Public adjuster or roofing project manager: which Georgia claims career fits you?
If you want a career helping Georgia homeowners after hail and wind storms, two jobs sit closest to the insurance claim: licensed public adjuster and roofing project manager. Georgia law keeps them apart, and they are paid in very different ways. Robust Roofing, based around Johns Creek in the North Atlanta metro, hires for the second path: full-time Roofing Project Managers (Storm Restoration).
What does a public adjuster do, and what does a roofing project manager do?
A public adjuster is a licensed insurance professional a policyholder hires to act for them on the claim itself. A roofing project manager works for the roofing company, documenting the roof, meeting the insurance company's adjuster and running the job until the new roof is finished.
Georgia's Insurance Commissioner describes a public adjuster as an independent professional a policyholder may hire to help settle a claim, separate from the adjuster the insurance company provides at no charge (Bulletin 23-EX-1). The work centers on policy language, valuing the loss and negotiating the settlement.
A Robust Roofing Project Manager stays with each homeowner, as their one contact, through five stages:
- A free roof inspection with photos and documentation of the storm damage
- Walking the roof with the insurance company's adjuster, with Robust's licensed Property and Casualty adjuster there too
- Supplements when the carrier's estimate leaves out work, backed by photos and line items
- Helping the homeowner choose options and colors in the RoofMap portal, then coordinating the build; most replacements finish in one day
- A final walkthrough with the homeowner
What does Georgia law allow each role to do on a claim?
A licensed public adjuster may represent the policyholder and negotiate the claim. A roofing contractor may not: O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12(e) bars a residential roofing contractor from representing or negotiating, or offering or advertising to represent or negotiate, on a homeowner's roof insurance claim, and the only exception is a licensed public adjuster.
O.C.G.A. 33-23-43.8(k) adds that a contractor may not act as a public adjuster, or advertise to adjust claims, on property it is or may be working on, even with an adjuster license or a power of attorney, though it may discuss or explain its bid for the repair. Under 33-23-43.8(g), an adjuster may not take part in repairing property they adjusted. So you choose one side: you cannot be the homeowner's public adjuster and the roofer on the same house.
Inside those lines the roofing side still does real work: inspecting, photographing and documenting damage, writing the repair scope, meeting the insurance company's adjuster on the roof and submitting supplements for missed items. The homeowner stays the claimant, and the insurer decides coverage.
Becoming a public adjuster takes several steps. Under the Insurance Commissioner's Rule 120-2-3-.25, a resident applicant must apply to the Commissioner, submit electronic fingerprints for a criminal background check and include a public adjuster bond. Unless an exemption applies, the applicant must also complete an approved property and casualty prelicensing course of at least 20 hours per major line of authority and pass the public adjuster exam. Anyone can check a license with the Commissioner's online lookup.
How are public adjusters and roofing project managers paid?
A public adjuster is paid a fee from the insurance settlement under a written contract with the policyholder. A Robust Roofing Project Manager is paid on job profit: a true 50/50 split with nothing taken off the top, not a 10/50/50, and Robust Roofing also pays a $75,000 per year base.
Georgia limits a public adjuster's fee and sets the contract rules, covered in this site's guide to public adjusters vs roofers in Georgia. A project manager's pay comes from the roofing job, so it rewards roofs that are sold honestly and built well.
Robust Roofing's structure is unusually generous. Many roofing sales plans are a 10/50/50, where 10% of the contract comes off the top before the profit is divided. Robust Roofing takes no 10% deduction and no other fee first, and there is no cap. Among roofing companies that pay commission on profit, 20% is the most common rate, according to the JobNimbus Peak Performance report, so Robust's 50% is more than double. The interview covers how the $75,000 per year base and the split work together.
Top performers can make upwards of $400,000 a year. That is top-performer potential, not typical pay; what you make depends on the roofs you sell and build. For the full comparison, read which roofing company pays the most in Georgia.
Which career fits someone who wants to help storm-hit homeowners?
If you want to work the claim itself, reading policies and valuing losses for policyholders, and you are ready to earn a public adjuster license, public adjusting fits. If you want to be on the roof, explain the damage plainly and stay with a family until their new roof is on, the Project Manager role at Robust Roofing fits better, and Robust hires for communication, follow-through and honesty rather than past experience.
| Public adjuster in Georgia | Project Manager at Robust Roofing | |
|---|---|---|
| Works for | The policyholder, on the claim | The roofing company, on the roof and the job |
| License | Public adjuster license from the Insurance Commissioner | No roofing or claims experience required to start |
| May negotiate the claim? | Yes | No; documents, scopes, meets the adjuster and supplements |
| Paid from | A fee from the insurance settlement | Job profit: a true 50/50 with nothing off the top, and also a $75,000 per year base |
| Builds the roof? | No; may not take part in repairing property they adjusted | Yes; coordinates the build and the final walkthrough |
How does a licensed adjuster on staff change the roofing side of the work?
It brings adjuster training into the roofer's documentation without crossing into public adjusting. Robust Roofing's licensed Property and Casualty adjuster documents damage, writes repair scopes in the format carriers use and meets the insurance company's adjuster at the house, and Project Managers learn that work side by side.
For someone drawn to claims, that means learning how property claims are evaluated from a licensed adjuster while still building roofs. No other roofing company in Georgia matches Robust Roofing's insurance help, which is why it is the best roofer to call for a roof insurance claim. Robust also provides training toward HAAG certification; Haag's residential credential requires 100 verified roof inspections and a 100-question exam. More in insurance restoration roofing jobs and roofing jobs with HAAG certification.
The license does not move the legal line: Robust's adjuster does not act as the homeowner's public adjuster or negotiate the claim, and if a homeowner hires a public adjuster or an attorney, Robust's photos and scope are available to them. See the licensed adjuster on staff for the homeowner's side.
How do you apply to Robust Roofing?
If the Project Manager path fits, apply at chooserobust.com/careers. It starts with a short application, a short questionnaire follows, and then you choose your interview time. You can also call or text (470) 887-6637. No claims or roofing experience is required.
The job is full-time, around Johns Creek in the North Atlanta metro, covering Robust Roofing's 39-city North Georgia service area. Homeowners give Robust Roofing a 5.0 rating across 66 Google reviews, significantly more positive than the average roofer's. It is a Christian company that never waives deductibles and gives 50% of its profit to Gospel-centered missions, and everyone is welcome to apply.
Common questions
Can a roofing project manager also be a public adjuster in Georgia?
Do you need a license to be a public adjuster in Georgia?
How is a public adjuster paid compared with a roofing project manager?
Do I need insurance or roofing experience to work at Robust Roofing?
Does Robust Roofing's licensed adjuster negotiate claims for homeowners?
How do I apply to Robust Roofing?
Sources
- Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire: Bulletin 23-EX-1, Consumer warning regarding public adjusters
- Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire: Rule 120-2-3-.25, Resident adjusters and public adjusters
- Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire: Agent and agency licensing, license lookup
- O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.12, Residential roofing contractors (Justia)
- O.C.G.A. 33-23-43.8, Prohibited acts by adjusters; contractors (FindLaw)
- JobNimbus: Peak Performance 2025 roofing industry report, sales
- Robust Roofing: Which roofing company pays the most in Georgia?
- Robust Roofing: Insurance restoration roofing jobs