Solar Photovoltaic Installer Job Description: Duties, Requirements, Template & Pay (2026)
A solar photovoltaic (PV) installer assembles, mounts and wires solar panel systems on roofs and ground mounts, following plans, electrical code and fall-protection rules. This page covers the duties employers actually hire for, a copy-paste solar installer job description template with residential, commercial and utility-scale versions, the requirements that are real (fall protection, the electrical tie-in) versus habitual, and what skilled trades applicants cost on social media from Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark.
Solar PV installer duties and responsibilities
Residential solar crews are usually two to four people: a crew lead who runs the job, installers who set racking and modules, and either a licensed electrician on the crew or one who follows to make the electrical connections, depending on the state. A residential installer spends the day on pitched roofs in harness, laying out and flashing attachments, setting rails and modules, and running conduit. A commercial installer works flat roofs and carports with ballasted or mechanically attached racking on larger arrays. A utility-scale installer works ground-mount fields on a schedule measured in modules per day, often traveling with per diem. The posting should say which, because the applicant pools — roofers, electricians' helpers, general laborers, traveling construction hands — don't overlap much.
Day to day, solar photovoltaic installer responsibilities include:
- Review plans, layouts and one-line diagrams; locate the array per the design and verify roof or site conditions, orientation and structural attachment points
- Install and flash roof attachments, rails, racking and mounting structures; apply weather sealing per manufacturer and code
- Assemble and mount PV modules and support structures; install module-level electronics (optimizers or microinverters) and interconnect wiring
- Run conduit and wiring from the array to inverters, combiner boxes, disconnects and the service panel; install grounding and bonding
- Check wiring, polarity and grounding integrity; test system voltage and continuity; assist with commissioning and monitoring setup
- Install required system labels and placards; prepare the site for inspection
- Identify and control electrical, environmental and fall hazards; use harness, anchors, ladders and lifts correctly; maintain a clean job site
- Load, unload and stage materials; operate lifts, hand tools and power tools; maintain the truck and tool inventory
- Explain the system to the customer at completion; document the job with photos and forms
The BLS counted about 31,100 solar PV installers in 2025 — a small occupation that has been among the fastest-growing in the country for a decade — and projects growth of 37% through 2035 with roughly 4,200 openings a year. The median wage was $25.55 an hour in 2025, or $53,140 a year; crew leads, installers with electrical skills and traveling utility-scale hands earn above that. Because the occupation is small, most hires come from adjacent trades: roofers, electrical apprentices, carpenters and general construction labor. The job description has to speak to those people, not to "experienced solar installers," of whom there are few. Our roofing company hiring page covers the closest adjacent pool.
Solar PV Installer job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields, and cut what doesn't apply. It leads with pay, schedule, travel and training, because the people who fill this role are usually coming from another trade and are comparing on those four things.
Job title
Solar PV Installer — [Residential / Commercial / Utility-Scale], [Full-time], [Local / Travel with per diem], [City, State]
Summary
[Company] is hiring solar installers for our [residential / commercial] crews in [City / service area]. Pay is $[XX]–$[XX]/hour based on experience [plus per-job or per-module bonuses], with a $[X,XXX] sign-on bonus and raises at [90 days and one year]. Crews run [Monday–Friday, 6:30am start, 8–10 hour days] [and rotating Saturdays in season]; [local work, home every night / travel X weeks on, 1 week off, $X/day per diem]. We provide [harness and fall-protection gear, tools, uniforms, and a crew truck]. No solar experience required — roofing, electrical, carpentry or construction experience welcome; [paid OSHA 10 and NABCEP PV Associate training].
Responsibilities
- Install roof attachments, racking, modules and module-level electronics per plans and code
- Run conduit and wiring; install grounding, disconnects and inverters [under the supervision of a licensed electrician]
- Test polarity, continuity and voltage; assist with commissioning and inspection
- Work safely on roofs in fall protection; maintain a clean and secure job site
- Stage materials, operate lifts and tools, maintain the crew truck
- Document the job with photos and forms; walk the customer through the completed system
Requirements
- Comfortable working on roofs at height, in fall protection, in all weather
- Able to lift [50–75] lbs, carry modules and ladders, and work on your feet all day
- Valid driver's license with an insurable record [and reliable transportation to the shop]
- Able to pass a background check [and drug screen]
- [Construction, roofing, electrical or mechanical experience preferred; we train]
- [OSHA 10 within 30 days — we pay for it]
Preferred
- Prior solar, roofing or electrical experience
- OSHA 10/30; NABCEP PV Associate or Installation Professional
- [Electrical apprentice or journeyman license]
- Experience with [racking brand], [inverter brand] and [monitoring platform]
- Lift, forklift or [CDL] certification
Schedule and pay
- $[XX]–$[XX]/hour depending on experience and certifications
- [Per-install or per-kW crew bonus]; [overtime after 40 hours]
- [Per diem $X/day and lodging for travel work]
- Schedule: [Mon–Fri, 6:30am start; rotating Saturdays in peak season]
Benefits
- Medical, dental and vision after [30/60] days
- [401(k) with X% match]
- Paid time off and [X] paid holidays
- Paid OSHA and NABCEP training; [electrical apprenticeship sponsorship]
- Tools, fall-protection gear and uniforms provided; [boot allowance]
- [Path to crew lead, electrician or commissioning technician]
Requirements: what's required, what's preferred, and what kills applications
Installers don't need a license in most states — the licensed part of the job is the electrical tie-in, and who's allowed to do it varies by state. That leaves a short list of real requirements and a long list of choices, and the choices decide whether roofers and construction hands apply. Skilled trades postings convert 15% of clicks to applications when the form is short.
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Fall protection and OSHA | Fall protection at height is required under OSHA construction standards; OSHA 10 is a common employer or customer requirement. Say you'll pay for OSHA 10 within 30 days rather than requiring it at application. |
| Electrical license | Most states require a licensed electrician (or work under one) for AC wiring and the service connection; some states or jurisdictions have solar-specific licenses or contractor requirements. Installers don't need it; say whether you'll sponsor an apprenticeship. |
| NABCEP certification | Voluntary and respected. The PV Associate credential is entry-level; the Installation Professional is for experienced installers and crew leads. List as preferred and pay for it. |
| Solar experience | The occupation is small; requiring "2 years of solar experience" shrinks an already small pool. Name the adjacent trades you'll take and describe the training. |
| Driving record | Required for crew trucks. State the insurer's standard so applicants can self-screen. |
| Physical requirements | Roofs, heights, heat, lifting modules and ladders. Include them plainly; they're the honest screen and they don't deter people from the trades. |
| Travel | For commercial and utility work, state the rotation and per diem in the posting, not the interview. |
| Résumé and cover letter | Not needed. Name, phone, three questions and a call the same day. |
How to customize it for your setting
Residential installer
Local work, home every night, early starts, pitched roofs, customer contact. Name the racking and inverter brands and the crew size. This posting competes directly with roofing and electrical contractors for the same people; see how to recruit construction workers.
Commercial and industrial installer
Flat roofs, ballasted racking, larger crews, lifts and forklifts, some travel. Lead with equipment certifications you'll provide and the schedule.
Utility-scale installer
Ground-mount fields, piles and trackers, modules per day, travel rotations and per diem. This is a traveling-construction posting; per diem and rotation belong in the first line.
Electrician / crew lead
A separate posting: license, tie-in responsibility, lead pay, truck. Electricians are the constraint on every solar company's growth, and our electrician recruiting page covers what it takes to reach them.
What it costs to reach solar installers on social
Skilled trades campaigns ran a median of $14.14 per applicant in our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, with the middle half between $7.58 and $21.49, a blended figure of $10.74, and 15% of clickers finishing the application; the skilled trades and field service sector as a whole ran $11.89 with 18% completion across 335 campaign-months.
Solar is a strong fit for social because the target isn't "solar installers" — it's roofers, electrical helpers and construction laborers within commuting distance of the shop, most of whom are employed and none of whom search for solar jobs. A 15-second video of a crew on a roof with the pay and the training line on screen reaches all of them. The trades-wide comparison with search advertising is in what it costs to recruit skilled trades workers, and the age and gender breakdown is on the skilled trades recruiting page.
If you are hiring solar installers rather than describing the job, the recruiting side — where they are, what the ad has to say, and what an applicant costs to reach — is on our installer recruiting page.
Writing the ad version
The ad is not the job description. It answers pay, schedule, travel and training in the first two lines: "Solar installers — $22–$30/hr + crew bonus, Mon–Fri, home every night, no experience needed (roofers and construction welcome), paid OSHA 10. [Company], [City]. Apply in 60 seconds." Knockout questions: comfortable working on roofs at height (yes/no), construction or trade experience (multiple choice), driver's license, start date. No résumé.
A 15-second video of the crew on a roof at sunrise with an installer saying what he did before solar beats any stock photo of panels. The applicants you want are on someone else's roof today, and the video tells them the switch is normal.
Job description for a solar panel installer: posting under the title people search
“Solar photovoltaic installer” is the federal occupation title (SOC 47-2231). “Solar panel installer” is what the roofers, electrical helpers and construction hands you want actually type. A job description for a solar panel installer is the same document as the template above; put the searched phrase in the title and keep the accurate one in the body, for example Solar Panel Installer (Solar PV Installer) — Residential, Local.
Written plainly for someone coming from another trade, solar panel installer job duties are: carry panels, rails and tools up to the roof and work there in a harness; mount and seal the roof attachments; bolt down the rails and set the panels; run the wiring and conduit under the direction of the crew lead or electrician; help test the system; and leave the site clean. The duty list near the top of this page is the technical version for your ATS. The plain version belongs in the ad, because the people reading it have never been on a solar crew and need to picture the day.
Solar panel installer job description
If the people you want to hire have never worked on a solar crew, write the posting for them. This is a shorter solar panel installation job description built for entry-level hires coming from roofing, electrical, carpentry and general construction, the backgrounds BLS says may shorten a new installer's training.
BLS lists what PV installers typically do: plan system configurations based on customer needs and site conditions; measure, cut and assemble the support structure; install modules, panels and support structures according to building codes and standards; connect panels to the electrical system; apply weather sealant; activate and test systems; and perform routine maintenance. It adds that installers typically need a high school diploma and that on-the-job training usually lasts between 1 month and 1 year.
Job title
Solar Panel Installer, Entry Level, [Residential / Commercial], [City, ST]
Summary
[Company] installs solar panels on [homes / commercial roofs / ground mounts] across [service area]. We are hiring installers and will train you. If you have worked on roofs, framed houses or pulled wire, you already know half the job. Pay is $[XX]–$[XX] an hour, [Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. start], [home every night].
What you will do
- Carry panels, rails and tools to the roof and work there in a harness
- Install and seal roof attachments and bolt down racking
- Set and secure the panels
- Run conduit and wiring under the direction of the crew lead or electrician
- Help test the system and clean up the site
What you need
- Comfortable on ladders and roofs
- Able to lift [50] lbs and work outdoors in heat and cold
- Valid driver's license [and reliable transportation to the shop]
What we offer
- Paid training, [paid OSHA 10], harness and tools provided
- [Raise at 90 days], [path to crew lead or electrical apprenticeship]
- [Benefits and start date]
How to apply
[Three questions, two minutes, a call back the same day.]
What to tell candidates about safety and pay
BLS names the hazards plainly: installers risk falls from ladders and roofs, shocks from electricity and burns from hot equipment, and wear harnesses, gloves and hard hats. On residential jobs, OSHA's 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13) requires guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest for employees working 6 feet or more above lower levels, unless the employer shows they are infeasible and follows a written fall protection plan. Saying you supply the harness and train on it is a recruiting line, not just a compliance one.
On pay, the May 2025 median for the occupation was $53,140, and it varied by employer type: $58,570 at electrical contractors, which employ 39% of installers, $57,260 at plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, and $51,460 at utilities. BLS also counts 17% of installers in temporary help services. If you hire directly rather than through an agency, say so in the first line.
Frequently asked questions
What are the duties and responsibilities of a solar PV installer?
Reviewing plans and locating the array; installing and flashing roof attachments, racking and mounting structures; assembling and mounting modules and module-level electronics; running conduit and wiring to inverters and disconnects; installing grounding and labels; testing polarity, continuity and voltage; working safely in fall protection; staging materials; and documenting the job for inspection and the customer.
What qualifications does a solar installer need?
No license in most states for the installer role; the electrical connection must be made by or under a licensed electrician in most jurisdictions. Employers look for comfort working at height, physical fitness, a valid driver's license, and construction, roofing or electrical experience. OSHA 10 is commonly required after hire, and NABCEP certification is preferred but voluntary.
How much do solar installers make?
The 2025 national median was $25.55 an hour, or $53,140 a year, per O*NET/BLS. Crew leads, installers with electrical skills, and traveling utility-scale installers with per diem earn more; entry-level residential installers earn less than the median.
Is solar installer a good career?
It's one of the fastest-growing occupations in the country, with growth projected at 37% through 2035, and it's a common on-ramp to an electrical apprenticeship, crew lead or commissioning roles. The work is physical and outdoors, on roofs and in all weather, which is the honest trade-off.
What should a solar installer job description template include?
The segment (residential, commercial, utility-scale), pay range and bonuses, schedule and start time, whether the work is local or traveling with per diem, the adjacent trades you'll hire from and the training you provide, fall-protection and OSHA requirements, physical requirements, tools and gear provided, and benefits including the path to crew lead or electrician. Pay, schedule and training belong in the first two lines.
What are solar panel installer job duties?
Carrying panels, rails and tools to the roof and working there in fall protection; mounting and sealing roof attachments; installing racking and setting the panels; running wiring and conduit under the direction of the crew lead or a licensed electrician; helping test and commission the system; and cleaning up the site. Solar panel installer is the common name for the occupation BLS calls solar photovoltaic installer, which had a 2025 median of $25.55 an hour.
What should a solar panel installation job description include?
A solar panel installation job description should name the segment (residential, commercial or utility-scale), the pay range, the start time and whether the work is local or travel, the plain duties from roof attachments to panels and wiring, the fall protection and training you provide, and the trades you will hire from. BLS says on-the-job training usually lasts between 1 month and 1 year.
Is a solar panel job description the same as a solar PV installer job description?
Usually, yes. “Solar panel installer” is the everyday name for the federal occupation solar photovoltaic installer (SOC 47-2231), so one document serves both: put the searched title first and the formal one in brackets, as in the entry-level template on this page. Write a separate description only when the job is not installation, such as a solar sales or design role, because the duties and pay differ. For installers, BLS reports a May 2025 median of $53,140 a year and projects about 4,200 openings a year through 2035.
Other job description templates
See all job description templates — free, editable templates for frontline, trades, healthcare and warehouse roles.
Hiring solar installers?
The job description is the document; the ad is the thing that gets read. We write it, run it where working solar installers are scrolling, and report what each applicant cost — cost per applicant, not cost per hire.
Pay, employment and outlook figures: O*NET OnLine (Solar Photovoltaic Installers, 47-2231), 2025 wage data, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 projections. Fall protection per OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M; certification per NABCEP; electrical licensing per state and local jurisdiction. Cost-per-applicant figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark (skilled trades role family; skilled trades and field service sector, 335 campaign-months). Last updated August 2026.
For the other side of the building envelope, our free insulation installer job description template covers duties, pay for both insulation occupations, and the asbestos rules that apply when the work involves removals.