A lighting company CFO runs the books and the cash for a business that spends heavily each summer and fall, then gets paid for holiday displays, retrofits and outdoor jobs on different schedules. They oversee payroll, budgets and audits, set cost controls, and tell the CEO what the company can afford.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
The CFO / Accountant is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of the company, ensuring robust financial management, and implementing cost controls to optimize profitability. This role directly impacts the company's financial health by managing budgets, payroll, and financial forecasting, contributing to strategic planning and sustainable growth.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage and monitor all financial transactions, ensuring accuracy and compliance with industry standards.
Develop and maintain financial systems and controls using tools like QuickBooks and Excel to streamline operations.
Prepare and present financial reports to the executive team, providing insights for strategic decision-making.
Oversee payroll processes to ensure timely and accurate payments.
Implement cost control measures to maximize profitability and reduce unnecessary expenses.
Collaborate with department heads to develop and manage budgets.
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal financial regulations.
Lead annual audits and coordinate with external auditors to ensure financial transparency.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and approve daily financial transactions and reports for accuracy.
Conduct weekly cash flow analysis to ensure liquidity.
Manage monthly closing processes and prepare financial statements.
Monitor accounts payable and receivable to maintain healthy cash flow.
Conduct regular budget reviews with department managers.
Update financial forecasts based on current data and market trends.
Facilitate bi-weekly payroll processing and resolve any discrepancies.
Provide financial insights and recommendations in weekly executive meetings.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Maintain an operating margin of approximately 15-20%.
Ensure payroll accuracy with error rates ≤ 1%.
Achieve a budget variance of ≤ 5%.
Maintain a cash flow ratio of ≥ 1.5.
Achieve a CSAT score of ≥ 4.7/5.0 related to financial management.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations: Familiarize with company financials and systems within 30 days, implement cost controls within 60 days, and achieve targeted KPIs by 90 days.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
CPA certification or equivalent.
Proficiency in financial software such as QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and leadership abilities.
Knowledge of financial regulations and compliance.
6. Preferred Experience
5+ years of experience in financial management, ideally within the lighting installation or home services industry.
Experience with financial forecasting and budgeting.
Familiarity with cost control and reduction strategies.
Previous experience in a CFO role or similar capacity.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in an office environment for extended periods.
Occasionally required to visit job sites to understand operational costs.
Minimal travel required for industry conferences or training.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours, Monday through Friday, with occasional extended hours during peak financial periods.
Limited on-call responsibilities for urgent financial matters.
Flexible working arrangements available during non-peak periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary based on experience, with performance bonuses tied to achieving financial KPIs.
Payouts contingent on maintaining quality standards such as CSAT and low error rates.
Benefits include health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on our commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Our team is dedicated to craftsmanship and safety, ensuring every project is completed to the highest standards. We value growth and accountability, fostering an environment where every team member can thrive and contribute to our success. Join us in illuminating spaces and brightening lives.
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
What's different about finance at a lighting company
Three service lines bill on three rhythms, and the holiday season pulls spending months ahead of the money. Much of this CFO's work is about timing.
Fall bills come due before holiday money lands
Holiday product is bought in summer, and seasonal installers go on payroll in early fall. Many clients pay the balance only after the lights are up, and the takedown bill often goes out in January. The CFO maps cash for each week of that stretch, sets deposit terms with the sales manager, and lines up credit before it's needed, not in the middle of the rush.
One contract can span several seasons
A multi-year holiday contract can bundle design, install, takedown, repairs and storage of the client's decor. Money collected up front isn't all earned the day it arrives. The CFO keeps deposits on the balance sheet as a liability until crews deliver, agrees with the outside CPA on how to split each contract across seasons, and keeps sales from reporting a three-year deal as one year's revenue.
Sales tax rules change at the state line
Each state sets its own tax rules for install labor and the materials that go into a job. In Washington, a prime contractor on a custom job collects retail sales tax from the landowner on the full contract price, unless an exemption applies. That holds for a home and for a school. Materials built into the job can be bought with a reseller permit, but tools, rentals and supplies the crew uses up can't. Before you work in a new state, set each service's tax code with the CPA. Source: Washington Department of Revenue: Custom construction.
A building tax deduction closed to new starts
Section 179D is a federal deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings. It can cover interior lighting put in as part of a certified plan to cut a building's energy costs. When a government, tribe or other tax-exempt group owns the building, the deduction can go to the person mainly responsible for designing the work. A 2025 law ends it for property whose construction begins after June 30, 2026. The IRS page may not show that yet, so read the statute and run any claim past a tax adviser. Source: 26 U.S. Code section 179D (Cornell LII).
Storage is a cost line of its own
Between seasons, the warehouse holds clients' wreaths, garland and custom strands, tagged by property. That space, the shelving, the insurance and the hours spent sorting and testing all cost money while nobody is billing. The CFO costs each service line separately, so a strong retrofit year can't hide a holiday line that loses money once storage is counted.
How much lighting company CFOs make
The closest BLS group for lighting company CFOs is chief executives. Chief executives who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $172,410 a year ($82.89 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 630 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for electrical contractors.
Expect a yearly salary and a year-end payout tied to the template's financial targets, paid only while quality measures hold. BLS publishes no pay line just for CFOs, and O*NET files the CFO title with chief executives, so these figures also count presidents and CEOs. A CFO who also closes the books and runs payroll may be offered less, so compare offers for the top finance job at local contractors.
Electrical contractors
$172,410$172,410 median Middle half $118,510–$266,910 10th–90th $90,720–$403,030
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
Electrical contractors
$90,720
$118,510
$172,410
$266,910
$403,030
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for lighting installers on their own. These figures cover electrical contractors, 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 the month-end close and payroll for a contractor or service company
Builds a weekly cash forecast through a seasonal peak
Costs jobs by service line, not only by month
Works well with the outside CPA, the bank and the insurance agent
Sets up approvals that keep one person from both approving and sending a payment
Turns a profit report into plain advice for crew leads and managers
Teach these on the job
How holiday, retrofit and outdoor jobs are priced
When each utility rebate check tends to arrive
How client decor is tagged and counted in storage
Exports from your field and project software
Which of your services each state taxes, and how
QuickBooks and Excel are the template's tools. Expect to add a payroll provider set up for seasonal hires, project software where jobs get costed, and a count of holiday stock. Tell candidates who keeps the books today, a staff bookkeeper or an outside firm, and which of that work moves to this hire.
Lighting 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 · Approving seasonal buying
Operations wants to buy all of next season's holiday product in July. It's a large spend. How do you decide how much to approve?
A strong answer: Ties the buy to signed renewals and a realistic sales forecast, weighs early-buy discounts against cash and storage, and stages purchases to limit leftovers.
Behavioral · Payroll accuracy
Tell me about a payroll problem you caught with seasonal crews, such as missed overtime or wrong pay rates.
A strong answer: Explains how they caught it, the root cause (missed hours, wrong rates, misclassified workers), how affected workers were paid correctly, and the control they added.
Base these on two years of your own results and the CEO's plan, and write down the formula behind each one.
Maintain an operating margin of approximately 15-20%
Operating profit divided by revenue, by month and by service line. Read it across twelve months as well, since fall installs and winter takedowns swing single months.
Ensure payroll accuracy with error rates ≤ 1%
Count paychecks that had to be corrected, then divide by every paycheck issued. Look hardest at new seasonal hires and fall overtime weeks.
Achieve a budget variance of ≤ 5%
Compare actual results with the budget each month for every department and service line. Write a short reason for each line that misses, such as product prices or extra lift rentals.
Maintain a cash flow ratio of ≥ 1.5
Agree on the formula with the CEO first, for example operating cash flow divided by current liabilities. Chart it each month and mark the tightest point, usually just before holiday payments come in.
Achieve a CSAT score of ≥ 4.7/5.0 related to financial management
Survey the managers who rely on finance reports, and customers on how clear their invoices are, a couple of times a year. Fix the reports and bills people find confusing.
30/60/90-day ramp expectations
The first month covers the books, systems and open contracts. Next come the first cost controls, then reporting on every KPI. Avoid a start date in the middle of the fall rush.
Career path
BookkeeperRecords bills, deposits and payroll; with a degree and years of month-end closes, some move into finance leadership.
Senior accountant or controllerLearns job costing, audits and lender reports at a contractor or CPA firm.
CFO / AccountantOwns the books, cash, payroll and budgets, and reports to the CEO.
Chief operating officerKnowing each service line's numbers can lead to running daily operations.
This template asks one person to do both: close the books and run payroll like an accountant, and lead budgets, audits and cost controls like a CFO. With a bookkeeper doing the daily entries, that mix can work at a lighting company this size. Watch the fall. If the month-end close keeps slipping while holiday installs peak, the hands-on accounting probably needs its own person.
How much does a lighting company CFO make?
Chief executives who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $172,410 a year ($82.89 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $118,510 and $266,910 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should a lighting company CFO hold a CPA license?
The template asks for "CPA certification or equivalent." But a CPA is a license, not a certification. NASBA says a state board of accountancy grants it after the CPA exam, the schooling and a set amount of work experience. Ask which state licensed the candidate and check that board's lookup. Before you post, decide what "equivalent" means to you, such as years running a contractor's books and payroll. Then say so in the ad.
When does a lighting company need audited financial statements?
When a lender, a bonding company or a buyer asks for them. Before paying for an audit, ask each one what it will accept: compiled, reviewed or audited statements. The audit itself comes from an outside CPA firm. Here, the template's "lead annual audits" means getting the records, contracts and stock counts ready and answering the auditors' questions on time.
How do I test a CFO candidate?
Build a simple year of monthly sales and costs with holiday product bought in August and most holiday payments landing in December. Ask finalists where cash runs short, how much credit they would line up, and what deposit terms they would ask sales to use. Strong candidates also ask about takedown billing and storage fees.
