A gutter company CFO keeps the money straight on a high volume of small jobs, from in-home deposits and financed guard sales to builder invoices. They set how sales tax is handled in each state, plan cash through the winter, and report to the CEO.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) ensures the financial health and sustainability of the gutter installation business. This role involves strategic planning, budgeting, and cost management to optimize profitability and support growth. The CFO directly impacts company success by providing financial insights and guidance to drive informed decision-making.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement financial strategies to enhance company growth and profitability.
Oversee budgeting processes to ensure alignment with company goals and objectives.
Manage financial reporting systems, including QuickBooks and industry-specific software, to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Conduct financial analysis to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
Collaborate with department heads to optimize cost management and resource allocation.
Ensure compliance with financial regulations and standards.
Lead financial audits and prepare necessary documentation.
Present financial reports and forecasts to the executive team and stakeholders.
Implement internal controls to safeguard company assets and enhance financial integrity.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily financial transactions and ensure proper documentation.
Monitor cash flow and maintain liquidity to support operations.
Conduct weekly financial review meetings with department heads.
Prepare monthly financial statements and variance analysis.
Oversee payroll processing and ensure timely payments.
Manage relationships with banks and financial institutions.
Evaluate and approve major expenditures and investments.
Provide financial training and support to team members as needed.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Gross Profit Margin: Maintain at approximately 40% or higher.
Operating Expense Ratio: Keep below 20% of total revenue.
Cash Flow Coverage Ratio: Achieve a minimum of 1.5.
Financial Reporting Accuracy: ≥ 98% accuracy in financial statements.
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction): ≥ 4.7/5.0.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations: Achieve full understanding of financial systems and initial KPI targets by 90 days.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field.
CPA or CMA certification preferred.
Proficiency in QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel.
Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
Excellent communication and leadership abilities.
Experience with financial modeling and forecasting.
6. Preferred Experience
5+ years in a financial leadership role within the construction or home services industry.
Experience with budgeting and financial planning in a $2–$20M revenue company.
Familiarity with cost management strategies in a project-based environment.
Understanding of industry-specific financial challenges and opportunities.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to remain seated for extended periods while reviewing financial documents.
Occasional travel required to meet with stakeholders and attend industry events.
Comfortable working in an office environment with standard office equipment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Flexibility to attend meetings outside of standard hours as needed.
Minimal seasonal fluctuations in workload, with occasional peak periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive base salary with performance-based bonuses tied to financial KPIs.
Bonus payouts contingent on maintaining high CSAT scores and low callback rates.
Benefits include health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
Opportunities for professional development and growth within the company.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we value accountability, craftsmanship, and customer satisfaction. We are committed to providing high-quality gutter installation services while fostering a supportive and growth-oriented work environment. Join us to make a meaningful impact and grow your career in a thriving industry.
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
Gutter jobs are small, quick and often sold in the customer's home. That puts sales tax, deposits and consumer financing at the center of the CFO's work.
In Indiana, the contract type sets the sales tax
Indiana's Department of Revenue treats a contractor on a time and material contract, one that lists material and labor separately, as a retail merchant. That company registers, can buy material for resale and collects sales tax on the material portion. On a lump sum contract the company pays tax when it buys coil and charges the customer none. Pick one quote format for each job type and set the software to match. Source: Indiana Department of Revenue: Sales Tax Information Bulletin #60, contractors (March 2024).
Iowa splits repairs from rebuilds
Iowa's Department of Revenue treats contractors as consumers of building materials who pay tax when they buy. On new construction, reconstruction or remodeling, the customer pays no tax on the labor. On repairs and installations below that level, the contractor charges the customer tax on the materials and on any taxable labor. The guide doesn't name gutters. It calls replacing damaged shingles a repair and rebuilding a whole roof reconstruction, so set your gutter invoice rules with a tax adviser. Source: Iowa Department of Revenue: Iowa Contractors Guide.
An in-home deposit isn't final for three days
The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule usually gives a buyer who signs at home three business days to cancel, ending at midnight. The seller then has 10 business days from a valid notice to refund, and can't pass the note to a finance company before midnight of the fifth business day. Book in-home deposits as refundable until the window closes, and hold special-order colors and guards until then. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR 429.1, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule.
Financed guard sales carry your disputes
When a guard sale closes on a payment plan from a lending partner, the FTC's Holder Rule bars you from accepting the loan money unless the credit contract says that any holder is subject to all claims and defenses the buyer could raise against the seller. A customer with a leaking guard can raise that claim against the lender too, up to what they've paid. Read each lender's recourse and chargeback terms before you sign up. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR 433.2, the FTC Holder Rule.
Cost each job by the foot
Gutter work is priced by the linear foot, with extras for downspouts, corners, guards and height. Track gross profit the same way: by foot, by story, by crew and by profile. A tall job with a steep roof, a lift rental or rotted fascia can lose money at a ranch-house price, and only job costing at that level shows it.
How much gutter company CFOs make
The closest BLS group for gutter company CFOs 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.
Expect salary plus an annual bonus set against the finance targets. In this template the bonus also depends on customer scores and callbacks, so the CFO shares the field's results.
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 counts too few chief executives at structure and exterior contractors for a steady figure, 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
Sets up job costing for a large number of small, quick jobs
Knows contractor sales and use tax in more than one state
Builds a weekly cash forecast that reaches through winter
Manages banks, lenders and consumer financing partners
Designs controls over deposits, refunds and payroll
Teach these on the job
Gutter pricing by foot, story and profile
How coil is bought, stored and scrapped
Your field service and accounting software
The in-home sales process and its cancellation steps
Builder billing cycles in your market
The template names QuickBooks. At a gutter company it sits beside a CRM or field service system that holds quotes, deposits and job status, and the CFO owns the link between them, so a canceled in-home sale reverses cleanly and each job's coil and labor land on the right ticket.
Gutter company CFO interview questions
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 · Funding the slow season
Installs drop sharply in winter, and you want to keep your best installers. How do you plan cash to get through it?
A strong answer: A monthly forecast from past seasons, a credit line arranged early, timed coil buys, winter work to keep crews busy such as repairs and builder jobs, and tighter collections on partner accounts.
Behavioral · Improving margins
Tell me about a time you found a hidden cost eating margins, such as coil waste, fuel or callbacks. What did you do?
A strong answer: Names the cost, how they found it in the data, the change made and the result.
The listed targets are the template's guesses. Swap in figures from your books by season, and revisit it when coil prices or your mix of guards and gutters shifts.
Gross Profit Margin
Revenue minus coil, guards, fasteners, crew pay and lift rentals, taken from job costing each month and split by retail, guard and builder work.
Operating Expense Ratio
Overhead such as office pay, rent, marketing and lender fees divided by revenue, measured against that month a year earlier.
Cash Flow Coverage Ratio
Operating cash flow divided by debt payments due, including machine, trailer and truck loans, figured each quarter and before any large purchase.
Financial Reporting Accuracy
Count the corrections made after month-end close, such as misposted deposits, refunds or tax lines, and find out why each one happened.
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction)
Pull survey results from the CRM and read the billing questions closely: surprise charges, refund speed and financing paperwork.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations
Confirm the CFO has mapped how deposits, refunds and sales tax move through the books, then compare their first forecasts with actual results.
Career path
BookkeeperPosts deposits, payroll and supplier bills for a contractor.
ControllerCloses the books, runs job costing and files sales tax returns.
Chief financial officerPlans cash, tax, financing and controls for the whole company.
Chief executive officerMoves into the top seat after leading the company's finances through growth.
How should a gutter company CFO plan cash for winter?
Build a week-by-week forecast that shows the slow months before they arrive. Spring and fall bring deposits and installs, while a cold-state winter brings payroll, truck and machine payments and lighter sales. Line up a credit line while revenue is strong, agree with the CEO on which crews the company will carry, and time big purchases for the months when cash is highest.
How much does a gutter company CFO 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.
Is customer financing worth the lender's fee?
Compare close rates and average tickets on financed guard sales with cash sales over a full season. If financing adds more profit than the dealer fees and chargebacks take away, keep it. Watch for promotional plans with steep fees that reps lean on to close every deal, and set rules for when a rep may offer one.
Why does this template tie the CFO's bonus to customer scores?
Because unhappy customers cost real money at a gutter company. A return trip ties up a crew and a machine, re-forming a run uses coil, and a disputed financed sale can hold up payment. Tying the bonus to quality keeps the CFO from cutting costs, like cheaper sealant or thinner coil, that come back later as callbacks.
Who should approve refunds when an in-home sale is canceled?
Keep refunds out of the sales team's hands. A rep or the office can log the cancellation, but someone in finance should confirm when it arrived, approve the refund and record it. That split guards against lost or late refunds and leaves a record if a customer complains to the state attorney general.
