A basement waterproofing chief executive officer picks the services, markets and marketing bets the company makes, and how to pay for them. The CEO also decides what the company's warranty promises, sets the rules for how it earns online reviews, and reports results to the owners or board.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
The CEO will provide strategic leadership for our basement waterproofing company, define our vision, manage key partnerships, and ensure profitability. This role is pivotal in contributing to the company's success by establishing short-term and long-term strategies and goals.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Define and implement company vision and strategic direction.
Manage and nurture key partnerships and collaborations.
Ensuring the company's financial performance and growth.
Represent the company to financial partners and stakeholders.
Oversee all operations and business activities to ensure they align with the company's goals.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Set and monitor company's performance against short and long-term goals.
Develop and implement strategic plans to enhance profitability and efficiency.
Cultivate a positive and customer-focused company culture.
Secure, develop, and maintain key relationships with partners, stakeholders, and customers.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: 10% YoY.
Net Profit Margin: >20%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Partnership Increase: 15% YoY.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in executive leadership positions.
Proven experience in developing profitable strategies and implementing vision.
Strong understanding of corporate finance and performance management principles.
In-depth knowledge of the basement waterproofing industry and its market dynamics.
Exceptional communication and leadership skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Master's degree in Business Administration or related field.
Prior experience as a CEO or in a similar role in the home improvement or basement waterproofing industry.
7. Physical Requirements
This role primarily involves office work and may require occasional travel.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard business hours, Monday to Friday.
Occasional domestic travel for meetings and conferences.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $200,000-$250,000, depending on experience.
Performance-based bonus structure.
Comprehensive benefits package, including Health, Dental, Vision, and 401k.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company thrives on a culture of collaboration, innovation, and dedication to customer satisfaction. We hold a strong belief in helping each team member grow and succeed, and we pride ourselves on providing an environment that fosters personal and professional growth.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
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What a waterproofing CEO decides that others don't
Most of the company's work starts with a worried homeowner calling after rain. The CEO's biggest calls follow from that: how much to spend to make the phone ring, what to promise, and how to grow in a dry year.
Dry years test the plan
When most calls come after heavy rain and snowmelt, a wet spring can fill every sales calendar and a dry one can leave salespeople and crews short of work. The CEO builds demand that doesn't wait for rain: crawl space encapsulation, bowing wall repair, sump pump service plans and jobs that come from home sales. The budget and hiring plan should still work in a dry year.
Marketing is the biggest bet
Jobs sold in the home start with a lead, whether from search ads, TV, mailers, home shows or a referral, and then a salesperson's visit. The CEO sets the spend and the channels, judged by what a sold job really costs once no-shows, unsold visits and cancelled contracts are counted. More leads only pay off when there are salespeople free to run the visits and crews to install what they sell.
A lifetime warranty outlives the sale
If the company sells a lifetime warranty that passes to the next owner when the house sells, it owes service on every system it ever put in, often to people it never met. The CEO decides whether to offer one, what it covers and leaves out, what a new owner must do to keep it, and how long a promise the company can afford to make.
Review rules start at the top
Homeowners compare waterproofers by star ratings before they let a salesperson in. Under the FTC's rule on consumer reviews, a business may not write or buy fake reviews, or reward customers for reviews that say something good, or bad. Nor may it use baseless legal threats or intimidation to make a reviewer pull a review. Officers and managers who post a review must clearly say they work there. The CEO writes the review policy so no office bends these rules to hit a star target. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR Part 465, Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials.
How much basement waterproofing chief executive officers make
The closest BLS group for basement waterproofing chief executive officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $169,170 a year ($81.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 3,830 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for specialty trade contractors.
Salary plus a bonus tied to performance, per the template. The pay figures from BLS cover chief executives at specialty trade contractors of every size, so also compare what other home improvement companies near you offer.
Specialty trade contractors
$169,170$169,170 median Middle half $100,570–$283,340 10th–90th $69,930–$386,670
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Specialty trade contractors
$69,930
$100,570
$169,170
$283,340
$386,670
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for chief executives at building finishing contractors on their own, so these figures cover specialty trade contractors. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has run an in-home sales company, or a large division of one
Reads the cost of a sold job by marketing channel and moves money between channels
Has kept a company profitable through a slow season without losing trained crews
Has hired and led a COO, a CFO or general managers
Has worked on buying, selling or raising money for a company
Teach these on the job
How drains, pumps, bracing and crawl space encapsulation go in
Your warranty terms and how warranty visits are handled
The lead and sales reports in your CRM
Contractor registration and home improvement contract rules in your states
Your financing partners and the plans they offer
A waterproofing CEO reads more than builds: profit and loss by office, a cash plan for the coming months, and the lead and sales reports in an in-home sales CRM such as MarketSharp, LeadPerfection or Improveit 360. A monthly list of open warranty claims by office rounds out the picture.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Managing long-term warranty risk
Your company sells lifetime transferable warranties, and claims are rising as older systems age. What do you do?
A strong answer: Sizes the liability with the CFO, reviews which products and installs fail, fixes causes, adjusts pricing or terms on new sales, and considers paid maintenance programs.
Behavioral · Fixing a sales culture
Tell me about a time you had to rein in an aggressive sales culture, such as reps using mold or foundation-failure scares.
A strong answer: Set clear rules on honest selling, changed pay to reward good outcomes, removed repeat offenders, and tracked complaints and cancellations.
Set each target with the owners or board, using at least three years of results that include a wet spring and a dry one.
Revenue Growth
Compare the year's revenue with last year's, split into drainage, structural repair and crawl space work. Note how wet each spring was, so a rainy year doesn't pass for real growth.
Net Profit Margin
Net profit divided by revenue, from the year-end statements, read only after warranty costs and any warranty reserve are booked. Ask your CPA to figure it the same way each year.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
The star average across Google, Angi and the other sites where homeowners rate contractors, checked monthly by office, plus a short survey every customer gets after the install. Read the lowest-rated reviews yourself.
Partnership Increase
Count active partners at year end, such as agents, inspectors, plumbers, lenders and suppliers, against last year. Count only partners that sent work or closed a deal during the year.
Career path
Sales managerRuns the in-home sales team and learns what a sold job costs.
What does a basement waterproofing CEO do in a typical month?
Reviews profit by office and what each lead source spent per sold job, then shifts the budget toward what works. Meets the COO and CFO on crews, cash and open warranty claims. Talks with the bank and the financing partners. Joins a salesperson in a customer's basement now and then, and prepares for the owners' or board meeting.
How much does a basement waterproofing chief executive officer make?
Chief executives who work for specialty trade contractors earned a median of $169,170 a year ($81.33 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $100,570 and $283,340 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What counts as a partnership in the CEO template?
Anyone who sends work or helps close it. Agents and inspectors spot water during home sales. Plumbers, restoration firms and home builders meet wet basements too. Lenders fund the jobs homeowners finance, and product suppliers may stand behind parts of your warranty. Have a lawyer review any referral fee before you pay it.
What should a waterproofing CEO check before buying a competitor?
Start with the warranties you would take on: how many systems are out there, what each warranty promises, whether those promises pass to you, and what claims cost the seller each year. Then look at lead sources, cancellation history, reviews and open contracts. A cheap price can hide years of warranty visits with no revenue attached.
Should a waterproofing company add new services?
Add the ones your salespeople already see in the homes they visit: crawl space work, wall repair, egress windows or dehumidifiers. Each one needs crews who can install it and a warranty you can stand behind. Wall repair also needs a clear rule on when a structural engineer gets called. Test a new service in one market before rolling it out.
