Restoration Senior Lead Technician
Location: Reno–Tahoe and surrounding areas
Type: Full-Time, Non-Exempt
Compensation: $25–$30/hour + commission, with advancement opportunities based on demonstrated leadership and performance
You’ve Been a Restoration Technician. Are You Ready to Lead?
There is a difference between having years in restoration and truly knowing how to run restoration projects.
We are looking for the person who knows that difference.
You should be able to walk onto a water or mold remediation project and quickly determine:
- Is the containment built correctly?
- Are we actually maintaining the environmental controls we think we are?
- Is the demolition precise, or are we unnecessarily tearing apart someone's property?
- Is the team following the scope?
- Is our documentation defensible?
- Is the project clean enough to pass post-remediation verification?
- Is the customer being properly informed?
- Would you confidently put your name on the work?
Most importantly:
If an IEP or hygienist is coming tomorrow, you should expect the project to pass clearance the first time.
Not because someone reminded you what needs to be cleaned.
Not because an owner came behind the crew and found what was missed.
Because you know what the standard looks like and you hold the team accountable to it.
If that sounds like you, keep reading.
About Restoration 1 of Reno-Tahoe
Restoration 1 of Reno-Tahoe is a veteran-owned and operated restoration company specializing in water damage, mold remediation, fire and smoke damage, biohazard cleanup, and related restoration services.
We are building a company with a reputation for exceptional craftsmanship, transparency, communication, and doing things correctly when nobody is watching.
We aren't interested in doing the bare minimum.
We don't cut corners.
And we don't want our customers, adjusters, hygienists, or owners finding deficiencies that our own team should have caught first.
Our goal is to restore trust in the trades, and that starts with the quality of the people leading our projects.
This Is a Leadership Position
We aren't looking for a supervisor who stands in the doorway telling everyone else what to do.
We are looking for a leader who can:
See it. Own it. Correct it. Teach it.
You will still get your hands dirty.
There will be days when you're building containment, moving equipment, performing demolition, HEPA vacuuming, cleaning, or crawling underneath a house alongside the technicians you lead.
But your greatest responsibility is making sure the entire project succeeds, not simply completing your own task.
You will be expected to anticipate problems instead of waiting for someone to tell you what went wrong.
You will help technicians become better technicians.
You will respectfully hold people accountable when expectations aren't being met.
And when a project is completed under your leadership, we should all be confident that it represents the Restoration 1 standard.
What You'll Own
This position combines project management, field leadership, technical expertise, customer communication, quality control, estimating, and hands-on restoration work.
Project Leadership & Quality Control
- Manage multiple mitigation and remediation projects from initial assessment through completion.
- Establish the game plan for each project and clearly communicate expectations to the field team.
- Verify that technicians understand and are following the approved scope of work.
- Inspect job sites throughout the project instead of assuming work was completed correctly.
- Identify changing conditions and adjust the scope when necessary.
- Ensure containment, critical barriers, environmental controls, demolition, cleaning, and drying procedures meet professional standards.
- Perform final quality-control inspections before equipment removal or project completion.
- Catch deficiencies before the customer, adjuster, hygienist, or owner does.
- Maintain projects to a standard where passing IEP/hygienist post-remediation clearance on the first attempt is the expectation.
- Ensure equipment, materials, labor, and project resources are being used appropriately.
- Review project profitability and job-costing information.
- Help ensure vehicles, equipment, hand tools, and job sites are maintained to Restoration 1 standards.
Lead the Team
You will be expected to lead with both accountability and respect.
That means:
- Set clear expectations before work begins.
- Direct technicians confidently on job sites.
- Inspect work instead of assuming it was completed.
- Correct problems immediately when you see them.
- Explain why something needs to be done differently instead of simply barking orders.
- Coach technicians on proper restoration techniques and documentation.
- Identify recurring performance issues and communicate them to leadership.
- Participate in employee evaluations and check-ins.
- Recognize strong performance.
- Help develop technicians who want to grow within the company.
- Be willing to have difficult conversations when standards aren't being met.
- Receive constructive feedback just as professionally as you give it.
Leadership here is not a dictatorship. It is ownership.
Assessments & Scope Development
You may often be the first Restoration 1 representative a customer meets.
Your job is not simply to identify wet materials.
You must be able to understand the situation, develop an appropriate restoration strategy, and confidently explain it to the customer.
Responsibilities include:
- Perform detailed water, mold, fire, biohazard, and restoration assessments.
- Identify affected materials and appropriate remediation strategies.
- Take accurate measurements.
- Determine equipment needs.
- Develop detailed scopes of work.
- Document findings thoroughly.
- Explain recommendations clearly to homeowners, property managers, adjusters, and other stakeholders.
- Take the time to overcommunicate when necessary so customers understand what is happening and why.
- Build confidence and trust during stressful situations.
- Help convert appropriate assessments into Restoration 1 projects.
Documentation Matters
If it isn't documented, it didn't happen.
You will be expected to become an Encircle expert and help make the technicians around you better at documentation.
You will:
- Review technician documentation daily.
- Ensure photographs actually tell the story of the loss.
- Verify measurements and affected-material documentation.
- Review moisture documentation and project notes.
- Edit and complete Encircle reports.
- Ensure documentation supports the work performed.
- Coach technicians on improving their notes and photographs.
- Maintain documentation capable of being confidently reviewed by customers, adjusters, hygienists, or other professionals.
We do not want someone who needs to be repeatedly reminded to complete paperwork.
Documentation is part of running the project.
Technical Expectations
This is not an entry-level restoration position.
You should already be highly competent in many of the following areas:
- Water damage emergency response
- Structural drying
- Moisture mapping
- Psychrometry
- Monitoring moisture and humidity
- Air mover and dehumidifier placement
- Air scrubber and negative air machine operation
- Construction of containment systems
- Critical barriers
- Establishing and maintaining negative pressure
- Precision demolition
- Mold remediation
- Post-remediation detailed cleaning
- HEPA vacuuming procedures
- Fire and smoke cleaning
- Odor-control procedures
- Biohazard cleanup
- PPE selection and use
- Respirator use
- Crawl space cleanouts
- Vapor barrier installation
- Crawl space encapsulation
- Sump pump installation
- Equipment monitoring
- Job-site safety
- Proper protection of unaffected materials and contents
Construction, drywall, or carpentry experience is a significant plus.
The Person We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who has reached the point in their restoration career where they're thinking:
"I know how these projects should be run, and I'm ready for the responsibility of leading them."
You probably:
- Have at least 4 years of meaningful restoration experience.
- Have previously served as a lead technician, crew chief, supervisor, project manager, or similar role.
- Can run common mitigation and remediation projects without needing constant direction.
- Understand the difference between technically completing a task and completing it correctly.
- Notice problems other people walk past.
- Don't need an owner standing behind you to maintain quality.
- Can organize several projects at the same time.
- Understand labor, equipment, materials, and job costing.
- Can develop and adjust scopes of work.
- Are comfortable writing estimates or willing to become highly proficient at estimating.
- Communicate professionally with customers, adjusters, vendors, and coworkers.
- Can make decisions under pressure.
- Are extremely organized.
- Follow through on commitments.
- Show up when you say you will.
- Take pride in producing exceptional work.
- Teach instead of simply criticizing.
- Address problems instead of avoiding difficult conversations.
- Are confident enough to lead and humble enough to keep learning.
This Position Probably Isn't for You If...
We want to be upfront about the expectations.
This role probably isn't a fit if you:
- Need someone continually telling you what to do next.
- Wait for management to discover job-site problems.
- Believe having several years in restoration automatically makes someone a leader.
- Consider documentation an administrative burden that can be completed later.
- Avoid correcting teammates because the conversation might be uncomfortable.
- Regularly blame failed clearance tests on the hygienist.
- Think "good enough" is an acceptable final standard.
- Want the title of Project Manager but not the accountability that comes with it.
- Prefer managing from the truck instead of occasionally working beside your team.
We aren't looking for perfection.
We are looking for ownership.
Our Core Values:
Serving with Purpose
We put others first. Service defines our actions and inspires meaningful impact. Through our dedication, we create lasting change that benefits everyone.
The Ripple of Care
We value our relationships both within the team and with those we serve. The way we care for our internal community shapes the quality of our external service, and we approach every interaction with that sense of responsibility.
Courageous Compassion
We lead with compassion, even when it requires courage. We are not afraid to have difficult conversations, challenge ourselves, or advocate for others. Empathy drives our leadership, ensuring we build trust, inspire growth, and make meaningful decisions.
Respect for All
Respect is not optional; it is essential. Our words and actions consistently reflect our commitment to treating every individual with dignity, fairness, and genuine appreciation.
Requirements
- Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record.
- Ability to participate in an on-call rotation.
- Ability to work throughout Reno, Tahoe, and surrounding service areas.
- Ability to lift 5–40 lbs. regularly and 20–100 lbs. as required.
- Ability to climb ladders and work at ceiling height.
- Ability to work in crawl spaces, attics, and other confined spaces.
- Ability to repeatedly push, pull, lift, and carry equipment and materials.
- Ability to work around cleaning agents and restoration chemicals while utilizing appropriate PPE.
- Ability to wear a respirator, gloves, eye protection, and other required PPE.
- Ability to work around moderate-to-loud equipment.
- Reliable and punctual attendance.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Cultural alignment with Restoration 1's expectations, work ethic, and core values.
What We Offer
- Competitive hourly compensation
- Bonus opportunities
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Paid time off
- Holiday pay
- Paid training
- Paid continuing education and certifications
- Career advancement opportunities
- $100 reimbursement toward approved boots, pants, and undershirts
- Company-provided shirts and hats
- Team outings
- Ongoing professional development
- Direct involvement in building and improving a growing restoration company
Most importantly, we offer an opportunity for the right person to grow beyond being a technician and become a true restoration leader.
Think You Have What It Takes?
If you've spent years becoming excellent at restoration and you're frustrated watching projects get run poorly, details get missed, or technicians receive inadequate leadership, this may be the opportunity you've been waiting for.
We're not looking for someone who can tell us they're experienced.
We're looking for someone who can show us.
Our interview process will include conversations about real restoration scenarios and hands-on technical skills.
If you know your craft, take ownership of your projects, care about the people you lead, and believe a remediation project should be ready to pass clearance the first time, we'd like to meet you.
Come prepared to show us what you know.
Application Questions
- How many years of hands-on restoration experience do you have?
- What restoration certifications do you currently hold?
- Tell us about the largest or most technically challenging remediation project you have personally led.
- Have you managed mold-remediation projects that required post-remediation verification or IEP clearance?
- When preparing a mold-remediation project for clearance, what steps do you personally take before requesting the final inspection?
- How many technicians have you directly supervised at one time?
- Are you comfortable correcting an experienced technician when their work does not meet the required standard?
- Do you currently have a valid driver's license?
- Is your driving record acceptable for operating a company vehicle?
Job Type: Full-time
Work Location: In person — Reno, NV 89502
Restoration 1 is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Applicant information will be kept confidential in accordance with applicable EEO guidelines. People with criminal records are encouraged to apply.
Pay: $25.00 - $30.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- On-the-job training
- Opportunities for advancement
- Paid time off
- Paid training
- Professional development assistance
- Safety equipment provided
- Vision insurance
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Work Location: In person
