An HVAC chief financial officer runs the money side of a heating and cooling company: cash, budgets, forecasts, lenders and risk. Sales rise and fall with the weather, so the CFO plans cash months ahead and keeps a close eye on maintenance plan payments and customer financing.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, HVAC and plumbing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the strategic financial leader for our HVAC division, driving long-term financial planning and risk management to support overall company growth and profitability. Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, sales, and administration to ensure financial efficiency and robust business performance. Provide visionary leadership that aligns financial strategy with innovative home service solutions, ensuring both stability and opportunity in a dynamic market.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement comprehensive financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting strategies that align with the company’s goals.
Oversee risk management processes, ensuring financial risks are identified, assessed, and managed proactively.
Lead the preparation and presentation of timely and accurate financial reports to executive management and stakeholders.
Ensure regulatory compliance and effective internal controls while driving continuous process improvements in financial operations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor daily financial transactions and cash flow to ensure operational efficiency and timely resolution of discrepancies.
Collaborate with department heads to evaluate performance against budgetary expectations and operational targets.
Prepare, analyze, and communicate monthly and quarterly financial reports to the executive leadership team.
Review and update risk management strategies by staying current with industry trends and best practices in the HVAC market.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Net Profit Margin: Achieve a minimum of 15% annually.
Operating Expense Ratio: Maintain expenses at less than 10% of total revenue.
Year-over-Year Revenue Growth: Target growth of over 8% annually.
Budget Variance: Keep variances under 3% each quarter.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible financial leadership experience.
Strong analytical, strategic, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the HVAC or home services industry.
Proven track record of managing financial strategy in a fast-paced, service-oriented organization.
Exposure to risk management and regulatory compliance within a technical industry.
Experience working with cross-functional teams to drive business performance improvements.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment.
Capable of sitting for extended periods while focusing on detailed financial reports.
Occasional travel may be required for meetings, conferences, or site visits.
Minimal physical exertion, with no significant lifting or manual labor required.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard business hours with occasional extended hours during peak financial periods.
Primarily office-based, with some remote work flexibility.
Occasional travel for industry conferences, meetings, or site assessments.
On-call responsibilities during critical financial periods if needed.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive base salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 per year.
Performance-based bonus structure tied to company and division milestones.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance benefits.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions and other fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering an inclusive and dynamic work environment where innovation and professional growth are at the forefront of our culture. We are dedicated to providing exceptional home service solutions in the HVAC industry while nurturing a team-oriented atmosphere that celebrates creativity, accountability, and success. Our leadership team is committed to mentoring talent, supporting career development, and driving sustainable growth that benefits both our employees and our customers.
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].
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Every CFO plans cash and reports results. In residential HVAC, the weather, prepaid plans and customer financing change the math.
Cash rises and falls with the weather
A hot July or a cold January brings cash in fast. A mild spring can leave weeks where payroll and truck payments run ahead of deposits. The HVAC CFO forecasts cash week by week, sets up a credit line before it's needed, and times big buys like equipment stock and new trucks around the seasons.
Plan money comes in before the work
Maintenance plan members often pay for the year up front, or month by month, for tune-ups the company delivers later. The CFO tracks how many visits the company still owes, so plan sales don't look like profit before the work is done. Renewals and the cost of each visit show whether the plans make money.
Customer financing has a cost
When a homeowner finances a new system through a plan the company offers, the lender's fees land somewhere. Trane's financing page warns homeowners that an HVAC company may raise the overall cost of a replacement because of dealer fees and origination fees. The CFO knows each plan's fees, accounts for them in pricing, and checks which plans actually help close jobs. Source: Trane: HVAC financing.
Tax credits and rebates come and go
The federal energy efficient home improvement credit helped homeowners pay for qualifying heat pumps and central air conditioners. The IRS says it applies only to improvements made through December 31, 2025, so it no longer helps with new installs. When a credit like this ends, demand for the equipment it covered can shift, and the CFO updates the forecast. The CFO also keeps the paperwork for any utility rebates the company files for customers. Source: IRS: Energy efficient home improvement credit.
Service and installs earn money differently
A repair call is often priced from a flat-rate price book, so the time the job takes drives its margin. A replacement carries equipment, permits, crew time and sales commission. The CFO sets up job costing by department so the owner can see which work makes money and which only keeps trucks busy.
How much HVAC chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for HVAC chief financial officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $174,130 a year ($83.72 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 760 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for HVAC and plumbing contractors.
Usually a salary and a bonus based on profit and cash targets.
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$174,130$174,130 median Middle half $93,740–$271,790 10th–90th $70,780–$421,320
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
HVAC and plumbing contractors
$70,780
$93,740
$174,130
$271,790
$421,320
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS reports HVAC and plumbing contractors together. 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
Builds a week-by-week cash forecast and keeps it current
Closes the books on time each month and explains the results in plain words
Has worked with banks on credit lines and equipment loans
Sets up job costing by department and by job type
Puts firm controls on cash, payroll, refunds and vendor payments
Teach these on the job
How your maintenance plans bill, renew and get used
Your financing partners' programs and fees
Equipment pricing and your distributor's terms
Reports in your field service software
Technician and sales commission plans
Expect accounting software such as QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct or NetSuite, tied to field service software that holds invoices, maintenance plans and job costs. Put both in the ad, plus your bank and financing partners, so candidates can tell whether they've used your setup before.
HVAC chief financial officer interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
The targets in the template are examples. Set yours from your budget and past results, and report each one monthly.
Net Profit Margin
Net profit divided by revenue, each month and for the year to date. Compare like seasons, since a summer month and a spring month aren't the same business.
Operating Expense Ratio
Operating expenses, such as office wages, rent, software, insurance and management costs, divided by revenue. Agree with your CPA on which costs count, and watch it in slow months, when revenue drops but most overhead doesn't.
Year-over-Year Revenue Growth
Revenue for service, installs and maintenance plans, each compared with the same months last year. Read it next to each department's gross margin, so growth that loses money shows up early.
Budget Variance
The gap between each department's actual revenue and costs and its budget, checked monthly and totaled each quarter. Explain any large gap in writing and update the forecast.
Career path
Staff accountant or auditorLearns closes, audits and reporting, often at an accounting firm.
ControllerRuns the books, payroll and month-end close.
Chief financial officerPlans cash, capital and reporting for the owner and lenders.
CFO of a larger companyLeads finance after growth, acquisitions or a sale.
Not always. Some companies this size use a controller to run the books and a part-time or fractional CFO for forecasting, lender talks and planning. A full-time CFO makes sense when you're borrowing to grow, buying other companies, planning a sale, or when cash swings between seasons keep catching you off guard.
How much does an HVAC chief financial officer make?
Chief executives who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $174,130 a year ($83.72 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $93,740 and $271,790 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What is the difference between a CFO, a controller and a bookkeeper at an HVAC company?
A bookkeeper records the day's money: invoices, bills, deposits and payroll entries. A controller makes sure the books are right and closes each month. A CFO looks ahead: cash forecasts, budgets, borrowing, pricing and risk. At an HVAC company, the CFO also decides how maintenance plan payments, financed sales and job costs show up in the numbers.
Should an HVAC CFO be a CPA?
A CPA license is useful, especially if you face audits or plan to sell, but it isn't the only route. Many good finance leaders come up through controller or planning jobs. What matters most is that they can build a cash forecast, close the books on time, and explain the numbers in plain words to people who run trucks and crews.
What reports should an HVAC CFO bring to the owner each month?
At a minimum: profit and loss by department, a balance sheet, and a cash forecast for the next three months. Add budget against actual, and plan counts and renewals. Many owners also want gross margin by job type, the financing fees paid, and a short note on what changed and why.
What should an HVAC CFO job ad include?
Give your revenue range and number of locations, and say whether you have a controller and a bookkeeper. Say who prepares your taxes today and whether an outside CPA reviews or audits your books. Mention any big events ahead, like buying a company, a new credit line or a planned sale.
