Office Manager Job Description for a Contracting or Trades Company
By BRIX Editorial Team · Updated
A trades office manager job description should say the person runs the business side of the shop: billing and collections, payroll preparation, vendor and insurance paperwork, and the office team. Name the numbers they'll own, like days to invoice, and post a range; BLS puts office supervisors at trade contractors at $33.42 an hour.
Key takeaways
- Write it around outcomes the manager owns: cash in, payroll right, office team covered.
- Be honest about the bookkeeping share. If it's most of the job, say so, and benchmark pay to bookkeeping instead.
- Pay anchors (BLS, May 2025, specialty trade contractors): $25.99 bookkeeping clerks, $33.42 office supervisors.
- State whether the role is exempt or hourly, and don't call it exempt unless it meets the duties test.
- Ask applicants for one example of a process they fixed. Good office managers fix systems, not just tasks.
What belongs in an office manager job description?
Six things: a short summary of your company and why the role exists, the areas the person will own, the software they'll use, how you'll measure them, the people they'll manage, and pay and schedule. Most office manager postings fail because they list 30 tasks without saying which ones matter. Strong candidates want to know what they're responsible for and how much authority they'll have.
Edit the bracketed sections, delete lines that don't apply to your shop, and keep the final version to one page.
Office Manager, [Company name]
Why this role exists
[Company name] is a [number]-truck [HVAC / plumbing / electrical / roofing] company in [area]. We've grown to the point where the office needs a leader. You'll run the business side of the shop so our owner can focus on customers, crews and growth.
What you'll own
Billing: every completed job invoiced accurately the same or next business day.
Collections: follow-up on past-due accounts, payment plans and escalations.
Payroll prep: collect and check timesheets, overtime and bonuses, and send clean payroll to [provider] on schedule.
Payables: supplier bills, credit card reconciliation and vendor accounts.
Compliance paperwork: insurance certificates, license and registration renewals, vehicle records.
Office team: lead [number] CSRs and [a dispatcher]: schedules, coverage, coaching and hiring support.
Escalated customers: billing disputes and complaints the front desk can't settle.
Owner reporting: a weekly one-page summary of sales, cash, receivables and open estimates.
Tools
[QuickBooks Online / other accounting software], [field service software], [payroll provider], Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
How we'll measure success
Average days from job completion to invoice.
Share of receivables more than 60 days past due.
Payroll corrections per month, and on-time renewals (no lapses).
Office team coverage: calls answered and staff retention.
What you bring
[3+] years running or supporting the office of a trades, construction, medical or other service business.
Hands-on experience with [QuickBooks] including invoicing, payments and reconciliations.
Experience supervising or training at least one other person.
Organized, direct and calm with upset customers and busy technicians.
Nice to have: job costing, payroll processing, certificate-of-insurance tracking.
Schedule
Monday–Friday, [7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.], on site at [location]. Occasional extra hours at month-end and in peak season.
Pay and benefits
$[low]–$[high] [an hour / a year], depending on experience. [Exempt / non-exempt]. [Health insurance, retirement match, paid time off, paid holidays.]
How to apply
Send your resume to [email or link] with two or three sentences about a process you improved in a previous office and what changed as a result.
What pay range should you post?
Anchor the range to the job you described. If the person supervises staff, use office supervisors: BLS reports a May 2025 median of $33.42 an hour ($69,510 a year) at specialty trade contractors. If the job is mainly books with no reports, use bookkeeping clerks at $25.99. State medians for office supervisors range from $25.80 in West Virginia to $38.21 in Washington. Some states and cities require a pay range in postings, so check your local rules.
| Role as written | Anchor | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Office lead, mostly billing and books, no direct reports | Bookkeeping clerks (43-3031) | $25.99 |
| Office manager with one or two direct reports | Office supervisors, 10th–50th percentile | $21.90–$33.42 |
| Office manager running CSRs, dispatch and billing for 10+ trucks | Office supervisors, median and up | $33.42+ |
Exempt or non-exempt: what should the posting say?
Say what's true, and don't decide it from the title. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, an office manager is exempt from overtime only if they're paid on a salary basis at or above the level DOL enforces (its fact sheet lists $684 a week) and the job meets a duties test, such as managing the office as a department and regularly directing at least two full-time employees. If the role is mostly bookkeeping or data entry, it's likely non-exempt even on salary. States can be stricter. This is general information, not legal advice; check DOL guidance or ask an employment attorney before labeling the job.
Which lines should you add for your trade?
| Trade or shop type | Add a line like |
|---|---|
| HVAC with maintenance plans | Manage maintenance agreement renewals, billing and the tune-up schedule |
| Plumbing and drain | Track warranty claims with manufacturers and water heater registrations |
| Electrical | Track permits, inspections and license continuing education deadlines |
| Roofing and exterior | Coordinate insurance claim paperwork, supplements and deposits |
| Any shop with subcontractors | Collect W-9s and certificates of insurance and track 1099 vendors |
| Union or prevailing-wage work | Prepare certified payroll reports (if applicable to your jobs) |
How do you screen office manager applicants?
- 1
Read the process example.
You want a specific before-and-after: "cut invoice lag from five days to one by invoicing on the tablet at the job."
- 2
Phone screen.
Twenty minutes on software, team size managed, pay expectations and exempt or hourly preference.
- 3
In-basket test.
Use the aging report, payroll exception and dispute exercise from the office manager hiring guide.
- 4
Reference check.
Ask a former boss: what did they fix, and what did you have to keep reminding them about?
Before the first day, write down how billing, payroll and collections work today, even roughly. A new manager can only improve a process they can see. The bookkeeping checklist for contractors and accounts payable primer are useful handouts.
Frequently asked questions
What are the duties of an office manager at a contracting company?
Billing and collections, payroll preparation, supplier bills, insurance and license paperwork, leading the office team, handling escalated customers and reporting to the owner. In smaller shops they also do the bookkeeping. List only the duties your shop really needs.
What qualifications should an office manager have?
Several years in a service or construction office, hands-on accounting software experience, and some experience supervising or training others. A degree is optional for most small shops. Test skills with a short paperwork exercise instead of relying on titles or credentials.
Should the posting list a salary or hourly rate?
Post whichever you'll actually pay, plus whether the role is exempt or non-exempt. Salary doesn't make a role exempt by itself; the job must also pass a DOL duties test. A growing number of states and cities require pay ranges in job ads.
How much should an office manager job pay?
It depends on the job. BLS's May 2025 median for office supervisors at specialty trade contractors is $33.42 an hour; for bookkeeping clerks, $25.99. Anchor to whichever matches the duties you wrote, then adjust for your state and the size of the team.
Can I hire a part-time office manager?
Yes, especially for shops under five trucks. A part-time office manager or bookkeeper can handle billing, payroll prep and payables in 15–25 hours a week if invoicing and reminders are automated. Write the posting around those core hours and the outcomes you expect.
Related
- When to Hire an Office Manager (and What They Should Own)Signs your trades business needs an office manager, what the role should own, manager vs. bookkeeper, pay benchmarks, a paperwork test and a 90-day plan.
- How Much to Pay an Office Manager at a Trades Company in 2026Office manager pay for trades shops from BLS May 2025: $33.42 median for office supervisors at trade contractors, state wages, salary vs hourly, full cost.
- Dispatcher Job Description for HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical CompaniesCopy-ready dispatcher job description for HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies: daily duties, routing KPIs, on-call terms, pay range and screening.
- Customer Service Representative Job Description (Copy and Edit)Copy-ready customer service representative job description for HVAC, plumbing and electrical shops: duties, KPIs, schedule, pay range and posting tips.
- Bookkeeping Checklist for Contractors (Weekly, Monthly, Year-End)A weekly, monthly, quarterly and year-end bookkeeping checklist for contractors: reconciliations, job costing, A/R review, WIP, estimated taxes and 1099s.
- What Is Accounts Payable?Accounts payable for contractors: how A/P works with supply houses and subs, DPO formula, early-pay discount math, by-trade examples and common mistakes.
- Do I Need to Send a 1099 to a Subcontractor?When a contractor must send a subcontractor a 1099-NEC: the new $2,000 threshold for 2026 payments, who's exempt, due dates, and what to collect first.
- QuickBooks for contractors: the right version, real job costing and a sync that keeps the books matched to the jobsQuickBooks for contractors: Online vs Desktop, job costing with projects and classes, sync pitfalls, and how BRIX keeps QuickBooks matched to your jobs.
- Contractor invoicing software that sends the invoice and chases the moneyTurn finished jobs into invoices the same day, send polite automatic reminders on unpaid ones, and sync invoices and payments to QuickBooks.
- True Cost of an Employee Calculator for Trades BusinessesSee what an hourly employee really costs: wages, 7.65% employer FICA, FUTA, SUTA, workers' comp and benefits, per paid and per billable hour.
Sources
- BLS OEWS May 2025: First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers (43-1011), national estimates (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (43-3031), national estimates (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Specialty Trade Contractors (NAICS 238000) occupational estimates (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025: State occupational employment and wage estimates (checked October 24, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #17A, Exemption for executive, administrative and professional employees (checked October 24, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor: Overtime pay (FLSA) (checked October 24, 2026)