A journeyman roofer tears off, installs and repairs home roofs without a lead checking each step. They handle the details that keep water out, like valleys, step flashing, pipe boots and vents. On repair calls, they explain the fix to the homeowner.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $37,540, middle half $46,340 to $65,210, 90th percentile $81,290. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Lead roofer or production manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays, with storm-season overtime · Long days to get a roof dried in ahead of weather, plus on-call leak and tarp calls in peak season and after storms
Serves as a skilled roofing professional responsible for installing, repairing, and replacing roofing systems with minimal supervision. Ensures quality work and adherence to safety standards while delivering reliable service. Contributes directly to the overall success of the team by addressing customer needs and supporting operational excellence. Acts as a key representative of the company’s commitment to top-tier workmanship and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Install new roofing systems accurately and efficiently, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
Repair existing roofing systems, diagnosing issues and implementing effective solutions.
Replace outdated or damaged roofs, coordinating with team members for uninterrupted workflow.
Maintain a safe and clean work environment by adhering to all safety protocols and company guidelines.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Inspect roofing sites daily to assess installation or repair needs and prepare necessary materials.
Communicate directly with customers to explain procedures, address concerns, and offer maintenance tips.
Coordinate with team members on job progress, ensuring projects meet quality and timing targets.
Conduct routine safety checks and inventory reviews to support efficient work practices throughout the day.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Installation Completion Rate: Achieve a minimum of 95% successful installations per quarter.
First-Time Fix Rate: Maintain a target of 90% repairs completed correctly on the first attempt.
Safety Compliance: Record zero safety incidents per 1,000 hours worked.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Consistently exceed a 4.8-star rating from client feedback.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent along with relevant roofing certification.
Minimum of 3 years’ proven experience in roofing installation, repair, and replacement.
Strong knowledge of roofing materials, tools, and techniques coupled with OSHA safety standards.
Excellent problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and a focused attention to detail.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in both residential and commercial roofing projects.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and as an active team member in fast-paced environments.
Familiarity with modern roofing technology and methods, including energy-efficient systems.
Experience collaborating with project managers to deliver projects on time and within budget.
7. Physical Requirements
Able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds consistently during work shifts.
Comfortable working at heights and on various roof slopes and conditions.
Ability to work in outdoor environments experiencing fluctuating weather conditions.
Required to stand, climb, and maneuver on ladders and scaffolding for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, with flexibility for extended hours to meet project deadlines.
Moderate travel required between job sites within the local area.
Occasional exposure to inclement weather conditions while performing job duties.
Expect availability for on-call assignments during peak seasons or emergency repair situations.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $22.00 - $30.00 per hour, commensurate with experience and skills.
Performance bonuses available based on timely project completions and customer satisfaction metrics.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans provided to employees.
Additional benefits include a 401k plan, paid time off, and opportunities for ongoing training and career advancement.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and mutual respect.
We believe in continuous learning and providing every team member the tools needed to excel and advance in their career.
Our commitment to quality work and exceptional customer service drives innovation and a sense of community among our staff.
Join our dedicated team and contribute to a company that values integrity, hard work, and personal development.
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
A residential roofer works on a steep, hot surface above someone's home, often on an insurance job, and the weather decides when the roof can be open.
Fall protection on every roof
OSHA's residential rule starts at 6 feet. Above that height, roofers need guardrails, safety nets or a personal fall arrest system, with a few set exceptions, such as roofing on low-slope roofs. OSHA says slide guards alone don't meet the rule. They can be part of a written plan for that site only when the employer shows the usual systems won't work or would add danger. Source: OSHA: Fall protection in residential construction, FAQ.
Leaks start at the details
Water gets in at edges and openings, not through the open field of shingles. It finds valleys, step flashing along a wall, a missing kick-out at the bottom of a wall, and worn seals on pipe boots and vents. A journeyman gets these right without being checked. They also follow the shingle maker's printed nailing and exposure instructions on every course.
Stop and photograph before covering
The homeowner's insurer often pays for storm roofs, based on a scope the adjuster approved. Tear-off can turn up rotted decking or a second layer nobody expected. When it does, the journeyman stops and takes photos before anything covers it. Those photos show what the approved scope missed. Once the new roof is on, the proof is gone.
Piece rate still means overtime
Paying per square doesn't cancel federal overtime. Add up the week's piece pay and any bonuses, then divide by the hours worked to get the regular rate. For every hour past 40, the roofer is owed half of that rate on top. Track hours on piece-rate weeks too, and ask your payroll provider about your state's rules. Source: 29 CFR 778.111: Overtime for pieceworkers (Cornell LII).
Check who holds the license
Who must hold a roofing license differs from state to state. In Minnesota, for example, only companies need a residential roofer license, and one qualifying person takes the exam for the business. Before you list a license as a must-have for an individual roofer, find out from the state agency that licenses roofers what, if anything, the roofer needs personally. Source: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry: Roofer license.
Residential vs. commercial roofer
Both trades keep water out of buildings. The roof shape, the materials, the fall rules and the customer change between them.
Topic
Residential
Commercial
Roof slope
Mostly steep-slope roofs on houses
Mostly low-slope roofs on businesses and apartment buildings
Main materials
Asphalt shingles, plus some metal, tile and slate
Single-ply membranes such as TPO and EPDM, and built-up roofs
Fall protection
Guardrails, nets or a harness system at 6 feet and up
On low-slope roofs, warning lines with a safety monitor are among the allowed options
Typical job
One house, often torn off and reroofed after a storm
A large roof that can take weeks, often under a general contractor
Who they deal with
Homeowners, often at home during the work
Property managers, building owners and general contractors' superintendents
How much journeyman 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 pays hourly, with bonuses for on-time jobs and customer satisfaction. Some residential shops pay installers by the square, the trade's unit of roof area, instead of by the hour.
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
Installs shingles, underlayment and flashing to the maker's instructions without checks on every course
Traces a leak to its source instead of sealing over the stain
Ties off every time, without being told
Explains a repair to a homeowner in plain words
Photographs damage and hidden problems before covering them
Teach these on the job
Your photo and job-sheet routine for insurance jobs
The shingle lines and accessories you install most
Your final checklist and warranty paperwork
Metal, tile or low-slope repairs, if they've only done shingles
Your photo app and job notes
Journeyman roofers carry a roofing hatchet, hook-blade knife, chalk line, tin snips, hand seamers and pry bar, and run a coil roofing nailer off the company compressor. Many crews document jobs with a photo app like CompanyCam. List the hand tools a roofer must own and the ones you provide.
Journeyman roofer interview questions
They have their own page: 7 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
After one season, reset each target using your job records and callback log.
Installation Completion Rate
Installs finished to your checklist on the scheduled day, without a second trip to fix missed items, out of all installs the roofer worked that quarter. Pull it from your job records.
First-Time Fix Rate
Leak repairs that stay dry through the next real rain with no second visit, out of all repairs the roofer did. Log every callback against the person who made the first repair.
Safety Compliance
Recordable injuries plus safety corrections, set against hours worked, from your injury log and the foreman's notes. Count near misses too, and never punish a roofer for reporting one.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Post-job ratings and online reviews mentioning the roofer or crew, checked monthly. Read the homeowners' comments on cleanup, since nails left in a driveway can sink a good roof's rating.
Most days they tear off and reroof houses with a crew, laying underlayment, shingles and flashing to the maker's instructions. On repair days they find leaks, replace damaged shingles and reseal flashing, often alone or with one helper. They also check the deck and materials before starting, talk homeowners through the work, and keep the site safe and clean.
How much does a journeyman 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.
What certification should a journeyman roofer have?
The template wants a roofing certification but leaves the choice to you. One option is NRCA's Asphalt Shingle Systems Installer certification. It asks for at least 18 months of shingle work, some of it in the past year. The roofer also needs an employer's sign-off, an exam and a hands-on skills test. Separately, BLS notes that most employers require safety certification that meets OSHA guidelines. Many shingle makers train installers on their own products as well.
What does journeyman mean in roofing?
In union shops, it marks a roofer who has finished the apprenticeship and earns journeyperson wages. In many residential companies it is simply a title for a roofer you trust on a roof with no one checking their work. The template sets the bar at three years of installs, repairs and replacements, so decide what proof of that you'll accept.
Should a journeyman roofer know commercial roofing?
The template lists residential and commercial experience as a plus. For a home roofing company, the useful part of commercial experience is low-slope work. Low porch roofs, shed dormers and flat additions often get a membrane instead of shingles. A shingle roofer who has never sealed a membrane needs training before you send them to one.
How can I test a journeyman roofer before hiring?
Ask them to flash a mock chimney or a short wall section in your yard, or bring them out for a paid trial day with a crew. Watch how they lay out, nail and tie off, and ask them to walk you through a leak they traced. Pay for the trial time, since it's real work.
