A custom closet chief financial officer manages cash in a business that takes a deposit at signing, buys board and cuts parts, and collects the rest after install. The CFO also weighs shop machine purchases, tracks panel costs and approves the financing offers designers may use.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the strategic leader for all financial initiatives and planning to drive growth and profitability within the custom closets industry. Guide financial planning, cost analysis, and manage cash flow to ensure the ongoing fiscal health of the organization. Collaborate with executive leadership to inform decision-making and support long-term business objectives.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement comprehensive financial strategies to support business growth and stability.
Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and regular financial reporting to ensure transparency and accuracy.
Lead cost analysis initiatives to identify efficiencies and control expenses.
Ensure robust cash flow management and liquidity to support operational needs.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor financial performance against targets and prepare daily, weekly, and monthly reports.
Conduct regular reviews of cost structures and identify areas for process improvements.
Engage with department heads to understand operational needs and financial implications.
Maintain relationships with banks, investors, and other financial stakeholders to support funding and cash flow requirements.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Net Profit Margin: Achieve a minimum margin of 15%.
Cash Flow Efficiency: Maintain a positive cash flow ratio > 1.2.
Expense Reduction: Reduce operational costs by at least 5% annually.
Financial Reporting Accuracy: Deliver monthly reports with 98% accuracy.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field; MBA or CPA preferred.
Minimum of 10 years’ experience in financial management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills.
Proficiency in financial software and advanced MS Excel skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the home services or custom closets industry.
Demonstrated success in financial planning and cost management within a growth-oriented environment.
Experience working with diverse teams across multiple functional areas.
Knowledge of emerging trends in the home improvement and custom storage solutions market.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment with prolonged periods of sitting and computer work.
Occasional travel may be required for meetings and industry events.
Minimal physical exertion required, with emphasis on mental focus and attention to detail.
Comfortable in a professional setting with standard ergonomic office equipment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Flexibility to adjust hours and occasional evenings based on business needs.
Minimal on-call duties, mainly during critical financial closing periods.
Collaborative and fast-paced office environment with regular cross-department interactions.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive annual salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 USD, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonuses available as part of the compensation package.
Full health, dental, and vision insurance coverage provided.
401(k) plan with company match, paid time off, and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking, growth-oriented company that champions innovation and excellence in custom closet design and service.
Our culture emphasizes collaboration, continuous learning, and the empowerment of our employees to drive success.
We believe in open communication, a supportive work environment, and the importance of work-life balance.
Join us to be part of a dynamic team where your contributions directly impact our client satisfaction and business 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].
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 closet order is paid in pieces, made from sheet goods in your own shop and installed weeks after the sale. California is the example state below; other states set their own payment rules.
Shop machines are the big capital calls
CNC routers, edgebanders and boring machines are large purchases, and they pay off only when they run full shifts. The CFO compares buying with leasing, and with buying parts already cut from a supplier. IRS guidance confirms a permanent full first-year depreciation deduction for qualified property acquired after January 19, 2025. It belongs only in the buy case, so have your CPA confirm the machine qualifies, and how your state treats it, before you sign. Source: IRS: Guidance on the additional first-year depreciation deduction (IR-2026-06, Notice 2026-11).
California limits what you collect before delivery
California holds a home improvement down payment to one thousand dollars or a tenth of the price, whichever is smaller, and CSLB says ordering special materials is no reason to take more. Each later payment is limited to work already completed and materials already delivered. CSLB hasn't said whether parts your shop has cut count as completed work before they reach the house. Until a California construction lawyer says otherwise, plan to fund board, edging and shop hours yourself until delivery. Source: CSLB: What is a home improvement contract?.
The gap between sale and install costs cash
Once an order is final, the company buys board and hardware, pays shop wages and books a crew, often weeks before the last payment comes in. When the backlog grows, so does that gap. The CFO tracks how many weeks of work are sold but not installed, what has already been spent on them, and warns the CEO before a busy season drains the bank account.
Sheet yield decides the material cost
Every sheet you buy is paid for, whether it ends up as parts or offcuts. The CFO tracks yield by board color and thickness: how much of each sheet goes out in orders. Nesting software, cutting small parts from offcuts and a tight color count, which the COO sets, all raise it. A small gain in yield adds up over a year of orders.
Financing offers carry ad rules
If designers offer payment plans through a lender, price the lender's fee into the job first. Truth in Lending ad rules bind any business that advertises consumer credit, even one that never lends. On an ad or showroom sign for an installment loan, quoting the monthly payment, the number of payments or the down payment brings three must-haves: the down payment, the repayments due until the loan is paid off, and the APR, spelled out. Revolving plans fall under a separate section. The CFO approves each plan's wording. Source: eCFR: 12 CFR 1026.24, advertising credit (Regulation Z).
How much custom closet chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for custom closet 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.
The template pays salary plus performance bonuses. Tie part of the bonus to things a closet CFO steers, such as sheet yield, deposits matched to orders, and margin by room 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 for a made-to-order business with its own shop
Builds job costs by product line: closets, garages, pantries and offices
Models a machine purchase against buying cut parts, using real run hours
Forecasts cash week by week from the install calendar
Puts controls on refunds, change-order credits and lender funding
Teach these on the job
Your design program's pricing and price list updates
Your board and hardware supplier terms
Down payment and progress payment limits where you sell
What each lender charges and how fast it funds
Shop machine run times and upkeep costs
The CFO's tools are the general ledger (QuickBooks Online, NetSuite and Sage Intacct are examples), order and pricing data from the design program, and the lender portals for financed jobs. A CFO who pulls shop hours and install hours into job costs sees margin by room type that the books alone won't show.
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 · Cash flow with deposits
Customer deposits are funding operations, and sales just slowed. What do you do?
A strong answer: Forecasts cash without new deposits, protects money needed to finish sold jobs, adjusts spending and purchasing, and lines up credit early.
Behavioral · Reports that change decisions
Tell me about a report you built, such as margin by designer or remake cost by cause, that changed a leadership decision.
A strong answer: Describes the report, why it was needed, the decision it changed and the money it saved or made.
Write down how each measure is figured before the first quarter starts. Closet companies count deposits, remakes and financing fees in different ways, and the template doesn't say which way it means.
Net Profit Margin
Net profit over revenue each month, with revenue counted at install. Show remakes, lender fees and discounts on their own lines so owners can see what moved the margin.
Cash Flow Efficiency
The template doesn't define its ratio. One option is the operating cash flow ratio: cash from operations divided by current liabilities, with customer deposits counted as a liability. Pick a formula with your CPA and keep it.
Expense Reduction
List each cost-cutting effort, such as better sheet yield, a hardware price or fewer return trips. Give it a named lead, and record what it saved only after the monthly books show it.
Financial Reporting Accuracy
Count corrections made to monthly statements after they go out, such as deposits booked as sales or jobs missing their board cost. Fewer corrections each quarter means the close is working.
Career path
BookkeeperPosts deposits, final payments and supplier bills to each job.
ControllerRuns the monthly close and costs each order.
Chief financial officerFunds the shop, the backlog and growth.
Should a closet company buy a CNC router or buy parts already cut?
Count the run hours first. A machine that would run one shift a few days a week may cost more than buying cut parts, once you add the loan, an operator, upkeep and floor space. Cutting in-house gives you control of lead times and remakes, which is worth some cost. Compare both on a year of your own orders.
How much does a custom closet 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.
How should a closet CFO handle a board price increase?
Find out first which colors and thicknesses it hits, and from what date. Board already on the rack was bought at the old price, so the cost rises as that stock is used up. Buying ahead can soften the hit if you have the space and the cash. Change the design program's prices from a set date, and tell designers before customers hear about it.
What finance background fits a closet CFO?
Look for finance work in a business that makes products to order and installs them, such as cabinets, countertops, windows or furniture. Someone from pure retail may not know job costing, and someone from pure construction may not know what a shop's machines cost to run. An MBA or CPA, which the template lists as preferred, helps, but the right experience matters more.
What happens to a deposit if a customer cancels after the parts are cut?
That depends on your contract and each state's law, so write the terms plainly and have a lawyer check them for every state you sell in. Custom-cut parts have little value to anyone else. Cutting only after the final on-site measure keeps this case rare.
