In an exterior cleaning company, the CFO oversees the money behind thousands of house washes, roof treatments and driveway cleanings a year: cash, budgets, taxes and insurance. The CFO tracks what bleach, fuel and damage claims cost each service, plans for weeks lost to rain, and keeps lenders and the board up to date.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building services companies · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $93,610, middle half $102,340 to $208,630, 90th percentile $275,020. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer
Department
Finance & Administration
Schedule
Weekday office hours, some flexibility · Longer days at budget time and reporting deadlines, limited travel, and after-hours calls on urgent money issues
Also called
Finance director · Vice president of finance · Head of finance
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a strategic financial leader responsible for developing comprehensive financial strategies, managing cash flow, and driving meticulous budgeting processes to support the growth and sustainability of our exterior cleaning services. This role plays a key part in shaping the company’s financial landscape while ensuring operational efficiency and rigorous financial discipline across all levels of the organization.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement financial strategies that align with the company’s long-term goals and objectives.
Manage cash flow to ensure operational liquidity and the ability to invest in growth opportunities.
Lead the annual budgeting process and prepare accurate financial forecasts and variance analyses.
Oversee financial reporting, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and internal policies.
Collaborate with executive leadership to identify financial risks and opportunities for cost-saving initiatives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily cash flow reports and assess financial risk exposure.
Monitor and analyze budget performance, ensuring adherence to approved financial plans.
Prepare and present weekly and monthly financial status reports to executive leadership.
Coordinate with department heads to optimize expense management and resource allocation.
Maintain regular communication with external stakeholders, including financial institutions and auditors.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: Achieve a minimum of 10% year-over-year increase in revenue.
Operating Expense Ratio: Maintain expenses at or below 25% of total revenue.
Forecast Accuracy: Secure a minimum of 95% accuracy in monthly financial forecasts.
Cash Flow Management: Ensure a consistent positive cash flow of at least $500K per month.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or equivalent certification highly desirable.
Minimum of 10 years in financial leadership roles with a proven track record in budgeting and financial strategy.
Exceptional analytical, interpersonal, and decision-making skills.
Proficiency in financial modeling, ERP systems, and advanced Excel techniques.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the home services or exterior cleaning industry.
Demonstrated experience managing financial operations in a service-based business.
Familiarity with strategic planning and executive-level decision-making processes.
Proven ability to lead multi-department financial initiatives and communicate complex financial concepts clearly.
7. Physical Requirements
Occasional light lifting up to 15 lbs required for document handling.
Primarily sedentary office environment with prolonged periods of desk work.
May require short visits to operational sites to review financial processes firsthand.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours with extended hours during peak budgeting and financial reporting periods.
Limited travel required for meetings, training sessions, and site inspections.
On-call availability for critical financial issues during after-hours may be necessary.
Flexible work arrangements available based on business needs and performance.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $150,000 - $200,000 USD per annum.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses contingent on meeting financial targets.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance packages provided.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits include paid time off, continuing education support, and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is dedicated to cultivating a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance culture that empowers every team member to excel.
We value innovation, transparency, and a proactive approach to problem-solving, ensuring that each employee has the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally.
Join us in a dynamic environment where your expertise will directly impact the delivery of top-quality exterior cleaning services and contribute to a legacy of excellence.
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
Revenue here is easy to collect and hard to predict. The CFO's harder problems are tax by job address, bleach buying, insurance gaps and a forecast that rain can rewrite.
In New Mexico, the job address sets the tax
New Mexico's gross receipts tax covers money from performing services in the state. The tax is on the business, though it's common to pass it on, and then it must be shown separately on the invoice. The rate combines state, county and city rates, and businesses generally use the rate where the product of the service is delivered, which for a house wash is usually the customer's property. Rates now change only in July, barring special cases. The CFO makes sure each job carries the right location code. Source: New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department: Gross receipts tax overview.
Bulk bleach is cheaper until it isn't
Soft wash crews go through a lot of sodium hypochlorite, and the price per gallon drops when you buy by the drum or tote. Bigger containers bring costs of their own: storage with spill containment, transport rules the COO has to plan around, and stock sitting in a hot shop. Ask the supplier how long its product keeps its strength in your summer heat. Then compare cost per finished job, not cost per gallon.
Ask what the policy says about chemicals
Many claims in this trade involve the customer's property: a browned hedge, spotted car paint, stripped deck stain or a streaked roof. At each renewal, the CFO walks the general liability policy with the broker and asks how it treats chemical runoff and overspray, any pollution exclusion, roof work, and damage to the surface the crew was cleaning. A gap found at renewal costs far less than one found after a claim.
Rain moves revenue until the season runs out
A rained-out week usually pushes booked house washes into the next one, so cash slides rather than disappears. Late in the year that changes: a wet stretch or an early freeze can end the season with jobs still on the books. The CFO forecasts from the booked schedule, the workable days left, and how many postponed customers rebook rather than cancel.
Prepaid plans are work you owe
Some companies sell a yearly plan, such as a spring house wash and a fall gutter clean, paid up front. That cash isn't earned until the crews do the work. The CFO books it as service owed, tracks the visits still due, and keeps enough cash back to deliver them. A plan priced before chemical or fuel costs rose can lose money on its second visit.
How much exterior cleaning chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for exterior cleaning chief financial officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 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 430 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for building services companies.
A salary and a bonus linked to the template's financial targets. Weight part of that bonus on forecast accuracy, since rain makes it the hardest number to hit in this trade.
Building services companies
$130,000$130,000 median Middle half $102,340–$208,630 10th–90th $93,610–$275,020
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 services companies
$93,610
$102,340
$130,000
$208,630
$275,020
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for exterior cleaning companies on their own. These figures cover services to buildings and dwellings, 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 field service company with a short, weather-driven season
Builds a weekly cash forecast from the booked schedule and the weather
Has set up sales or gross receipts tax billing across many cities and counties
Reads an insurance policy's exclusions and presses the broker on gaps
Can tell whether a roof, house or flatwork price covers its chemical, labor and claim costs
Teach these on the job
Which surfaces and services draw the most damage claims
What sodium hypochlorite, surfactants and rig parts cost
What each yearly plan includes and when its visits fall
Which card processor and payment links your techs use in the field
Which towns and counties your crews work in
Expect jobs and card payments to flow from field service software into QuickBooks Online or another ledger, and chemical buys to come from one or two suppliers on account. Ask candidates how they would track bleach by rig when crews refill at the shop from a shared tote.
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 · Seasonal cash
Most cash comes in from spring through fall. How do you keep the company healthy through winter?
A strong answer: Weekly cash forecasting, a reserve built in peak months, a credit line set up in advance, and planning winter work or prepaid plans.
Behavioral · Pricing analysis
Tell me about a time you found that a service was priced too low. What did you do?
A strong answer: Explains the analysis, such as job time and chemical cost against price, the price or scope change, and the margin result.
Rebuild every target using the last two seasons of your monthly results. Settle with the CEO which months count as slow before any bonus is set.
Revenue Growth
Compare like seasons, split into house, roof, flatwork and commercial work. A year that grows only in one-time driveway jobs is weaker than it looks, since those customers rebook less often than plan holders.
Operating Expense Ratio
Measure it on a rolling year, because a winter month's overhead against its thin sales will always look bad. Count crew wages, bleach and fuel as job costs, not operating expense.
Forecast Accuracy
Score the month's revenue and cash forecast against actual results, then log the rain days and freezes behind each miss. Over a few seasons, that log lets the forecast plan for weather instead of hoping.
Cash Flow Management
Each Monday, set the bank balance beside the next two weeks of payroll and bleach orders. Expect the template's monthly figure to fit peak months at best, and set your own floor for the slow ones.
Career path
Accounting managerKept the books, card deposits and sales tax filings for a multi-crew business.
ControllerBuilt job cost reports that split roofs, houses and flatwork.
Chief Financial OfficerPlans cash, tax and insurance around the washing season.
Can an exterior cleaning company use subcontracted crews in the spring?
It can, but calling someone a subcontractor doesn't settle it. For federal taxes, the IRS sorts the evidence into three groups (behavioral, financial and the relationship itself) and looks at the whole picture. A sub who runs your rig with your chemicals on your schedule looks like an employee. Your state may use its own test, so ask your CPA or employment lawyer. For true contractors, collect a W-9 and insurance certificates. Starting with the 2026 tax year, Form 1099-NEC is generally due for each one paid at least two thousand dollars in the year.
How much does an exterior cleaning chief financial officer make?
Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $102,340 and $208,630 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Which costs should the CFO track for each service?
Crew hours from first stop to last, drive time, chemicals and surfactants used, fuel for engines and any hot water burners, and wear on pumps, hoses and surface cleaners. Add damage claims and free re-washes. Keep roofs, house washes, flatwork, gutters and commercial work on separate lines, and price each one from its own costs rather than the company average.
What does an exterior cleaning CFO's year look like?
Late winter is budget and borrowing season: setting the credit line, pricing the year and planning spring payroll before revenue starts. Spring and summer are about daily cash, card deposits and keeping chemical and parts orders in line with the schedule. Fall brings the last busy weeks, prepaid plan sales and equipment decisions with the CPA. The slowest months are for cleaning up the books and showing the board the full year.
Which financial controls matter most in exterior cleaning?
The ones around money handled in the field. Techs and the office may take cards, apply discounts and issue re-wash credits, so set limits on each and review the exceptions weekly. Put chemical and fuel buys on company cards with receipts tied to a rig. Check that every re-wash credit matches a logged callback, and match deposits to finished jobs every week.
