A design-build chief financial officer manages the money from a client's first design retainer to the final payment on the build. They set how design fees, progress bills and change orders are charged, watch each job's margin from estimate to closeout, and keep cash steady while clients' lenders release funds.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Serve as a strategic financial leader overseeing budgeting, cost tracking, and the overall financial health for design-build projects. The CFO partners with executive leadership and project teams to drive financial discipline and support sustainable growth across the organization.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead the development and implementation of financial strategies that support project profitability and company-wide objectives.
Manage the end-to-end budgeting process and continuously monitor cost performance for design-build initiatives.
Direct financial reporting, ensuring accurate forecasting, variance analysis, and compliance with relevant standards.
Collaborate with project managers and cross-functional teams to optimize resource allocation and financial planning.
Develop risk management policies and internal controls to safeguard company assets.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and analyze daily financial performance reports for ongoing design-build projects.
Monitor project expenditures and ensure alignment with approved budgets.
Meet with project teams to discuss financial metrics, cost variances, and potential savings.
Prepare and distribute periodic financial statements and performance dashboards to leadership.
Oversee vendor invoicing and approval processes to maintain financial accuracy.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Budget Accuracy: Maintain a budget adherence rate of >95%.
Gross Margin Improvement: Achieve a minimum of 12% improvement on key projects.
Project ROI: Attain an overall project return on investment of >15%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline; MBA or CPA preferred.
Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible financial management experience.
Strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, and cost control techniques specific to design-build projects.
Excellent analytical, communication, and leadership skills to guide cross-functional teams.
6. Preferred Experience
Proven track record at design-build firms or within the construction/home services industry.
Demonstrated success in strategic financial planning and risk management.
Experience with ERP systems and project-specific financial software tools.
Prior involvement in large-scale project finance and multi-disciplinary team management.
7. Physical Requirements
Primarily sedentary office environment with extensive periods of desk work.
Occasional travel to project sites and external meetings may be required.
Ability to work in an office setting with standard equipment and technology.
Minimal physical exertion expected beyond standard office duties.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard business hours with an expectation of 40 hours per week.
Occasional extended hours during critical project or reporting periods.
Minimal but necessary travel to project sites and industry events.
A professional office setting that fosters collaboration and team-based problem-solving.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 per annum, commensurate with experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, and Vision coverage.
401(k) plan with company match and additional retirement options.
Paid time off, professional development opportunities, and other fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we are dedicated to fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous growth. We are an inclusive organization that values each team member’s contributions and provides ample opportunities for professional development. Our commitment to quality, customer satisfaction, and ethical business practices creates an environment where you can thrive and make a measurable impact on our success.
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 design-build firm gets paid twice by one client: first for the design, then in stages for the build. Each stage carries its own risk, and a mistake in the first often shows up in the margin of the last.
Design retainers are owed work, not profit
A retainer paid at the start of design pays for work not yet done. On accrual books, record it as owed to the client and move it to revenue as the designers deliver, and agree with the CEO on what happens to it if the client doesn't build. When design fees are credited toward construction, track each credit so the build price and the design fee aren't counted twice.
Each job's money stays with that job
Paying one job's bills with another client's deposit is tempting when cash is short. In Michigan, for example, a licensed builder can be penalized for diverting money received for a specific construction project to any other project or purpose. Rules vary by state. Set up job-level tracking so every deposit and progress payment can be matched to the costs of the job that paid it. Source: Michigan Compiled Laws 339.2411: complaints and conduct that brings penalties.
Margin fades a little at a time
Margin rarely vanishes in one big mistake. It leaks through changes built before they are priced and signed, allowances clients outspend, and extra labor days on hidden problems in old houses. The CFO compares each open job's projected margin every month with the margin at contract signing, so the project manager can act while the job is still running.
A client's renovation lender sets the pace
Some clients pay through a renovation loan. Under Fannie Mae's HomeStyle Renovation servicing rules, the renovation money sits in an escrow account. After any first draw, funds go to the contractor and borrower only on the agreed schedule and after an inspection confirms the work matches the plans. A change to the plans needs the servicer's approval, on a change request, before it is made. The CFO builds those draws and waits into the cash forecast. Source: Fannie Mae Servicing Guide D1-2-01: renovation mortgage loans.
Home contracts have their own tax rule
Federal tax rules generally require percentage of completion on construction contracts that run past the year they start. A home construction contract is exempt: four-fifths or more of its expected costs go to homes in buildings of four or fewer units and the improvements on their site. The rule counts rehabilitation and improvement as construction, so remodels and additions can qualify. Smaller firms may also qualify under a separate gross receipts test. Choose the method with the firm's CPA. Source: eCFR: 26 CFR 1.460-3, long-term construction contracts.
How much design-build chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for design-build chief financial officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for building contractors earned a median of $220,450 a year ($105.99 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 1,370 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for building contractors.
Per the template, a salary with bonuses for results. Reward a timely close, job cost reports project managers trust, and healthy cash on hand, more than revenue.
Building contractors
$220,450$220,450 median Middle half $162,630–$341,330 10th–90th $117,930–$453,730
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
Building contractors
$117,930
$162,630
$220,450
$341,330
$453,730
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for design-build firms on their own. These figures cover construction of buildings, which include them. 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 residential construction, remodeling or design-build company
Builds job cost reports by cost code that project managers actually use
Writes deposit, progress billing and change order rules and enforces them
Forecasts cash around client loan draws and seasonal job starts
Walks each project manager through their jobs' margins every month
Teach these on the job
Your contract payment schedule and retainer terms
The renovation lenders your clients use most
Your estimating cost codes
Your insurance broker and current policies
Your project management software's billing tools
Many firms this size run QuickBooks or a construction accounting system linked to project management software, such as Buildertrend or JobTread, for budgets, change orders and client invoices. Ask finalists how they kept job costs current between the field and the books.
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 · Design cycle overruns
Construction cost variance is fine, but projects spend far longer in design than planned. What do you look at?
A strong answer: Revision counts, client decision delays, scope changes, staffing and fee structure, then recommends revision limits and decision deadlines.
Behavioral · Useful forecasting
Tell me about a forecasting model you built that leaders actually used.
A strong answer: Names the inputs (signed design agreements, conversion rates, backlog, draw schedules), how they checked it against actuals, and a decision it changed, like a hire or a credit line draw.
How should a design-build firm schedule progress payments?
For clients paying from their own funds, tie each payment to a stage they can see, such as foundation, framing, rough inspections passed, drywall and final, and collect it as the stage starts rather than after it ends. Check whether your state limits the first deposit. A schedule that stays ahead of costs keeps the firm from paying subs out of its credit line.
How much does a design-build chief financial officer make?
Chief executives who work for building contractors earned a median of $220,450 a year ($105.99 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $162,630 and $341,330 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Who should carry builder's risk insurance on an addition or remodel?
Ask your broker before every addition and custom home. A homeowner's policy may not cover a house that is half built or open to the weather, and a client's lender may ask for proof of coverage. Decide in the contract who buys the policy, whose names are on it, and whether it covers materials stored on site. Put the premium in the estimate so it doesn't come out of margin.
Should a design-build firm offer financing to clients?
Referring clients to a few renovation lenders is simpler than arranging loans yourself, which can bring lending rules into play; get a lawyer's advice before offering any payment plan. Watch the loan's clock too. Under Fannie Mae's HomeStyle Renovation servicing rules, the work must be finished within 15 months of the loan closing, with an extension to 18 months only for delays beyond the borrower's control. Don't let a client's loan close while design or permits still have months to go.
Who sets the rules for change orders?
The project manager writes and prices each change with the client; the CFO sets the money rules behind it. Those are one markup for every change, a size above which the COO or CEO approves, and whether the client pays at signing or with the next progress bill. Once the build contract is signed, treat a design revision the client asks for like any other change, with a price and a signature, so design rework doesn't hide in the job's costs.
