A solar company COO runs everything between a signed contract and a working system: design, permits, installs, inspections, utility approval and service. They set crew capacity, safety rules and the steps every job follows, so installs keep pace with what sales signs.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
Solar Panel Install & Service - Chief Operating Officer
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Chief Executive Officer]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Provides visionary leadership and operational oversight for daily field operations in the solar panel installation and service industry. Drives operational efficiency, safety standards, and profitability while aligning departmental goals with overall business strategy. Collaborates with executive leadership to foster innovation and growth in a competitive market.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead and manage daily field operations ensuring all activities comply with safety and quality guidelines.
Develop and implement operational strategies that boost efficiency and service delivery.
Oversee resource allocation, scheduling, and performance metrics to maintain high operational standards.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement and proactive problem solving across the operational team.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor and review field operations to ensure adherence to industry safety standards and operational protocols.
Conduct regular team meetings to review performance, address challenges, and communicate company updates.
Coordinate with service technicians and installation teams to resolve customer issues efficiently.
Analyze daily performance metrics and adjust resource planning to meet operational targets.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Operational Efficiency Rate: Achieve a minimum of 90% efficiency.
Safety Compliance: Maintain safety incident rates at less than 3% annually.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve a rating of over 4.8 stars.
Field Productivity: Ensure at least $150 revenue per operating hour.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years’ experience in operational leadership roles within the home services or renewable energy industry.
Exceptional organizational, leadership, and communication skills.
Proficient in data analysis, project management, and operational strategy tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the solar panel installation and service industry or related renewable energy sector.
Proven track record of managing large-scale teams and complex field operations.
Experience implementing quality assurance protocols and driving operational improvements.
Demonstrated expertise in budget management and cost control.
7. Physical Requirements
Capable of occasional lifting of up to 25 lbs for on-site evaluations.
Ability to travel to various project sites and work in variable outdoor environments including extreme temperatures.
Comfortable working in both office settings and on-site conditions.
Adaptable to both structured office environments and dynamic field operations.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Regular office hours with additional on-call duties as required during peak project periods.
Occasional travel to field sites and operational meetings.
Flexible work schedule to accommodate project deadlines and operational emergencies.
Collaborative work environment that encourages team interaction and continuous improvement.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 USD, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonus structure available.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401k plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off, professional development opportunities, and wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are an innovative and forward-thinking company dedicated to advancing renewable energy solutions.
Our culture emphasizes collaboration, continuous learning, and a commitment to operational excellence.
We value diversity, creativity, and a proactive approach to problem-solving, enabling every team member to contribute meaningfully to our success.
As part of our team, you'll be empowered to drive change and make a significant impact in a rapidly growing industry.
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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A COO in any trade runs the field. In solar, each job waits on permit offices and utilities before it earns money, and the company keeps serving the system for years after it's on.
Some towns issue permits instantly
SolarAPP+ is an online tool, run by the nonprofit SolarAPP Foundation, that gives home solar and storage designs a permit instantly when they meet code, in towns that adopt it. Know which of your jurisdictions use it, build designs that pass it, and pull install dates forward there. Elsewhere, track each permit office's usual review time. Source: SolarAPP Foundation: SolarAPP+.
Removed panels may be hazardous waste
EPA says some end-of-life solar panels count as hazardous waste and some don't, even within the same model, because metals such as lead and cadmium can fail its leaching test. EPA is still developing a rule to add panels to the universal waste program. Set one process for broken and removed panels: where they're stored, who documents them and which recycler takes them. Source: EPA: End-of-life solar panels, regulations and management.
Sales can outrun the crews
Signed jobs can pile up fast in a good month, and a long wait gives customers time to cancel. Give sales a weekly install capacity by crew type, and agree ahead of time on what happens when the backlog passes it: overtime, a subcontract crew or later dates.
Service lasts as long as the system
Inverter and battery makers' monitoring apps flag systems that stop producing. Someone has to read those alerts, book the visit and file the warranty claim with the maker. The COO decides whether service is its own team with its own targets or shares crews with installs.
How much solar company COOs make
The closest BLS group for solar company COOs is chief executives. Chief executives who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $172,410 a year ($82.89 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 630 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for electrical contractors.
Salary and bonus, as in the template. Bonus goals here should reward installs finished, safety and service rather than sales volume.
Electrical contractors
$172,410$172,410 median Middle half $118,510–$266,910 10th–90th $90,720–$403,030
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
Electrical contractors
$90,720
$118,510
$172,410
$266,910
$403,030
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for solar installers on their own. These figures cover electrical and wiring contractors, 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
Has run install or construction crews in several towns at once
Builds job steps from sale to utility approval and holds people to them
Reads job costing and crew productivity reports without help
Runs a safety program with real field checks, not just paperwork
Works well with sales leaders on capacity and timelines
Teach these on the job
Your permit offices and their review habits
Each utility's interconnection steps
Your inverter, racking and battery makers' install manuals
Your project and monitoring software
Your recycler and disposal steps for removed equipment
Solar operations often run on project software built for solar, such as Enerflo, or a CRM like Salesforce, plus a monitoring portal for each inverter brand. Ask candidates which systems they built or configured from scratch.
Solar company COO 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 · Cutting cycle time
Time from signed contract to permission to operate has doubled in a year. How would you find the bottlenecks?
A strong answer: Breaks it into stages, from survey through design, permit, interconnection, install, inspection and PTO, measures each, fixes the longest and tracks it weekly.
Behavioral · Building teams
Tell me about an operations team you built from a small group, such as permitting, scheduling and install crews.
A strong answer: Set clear roles for permitting, scheduling and field work, simple handoffs and the first few measures they tracked.
Use the template's targets as placeholders. After a few months of clean data from your crews and markets, set your own and revisit them with the CEO quarterly.
Operational Efficiency Rate
Compare scheduled crew hours to hours spent on billable install and service work, from your field software's time records. Log rain days, permit holds and missing parts as separate causes.
Safety Compliance
Use your OSHA injury log, near-miss reports and site safety audit results, counted per crew and per hours worked, and review them with crew leads.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Survey customers after install and again after the system is turned on, and read each low score with the project file open.
Field Productivity
Each month, divide field revenue by the field hours you paid for, splitting install and service crews, and find the cause behind each weak week.
Career path
Production managerRuns install crews and learns permit and inspection timing.
The template names occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds for on-site checks, and outdoor work that can mean extreme temperatures. In practice that means carrying a test meter, a tablet and a box of parts, walking a ground-mount array in summer sun or winter wind, and standing with a crew while you check their work. Say in the ad whether you expect roof visits, and list the tasks so candidates can judge them.
How much does a solar company COO make?
Chief executives who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $172,410 a year ($82.89 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $118,510 and $266,910 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should a solar COO handle the permit and utility paperwork?
The COO should own the process and its results, not fill in each form. A permit coordinator or project manager files permits and interconnection requests, and the COO watches how long each step takes and where jobs stall.
When does a solar company need a general manager under the COO?
When there is enough work to split. A common setup puts the COO over the job process in every market, with a general manager running one market or region end to end. At a single location, one person often does both. Write down who signs off on schedules, hires and budgets so nothing falls between them.
Should a solar COO come from solar or from construction?
Solar experience shortens the learning curve on permits, utilities and equipment. A COO from roofing, electrical or home building can do well if they have run crews at volume and learn the utility side fast. Test either kind on a real backlog from your own pipeline.
What should a solar COO ask equipment makers for?
Crew training on new inverters and batteries, clear warranty claim steps and a named contact for failures in the field. Before you switch brands, ask each maker what training and field support it gives installers, and compare the answers.
