# Solar Energy Installation Managers

> Direct work crews installing residential or commercial solar photovoltaic or thermal systems.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/solar-energy-installation-managers
- SOC code: 47-1011.03
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $79,920 (10th percentile $53,280, 90th percentile $128,260)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.0%
- Openings a year: 67,000
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections
- Pay and outlook are for the broader BLS group "First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers".

## Interest profile (code REC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 81 |
| Investigative (I) | 27 |
| Artistic (A) | 5 |
| Social (S) | 12 |
| Enterprising (E) | 64 |
| Conventional (C) | 53 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 87/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 82/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 80/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 78/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 78/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 77/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 77/100)
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others (importance 77/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 77/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 76/100)

## Skills

Coordination, Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring, Time Management, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Instructing, Persuasion

## Knowledge

Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Design, Mechanical, Transportation, Sales and Marketing, Mathematics, Education and Training, English Language

## Also called

Commercial Field Manager, Commercial Solar Superintendent, Commercial Subcontractor, Installation Manager, Photovoltaic Subcontractor, Piping Supervisor, Residential Field Manager, Residential Field Supervisor, Residential Remodeling Subcontractor, Residential Subcontractor

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Electrical and Power Transmission Installers](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4603) (CIP 4603, 441 colleges)
- [Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4604) (CIP 4604, 319 colleges)
- [Carpenters](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4602) (CIP 4602, 213 colleges)
- [Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4605) (CIP 4605, 165 colleges)
- [Construction Trades, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4600) (CIP 4600, 117 colleges)
- [Mason/Masonry](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4601) (CIP 4601, 44 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Utah Valley University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-valley-university-3103) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $82,443 | $97,793 | $11,042 |
| [The University of Texas at San Antonio](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-texas-at-san-antonio-2767) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $74,627 | $90,691 | $17,750 |
| [Tuskegee University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/tuskegee-university-2832) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $74,054 | $87,107 | not reported |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $69,819 | $74,310 | $27,000 |

## Related careers

- [Solar Photovoltaic Installers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/solar-photovoltaic-installers): $53,140 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-construction-trades-and-extraction-workers): $79,920 median pay
- [Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/solar-sales-representatives-and-assessors): $104,920 median pay
- [Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/solar-thermal-installers-and-technicians): $63,800 median pay
- [Construction Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/construction-managers): $114,990 median pay
- [Project Management Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/project-management-specialists): $102,320 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.