production manager?
Think in time frames. A production manager owns the next few weeks: which crew goes where, when shingles land, and which permits and inspections are still open. A COO owns the next year: safety rules, standards for subs, software, hiring plans and often the warranty team. Plenty of one-branch roofers do fine with a strong production manager alone. A second branch, or an owner still putting out production fires every day, is a good sign it's time for a COO.
Which OSHA rules matter most for a roofing COO?
Start with fall protection. OSHA's preliminary list of its most-cited standards for fiscal year 2026 puts fall protection first. Ladders and fall protection training are also in the top ten. OSHA says falls are the leading cause of death in construction. In 2024, 389 of the 1,034 construction deaths were falls to a lower level. Build your inspections and training records around these rules first.
Does a roofing COO need roofing experience?
Roofing time is a big plus. A leader who has run crews can judge an install from the ground, spot bad flashing in a photo, and earn respect from foremen. Leaders from other construction or exterior trades can do the job if they learn roof systems quickly. Either way, the COO should walk active jobs every week and lean on a master roofer for technical calls.
How should a roofing COO plan for storm season?
Plan before the storm. Line up extra sub crews and check their insurance and paperwork early. Agree on material supply with your supply house, decide how many weeks out install dates can go, and set how warranty calls fit around new installs. After a big storm, watch crew quality closely, since rushed work on long days is where callbacks start.
