Career paths
17 roles in a typical HVAC shop, from the first service call to running the business. Each path lists the skills the role needs, in the order most people learn them.
Shop sizes are a rule of thumb for when a role usually appears, not a requirement.
New to the trade?
Every role starts with the same 12 skills: jobsite safety, the physics of heat and pressure, trade math and the language of the industry.
Field Tech
Installs, services and diagnoses in the field.
- Installation Technician Sets, pipes, wires, ducts and commissions new residential systems so they perform as designed from day one. 60 required · 35 recommended skills Found in shops of every size Field Tech
- Service Technician Diagnoses and repairs heating, cooling and heat pump systems across electrical, airflow and refrigerant faults. 80 required · 30 recommended skills Found in shops of every size Field Tech
- Maintenance Technician Keeps installed systems healthy through tune-ups, cleaning, measurements and early fault detection; the usual entry role. 51 required · 32 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 2 Field Tech
- Duct Fabricator Fabricates and installs sheet metal and duct board systems that deliver the designed airflow. 29 required · 6 recommended skills Found in shops of every size Field Tech
- Commercial & BAS Technician Beyond residential Services rooftop, chilled-water and VAV systems and the controllers, networks and programming of building automation. 85 required · 15 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 5 Field Tech
- Refrigeration Technician Beyond residential Installs and services commercial refrigeration: racks, low-temperature systems, regulators, defrost and three-phase power. 61 required · 12 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 3 Field Tech
Foreman
Leads a department: crews, quality and the schedule.
- Service Manager Leads the service department: diagnostics quality, callbacks, scheduling, coaching and maintenance agreement growth. 35 required · 54 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 5 Foreman
- Installation Manager Runs installs from sold job to commissioned system: design checks, crews, materials, quality and handoff. 32 required · 60 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 5 Foreman
Shopmaster
Owns the business and answers for all of it.
Dispatcher
Keeps the office, phones and schedule moving.
- Dispatcher Matches technicians to calls by skill, urgency and location and keeps the day moving when it changes. 5 required · 7 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 3 Dispatcher
- Customer Service Representative First voice the customer hears: books calls, triages urgency, sets expectations and follows up. 4 required · 7 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 3 Dispatcher
- Office Manager Runs the back office: permits, warranties, invoicing, collections, records and the people paperwork. 7 required · 9 recommended skills Found in shops of every size Dispatcher
Advisor
Designs systems and guides homeowners to the right one.
- Comfort Advisor Guides homeowners from discovery to the right system, built on real load calculations and honest comparisons. 22 required · 15 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 7 Advisor
- Designer Produces load calculations, equipment selections and duct designs that installers can build and verify. 43 required · 17 recommended skills Found in shops of every size Advisor
Mentor
Trains techs, in a classroom or on the job.
Merchant
Sells the work and keeps parts and stock moving.
- Sales Manager Leads the comfort advisor team: pricing, proposals, incentives, pipeline and sales coaching. 23 required · 17 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 7 Merchant
- Warehouse Technician Stocks trucks and the warehouse, handles refrigerant and cylinders safely and keeps parts and tools accounted for. 12 required · 8 recommended skills Usually from a shop of about 8 Merchant