Solar installation & service HR manager job description
A solar HR manager recruits and keeps installers, electricians, in-home sellers and office staff, and makes sure pay, hiring and injury records are correct. At a solar company that means sorting out how commission sellers are paid, tracking electrical licenses and planning hiring around the install season.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
Oversee and manage all HR functions for the solar panel install and service division to ensure optimized hiring, comprehensive training, labor compliance, and a strong company culture. Serve as a strategic partner in aligning human resources practices with the company’s overall business objectives.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead and manage the full-cycle recruitment process to attract top talent for solar panel installation and service roles.
Develop, implement, and monitor training programs to ensure staff are skilled in both technical aspects and customer service.
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal labor laws and regulations, conducting regular audits and updates.
Foster a positive and inclusive company culture that promotes team collaboration, professional growth, and exceptional service delivery.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and screen incoming job applications and coordinate interviews with potential candidates.
Conduct onboarding sessions and organize ongoing training and development workshops.
Monitor and update HR policies and procedures to adapt to regulatory changes and business needs.
Interact regularly with team members and managers to assess staffing needs and address employee concerns.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Time-to-fill vacancies: Achieve an average of 30 days or less per position.
Employee retention rate: Maintain a retention rate of 90% or higher annually.
Training completion rate: Ensure 100% of new hires complete the onboarding program within the first month.
Compliance audit score: Attain a minimum of 95% compliance on all labor audits.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR managerial experience, preferably in a technical or service-oriented industry.
Strong knowledge of labor laws, HR best practices, and training program development.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience managing HR in the renewable energy or home services industry.
Familiarity with solar panel installation practices or technical service environments.
Experience working in fast-paced, growth-focused organizations.
Competence in using HRIS systems and digital recruitment platforms.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in an office environment with occasional visits to field locations.
May require extended periods of sitting or standing during meetings and training sessions.
Capability to handle light lifting (up to 20 lbs) for organizing training materials.
Comfortable working in varying environmental conditions during occasional site visits.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours with additional hours as needed to meet project deadlines and handle candidate interviews.
Occasional travel to field sites and training sessions.
Flexibility to work on-call during peak operational periods.
Balanced work environment that supports remote work when applicable.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 USD per year, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonus opportunities available.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company match and other fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company dynamically champions innovation in the renewable energy sector, empowering employees to drive positive change both on the ground and in the communities we serve.
We cultivate an inclusive, growth-oriented environment where each team member is valued, encouraged to learn, and provided with the tools to 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].
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A solar company hires two very different groups: crews who work on roofs and electrical gear, and sellers who work in customers' homes. Each brings its own rules.
Closers and phone setters fall under different pay rules
Federal rules exempt outside sales employees from minimum wage and overtime when their main job is making sales and they're regularly away from the office doing it. No salary test applies to them. Selling by phone, mail or internet doesn't qualify unless it only backs up in-person visits. So a setter on the phones, or a closer who sells by video call from home, usually needs minimum wage and overtime even when the door-to-door closer doesn't. State wage laws can be stricter. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR Part 541, Subpart F, outside sales employees (541.500 and 541.502).
Some Tennessee towns need an LLE
In Tennessee, for example, the state says electricians working in a town that uses its Division of Fire Prevention for permits or inspections need a limited licensed electrician (LLE) license, which covers work under 25,000 dollars per project. The state tells electricians to check first whether the local government accepts the LLE or has its own licensing rules. Track which hires hold which license, where it's valid and when it expires. Source: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors: Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE).
Tennessee requires E-Verify at 35 workers
Since January 1, 2023, Tennessee has required E-Verify from any private employer that reaches 35 full-time equivalent employees under one federal tax ID, counting staff who work in or outside the state. The state's law also asks companies to request and keep copies of ID and work authorization papers for non-employees they pay directly for labor, such as 1099 commission sellers, unless an exception applies. Run both checks during the spring hiring push. Source: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development: Employment verification (Tennessee Lawful Employment Act).
The injury summary goes to OSHA online
In construction, an establishment with 20 to 249 employees has to send OSHA the past year's Form 300A summary in electronic form, due March 2. The rule's list covers all of construction, NAICS sector 23, which takes in electrical contractors. Log each injury the week it happens, so the March upload takes minutes and nobody has to dig through old texts. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1904.41, annual electronic submission of injury and illness records.
Hire before the roofs thaw
Plan crew hiring backward from your busiest months. New installers need safety training and ride-along time before they're useful on a roof. In colder states such as South Dakota, start interviews in late winter, so new crew members finish training before spring jobs fill the board, and stay in touch with good seasonal hires from last year.
How much solar installation & service HR managers make
The closest BLS group for solar installation & service HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $132,980 a year ($63.93 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $149,280 median for human resources managers in all industries. About 490 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for electrical contractors.
Salaried, often with a bonus. The template's range starts lower than BLS pay for nearly all HR managers at electrical contractors and tops out far short of the median, so it fits an HR generalist better than a manager.
Electrical contractors
$132,980$132,980 median Middle half $101,520–$169,990 10th–90th $82,270–$208,020
All industries
$149,280$149,280 median Middle half $111,110–$199,290 10th–90th $88,200–$267,810
$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
$82,270
$101,520
$132,980
$169,990
$208,020
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
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
Running high-volume hiring for both field crews and sales teams
Working knowledge of federal wage and hour rules, including sales exemptions
Clean records for licenses, I-9s, training and injuries
Straight talk with installers in the yard and with managers in the office
Handling complaints and discipline fairly and on paper
Teach these on the job
Solar job titles and what each crew member does
Licensing rules in each state where you work
OSHA recordkeeping forms and online filing
Your HRIS, payroll and applicant tracking tools
How your commission plans are written
Expect payroll software tied to an HRIS, an applicant tracking tool, and a sheet or app listing each worker's licenses and training dates. Ask candidates how they would get an expiring license in front of a manager before the worker loses the right to do the job.
Solar installation & service HR 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 · Spring hiring
You need [ten] installers and [two] licensed electricians for a busy spring. What would you do?
A strong answer: Uses referrals, trade schools and solar training programs, recruits from roofing and electrical work, checks pay against the market, moves fast and schedules safety training before day one.
Behavioral · Investigating complaints
Tell me about a time you investigated a complaint that a sales manager pressured reps to mislead customers.
A strong answer: Interviewed everyone involved, gathered records like call recordings and texts, kept it confidential, guarded against retaliation and decided on the evidence.
The template's targets are samples. Field and sales turnover run on different cycles, so set and review each group's goals separately.
Time-to-fill vacancies
Measure each job family's time from approved opening to signed offer: installers, electricians, sellers and office staff. Name the stuck openings in a weekly report.
Employee retention rate
Track who is still on staff after their first year and who leaves in the first months, split by field, sales and office, and tie each exit to a reason from the exit talk.
Training completion rate
Record each new hire's onboarding and safety modules with dates in sign-off sheets or the HRIS, and check the list weekly until every new hire is signed off.
Compliance audit score
Every quarter, spot-check a handful of employee files for I-9s, license copies, wage notices, injury logs and training records, and count what is missing or out of date.
Career path
Recruiter for field or sales teamsFills crew and sales openings and keeps hiring files.
HR managerRuns hiring, pay rules, records and training.
HR director or VP of peopleLeads HR across several markets or companies.
Other roles in a solar installation & service business
What site visits and lifting come with the solar HR manager job?
Expect to carry boxes of training binders or sign-in sheets to a session, set up a room and stand to lead a class. Site visits mean driving to a job or the warehouse, standing in a yard or driveway in sun, cold or wind, and talking with crews on the ground. HR staff don't go up on roofs.
How much does a solar installation & service HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $132,980 a year ($63.93 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $101,520 and $169,990 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should HR or the sales manager hire in-home sales reps?
Split it. The sales manager decides who can sell and runs the ride-alongs. HR sets the wage and hour terms of the pay plan with the CFO, handles the hiring paperwork and keeps each rep's file. That split keeps a strong closer from selling in homes before their onboarding is done.
At what size should a solar company hire its own HR manager?
Often when hiring outgrows the office manager: a sales team that turns over quickly, crews working in more than one state, or a headcount large enough that a missed filing starts to cost real money. Before that, an HR generalist with outside payroll help can usually cover the work.
How should a solar HR manager handle winter layoffs?
Plan them in the fall. Move who you can to service calls, battery add-ons or warehouse work, and tell the rest early when work will slow and how recalls will work. Pay final wages on your state's timeline and give any unemployment notices your state requires. Rules vary by state.
