A solar general manager runs sales, installs and service for one market and answers for its results. They keep each job moving from signed contract to a working system, handle customer problems, and make sure what sellers promised is what crews deliver.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
The General Manager is a dynamic leader responsible for overseeing multiple departments within the solar panel installation and service business. This role drives operational excellence, ensures exceptional customer service, and meets or exceeds key performance indicators to contribute to the company's growth and success.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead and manage cross-functional departments to ensure seamless operational workflow.
Monitor and analyze KPIs to drive continuous improvement and profitability.
Oversee project completion ensuring safety, quality, and adherence to timelines and budgets.
Develop and implement strategic plans to enhance service efficiency and customer satisfaction.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily performance reports and address any operational challenges.
Conduct team meetings to communicate expectations, updates, and performance targets.
Direct project scheduling and resource allocation for optimal efficiency.
Engage with customers to review project status, address concerns, and ensure service excellence.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per project: Minimum of $5,000 per completed project.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Greater than 4.8 stars based on post-service surveys.
Project Completion Rate: Achieve a 98% on-time completion metric.
Operational Efficiency: Maintain capacity efficiency at 90% or above.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in leadership roles within the home services or solar industry.
Strong analytical and decision-making skills with a proven track record in KPI management.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and team-building abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the solar energy or renewable energy sectors.
Background in managing large-scale installation projects and service operations.
Proven history of improving operational efficiency and profitability in a competitive market.
Familiarity with industry-specific software and project management tools.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds in an office or operational setting.
Capable of navigating both indoor office environments and outdoor project sites.
Comfortable working in diverse weather conditions on installation sites.
Ability to stand, walk, and perform light physical duties for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional evening or weekend work required during peak project periods.
Minimal travel between job sites and the central office as needed.
On-call responsibilities for urgent operational issues.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $90,000 - $120,000 USD per year.
Performance-based bonus structure tied to project completion and customer satisfaction.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company matching and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking company dedicated to excellence and innovation in the renewable energy sector. Our culture is built on transparency, collaboration, and a relentless drive to exceed customer expectations. We invest in our team's professional growth and celebrate achievements while fostering an environment where every employee is empowered to lead, innovate, and succeed.
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
What changes for a general manager at a solar company
Every general manager runs several departments. In solar, the sale is long, much of the paperwork sits with outside offices, and what a seller says at the kitchen table lands on your desk months later.
Check what sellers say about savings
The FTC warns homeowners that solar sellers may say they'll pay less for energy, and that future utility rates are hard to predict. It tells them never to deal with a company that pressures them for a quick decision or to sign without time to review. Check the savings estimates and scripts your sellers use, and ride along on appointments. Source: FTC: Solar power for your home.
Cash, loan, lease or power purchase
The Department of Energy's homeowner guide covers buying with cash, a solar loan, a lease or a power purchase agreement. Under a lease or PPA, a solar company owns the system, so the guide says the homeowner gets no tax benefits from it. Make sure sellers explain who owns the system, and that your service and warranty steps fit each type. Source: U.S. Department of Energy: Homeowner's guide to going solar.
Silence between sale and power-on
A site survey, design, permit, install, inspection and utility approval all sit between signing and the day the system runs. Customers who hear nothing for weeks start to cancel. Send a status update at each step, and give one person the job of calling customers whose project has stalled.
Systems other companies put in
When a solar company in your area closes, its customers start calling around for service. That can be a steady service line, but price the first visit as a diagnosis and check the maker's warranty terms before promising any repair.
How much solar general managers make
The closest BLS group for solar general managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $119,990 a year ($57.69 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 29,880 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for electrical contractors.
Salary with a bonus on finished projects and customer scores. The template's range sits at or below the BLS median shown for this code.
Electrical contractors
$119,990$119,990 median Middle half $84,900–$165,460 10th–90th $58,340–$230,120
All industries
$105,770$105,770 median Middle half $72,320–$167,280 10th–90th $50,090–$253,390
$0k$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
Electrical contractors
$58,340
$84,900
$119,990
$165,460
$230,120
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
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 both a sales team and an install or service team
Can read a solar proposal and spot a savings estimate that won't hold up
Keeps customers informed through long project timelines
Makes staffing calls between sales, installs and service each week
Stays calm with upset homeowners and fixes the cause
Teach these on the job
Your proposal and design software
Your lenders' and lease partners' rules
Local permit and utility steps in your market
Your warranty and service policies
Your project tracking reports
A solar GM works daily in the CRM and project tracker, such as Salesforce or Enerflo, and in the proposal tool sellers use, such as Aurora Solar. They should be able to pull a pipeline report by job stage without asking anyone.
Solar general manager 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 · Pacing sales to installs
Sales booked a record quarter, but crews can't install it all for [four] months, and cancellations are rising. What do you do?
A strong answer: Adds capacity carefully, gives customers realistic dates, schedules by permit readiness, works with sales on pacing and tracks cancellations weekly.
Behavioral · Leading through market change
Tell me about a time a sudden outside change, such as a utility tightening its interconnection rules, forced your team to change how it worked.
A strong answer: Got the facts, told the team honestly, updated designs, paperwork or sales promises quickly, and tracked whether jobs stopped stalling.
The template's targets are only samples. Base yours on your own average job size, survey scores and install history in this market.
Revenue per project
Divide completed project revenue by the count of completed projects each month, split by system type and by cash, loan or lease sales.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Survey every customer once the system is on, and sort low scores by seller, crew and job step so you can see where the trouble began.
Project Completion Rate
Check each finished job against the completion date promised at signing, and note whether permits, utility approval, weather or parts caused each miss.
Operational Efficiency
Compare the install and service hours your crews could work each week to the hours booked on real jobs, crew by crew.
What does the outdoor part of a solar general manager's job involve?
Lifting as much as 25 pounds on occasion, weather on install sites, and standing and walking for extended periods are the template's physical lines. Day to day, that's visiting jobs to meet customers, checking finished work with a crew lead and carrying samples or a tablet into a home. Put each of those duties in your job ad, and say plainly if roof access is expected.
How much does a solar general manager make?
General and operations managers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $119,990 a year ($57.69 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $84,900 and $165,460 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What should a solar general manager do when a customer tries to cancel?
Find out why first: a delay, a surprise in the loan or a savings promise that didn't hold. Fix what you can and put it in writing. If they still want out, follow the contract and the law. Track every cancellation's cause by seller and lender, and share the pattern each month.
Can one solar general manager run more than one market?
Yes, when nearby markets share a warehouse, a utility and permit offices that work alike. Once each market has its own sales team and crews, add a general manager or an operations manager in each so customers and inspectors get a fast answer.
How is a solar general manager different from a solar sales manager?
A sales manager answers for signed contracts. A general manager answers for what comes after: installs on time, systems turned on and customers who would refer you. That's why the GM needs the authority to slow sales when the install backlog grows.
