A basement waterproofing chief financial officer oversees the money at a company that sells in the home and installs with its own crews. The CFO plans cash around wet and dry seasons, manages the financing plans that help homeowners say yes, and sets money aside for warranty visits years after the install.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) plays a vital role in our basement waterproofing company, overseeing all financial activities, budget management, cost-benefit analysis, and reporting on the company’s financial performance. This role contributes directly to the company’s overall strategy and direction, driving financial health and sustainability.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement financial strategies and plans.
Oversee budgeting, reporting, auditing, and internal control processes.
Conduct regular financial analysis, identify and manage financial risks.
Coordinate and maintain relationships with investors and financial institutions.
Ensure compliance with applicable laws and guidelines.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor cash flow, accounts, and other financial transactions.
Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
Review financial data and prepare reports for board meetings.
Meet with department heads to review financial and budget reports.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Gross Margin: > 30%.
Net Profit: Increase by 10% annually.
Cost Reduction: > 5% annually.
Budget Adherence: > 95%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Management Accountant (CMA) preferred.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in a senior financial managerial position.
Strong understanding of cash flow management, bank reconciliation, and bookkeeping.
Excellent knowledge of data analysis and forecasting methods.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the basement waterproofing or home services industry.
Demonstrable experience in developing effective strategies and business plans.
7. Physical Requirements
This role is primarily office-based, with minimal physical requirements outside of typical office activities.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional travel to company branches may be required.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $150,000 - $200,000, based on experience.
Performance-based bonuses.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k retirement plan.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company prides itself on a culture of growth and improvement. We value all our employees and offer opportunities for advancement and personal growth. We believe that every team member contributes directly to our success, and we encourage innovation and initiative.
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].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
A waterproofing job is sold in one visit, often paid for with a loan, installed in a few days, and then covered by a warranty that can run for many years.
The warranty lives on the balance sheet
A long warranty means future pumps, labor and truck time that bring in nothing. The CFO sets a reserve from what warranty visits have really cost, product by product, and checks it each year. Tax works differently. For a company on the accrual method, IRS rules generally count a warranty repair as the company incurs the cost of doing it, such as the crew's labor and the parts, not when the reserve is booked. Expect your books and tax return to differ, and let your CPA set the treatment. Source: 26 CFR 1.461-4: Economic performance (warranty example).
Financing has a cost and a rule
Ask each lender what it keeps from the amount it funds, promotional plans included, and price that in. The CFO picks the plans sales may offer. Under the FTC's Holder Rule, the company may not take loan money from a lender it refers customers to, or has a business arrangement with, unless the loan contract carries a set notice: whoever holds the loan is subject to the homeowner's claims against the company, up to what the homeowner paid. The rule's definition leaves out credit card issuers. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR Part 433, Preservation of Consumers' Claims and Defenses.
Some states cap the deposit
If you take part of the price at signing, check each state's deposit rules. Pennsylvania, for example, bars a contractor from taking a deposit above one-third of the price on a home improvement contract over five thousand dollars, or one-third plus the cost of special order materials named in the contract. The CFO sets deposit terms to match each state the company serves. Source: Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (2008 Act 132).
A sale isn't revenue until it holds
In-home sales come with cancellations: inside the legal window, later when a loan is declined, or when a homeowner gets cold feet before the install date. The CFO reports sales net of cancellations, pays commission on jobs that hold, and writes the rule for taking back a commission when a job falls apart. The cash forecast starts from installed jobs, not signed ones.
Spend before the rain
Spring ads are bought, and new installers hired and trained, before wet weather brings the calls. Deposits only arrive once jobs sell, so a dry month leaves that spending with too few jobs behind it. The CFO has the credit line open before the season, keeps an eye on the lender's covenants, and shows the CEO each week how long cash lasts if the rain holds off.
How much basement waterproofing chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for basement waterproofing chief financial 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 and performance bonuses per the template. A fair bonus rests on numbers the CFO controls, such as a close that lands on time, a cash forecast that holds and gross margin by system type.
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 finance where sales happen at the kitchen table, such as roofing, windows or remodeling
Builds job costing by system: drains, pumps, wall repair and crawl spaces
Can set a warranty reserve and defend it to a CPA, a lender or a buyer
Has managed consumer financing programs and the fees that come with them
Forecasts cash week by week through wet and dry stretches
Sets controls on deposits, refunds and commission payouts
Teach these on the job
How each waterproofing system is priced and installed
Your financing partners' plans, fees and funding steps
Your warranty terms and claim history
Deposit and contract rules in the states you serve
Reports from your CRM and scheduling software
Expect QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct or a similar system tied to the CRM where contracts, deposits and cancellations live. The CFO also works in each financing partner's portal, to see which loans have funded, and in the warranty claim log.
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 · Financing costs
Most in-home sales use consumer financing that charges you a dealer fee. How do you manage that cost?
A strong answer: Tracks fees by plan and rep, builds them into pricing, compares lenders, and models whether each promotion pays for itself.
Behavioral · Spotting risk early
Tell me about a time an early signal, like more cancellations during the cooling-off period or slower lender payouts, made you act before it hit cash.
A strong answer: Names the signal, digs into it by rep, lead source or lender, takes a specific action, and says what it prevented.
Base each target on your books from the last few years, and talk through any year that rain made unusually good or bad.
Gross Margin
Revenue minus crew labor, materials, disposal and financing fees, divided by revenue, each month by system type. Keep financing fees in job cost so a financed job's real margin shows.
Net Profit
Year-to-date net profit against the same months last year, with the warranty reserve change shown on its own line. Show the owners what moved it: price, lead cost, crew labor or overhead.
Cost Reduction
Name each savings effort, such as material pricing, disposal, fuel or financing fees, with an owner and the amount saved. Count a saving once it shows in the books and callbacks haven't risen.
Budget Adherence
Actual results against budget for each department every month, with marketing tracked by channel. Give every large miss a one-line reason, and rework the forecast before the next wet season.
Career path
BookkeeperPosts deposits, refunds and financing payouts to the right jobs.
ControllerRuns the monthly close, commissions and the warranty accounts.
Chief financial officerPlans cash, sets the reserve and manages lenders and financing partners.
CFO of a multi-market home improvement companyRuns finance across more offices, or through a sale.
How much should a waterproofing company set aside for warranty claims?
There's no set figure. Start from what claims have cost on systems you put in years ago, product by product, over as many years as you have. A new product has no history yet, so lean on the supplier's failure data and be cautious. Review the reserve every year, and expect a lender or buyer to ask how you set it.
How much does a basement waterproofing chief financial 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.
Who decides which financing plans the sales team can offer?
The CFO and the sales manager together, with the CFO holding the final say on cost. Each plan's fee is taken from the job's margin, so prices have to cover it. The sales manager makes sure reps explain the terms plainly and never promise approval before the lender gives it.
What should a waterproofing owner get from the CFO each month?
Profit by system type and by office. What each marketing channel spent per sold job. Cash expected over the coming quarter. Sales signed, cancelled and installed. Loans approved but not yet funded, deposits held, and open warranty claims against the reserve. Ask for it by the same day each month, in the same layout, so changes stand out.
How should a waterproofing CFO handle deposits on jobs not yet installed?
Treat them as customers' money held until the crew does the work, not as revenue. Keep enough cash to refund any job that cancels in time, since the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives a seller 10 business days after a valid cancellation notice to refund all payments. Report deposits held by install date, so a long backlog doesn't hide how much of the bank balance belongs to customers.
