A commercial painting chief executive officer chooses the general contractors, owners and property managers the company works for, and how much bonded backlog it carries. They negotiate the largest contracts, watch margin across every open job, and lead the executives who run estimating, field work and finance.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Lead the overall strategic direction of the company within the commercial painting industry, driving growth, operational excellence, and profitability. Negotiate and secure large-scale contracts that expand our market presence. Champion innovation while ensuring a consistent focus on customer satisfaction and high-quality service delivery.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and execute a comprehensive business strategy that aligns with company objectives.
Negotiate major commercial painting contracts to secure new business opportunities.
Oversee financial performance, ensuring sustainable profitability and cost management.
Lead and mentor the executive team, fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability.
Represent the company at industry events, trade shows, and key client meetings.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Participate in daily executive meetings to review performance and strategize future initiatives.
Engage in proactive contract negotiations with prospective commercial clients.
Monitor financial dashboards and operational metrics to guide decision-making.
Maintain strong relationships with key clients and industry stakeholders.
Collaborate with departmental leaders to address operational challenges and drive efficiency.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: Achieve a minimum 10% year-over-year increase.
Contract Success Rate: Maintain a win rate of >95% on negotiated contracts.
Gross Profit Margin: Sustain a margin of >25% across projects.
Client Satisfaction: Attain an average rating of >4.8 stars from commercial clients.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Master's degree in Business Administration or a related discipline.
Minimum of 10 years of senior leadership experience with a proven track record in strategic management.
Exceptional negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Strong financial acumen with the ability to interpret complex business metrics.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the commercial painting or home services industry.
Proven background in securing large-scale contracts and managing multimillion-dollar budgets.
A history of implementing successful growth strategies in competitive markets.
Experience working with diverse teams and managing stakeholder relationships at an executive level.
7. Physical Requirements
Occasional travel required to meet with clients and attend industry events.
Ability to participate in meetings and corporate events in various settings.
Prolonged periods of sitting during meetings and office work.
Standard office environment with minimal physical demands.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard business hours (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM) with flexibility for extended hours.
Occasional evening and weekend work based on business demands.
Domestic and international travel as required for client meetings and industry events.
Fast-paced office environment complemented by field visits to project sites.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $200,000 - $350,000 USD per year.
Performance-based bonuses tied to achieving strategic KPIs.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
401(k) with company contributions.
Additional benefits include paid time off (PTO), life insurance, and relocation assistance if applicable.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is committed to fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and team spirit. We invest in our employees' professional growth and strive to create a work environment where creativity and initiative are valued. Join us in our mission to redefine excellence in the commercial painting industry, driving success while making a lasting impact on our community and clients.
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
Much of this company's work arrives through a general contractor's subcontract. The CEO decides whose paper to sign, how much risk to carry, and which federal and labor programs the company fits inside.
The small business line sits near your sales
Painting and wall covering contractors count as small for SBA purposes up to 19 million dollars in average yearly receipts. With sales near 20 million, this company is at the edge. The CEO must choose: stay eligible for federal small business set-asides, or grow past them on purpose. That choice steers which bids the estimators chase for years. Source: 13 CFR 121.201: SBA size standards by NAICS industry (eCFR).
Bonds decide how much work you can carry
Federal rules require performance and payment bonds once a federal construction contract tops 150,000 dollars. When a general contractor asks a painting sub for its own bonds, the surety's limits on single jobs and total backlog decide whether you can say yes. The CEO owns the surety relationship and decides when one big job is worth the room it takes. Source: FAR 28.102-1: Bonds required on federal construction contracts (eCFR).
Union or open shop is a company decision
Federal labor law lets employers in the building and construction industry sign a pre-hire agreement with a union before a majority of their workers have chosen it. Signing with the painters' union changes where crews come from, what each hour costs, and which projects you can staff. Make the call with your field leaders in the room. Source: 29 U.S.C. 158(f): Pre-hire agreements in the building and construction industry (GovInfo).
Pick the customers before the jobs
Hard-bid work for general contractors keeps crews busy but tends to pay late and hold retainage. Repaint programs for property managers, multifamily work and owner-direct jobs in occupied buildings can repeat every year. Set the mix on purpose and check it each quarter, so one slow GC or one lost owner can't sink the year.
How much commercial painting chief executive officers make
The closest BLS group for commercial painting chief executive officers 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.
Pay is typically salary plus incentive pay for revenue growth and gross profit. Some owners give a hired chief executive equity or profit sharing too.
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 painting 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
Has grown a commercial subcontracting business that carries bonded work
Reads a subcontract for pay terms, retainage, indemnity and back-charge clauses
Builds lasting ties with general contractors, owners and property managers
Reads job-cost and WIP reports and asks the right follow-up question
Leads a team of executives without doing their jobs for them
Teach these on the job
Your estimating software and bid process
Which local GCs pick painting subs and who decides
Federal small business programs and size rules
Union and open-shop labor terms in your markets
The CEO works from the accounting system's job-cost and WIP reports, the estimating team's bid log, and a CRM that tracks general contractors and owners. Name the systems in the ad, such as Sage, Viewpoint or Foundation, so candidates know what they'll read on day one.
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 · Reducing customer concentration
Most of your revenue comes from a handful of general contractors. What do you do about it?
A strong answer: Sets a target mix, adds property management, facility and owner-direct work, builds relationships with new GCs, and watches the risk each quarter.
Behavioral · Safety culture across sites
Tell me how you kept your own safety standards on GC sites where the GC's program was weaker than yours.
A strong answer: Names concrete actions, such as leads trained to stop unsafe work, the same rules on every site, near-miss tracking and site visits by leaders, and the results.
Treat these targets as a first draft. Base each one on your past jobs and your market, then settle them with the owners ahead of the new year.
Revenue Growth
Compare this year's billed revenue with last year's, split by general contractor work, property managers and owner-direct work, so growth in one stream can't hide a drop in another.
Contract Success Rate
Count negotiated contracts signed against those the CEO took to final terms. Track hard-bid hit rates on their own, since they measure the estimating team rather than the CEO's negotiating.
Gross Profit Margin
Use closed jobs, not estimates: revenue less labor and burden, paint, sundries, equipment rental and subs, pulled from the job-cost report at closeout.
Client Satisfaction
Ask each GC project manager and property manager for a rating after closeout, and log repeat invitations to bid, which show satisfaction better than a survey does.
Career path
Project managerCarries a portfolio of commercial jobs from contract to closeout.
General managerAnswers for a market's bids, crews and customers.
When does a commercial painting company stop counting as small for federal bids?
For federal contracting and most SBA programs, the SBA adds up a company's total receipts for its five most recent finished fiscal years and divides by five. SBA's surety bond guarantee and loan programs let a company choose a three-year average instead. The five-year lag gives a growing painting company time to plan, but a few strong years can push the average over the line before anyone notices. Ask your CPA to run the average each year, and ask counsel how related companies are counted.
How much does a commercial painting chief executive officer 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.
How much work should a commercial painting company take from one general contractor?
There's no set limit. Each quarter, list every GC's share of revenue and backlog next to the days it takes them to pay. If one GC's share keeps growing, ask your surety and your bank how they view it before you sign the next large job, and price that GC's next bid with its pay record in mind.
What should a commercial painting CEO look for in a general contractor's subcontract?
Start with pay terms: when you get paid and whether payment depends on the owner paying the GC. Then read retainage, back charges, indemnity, insurance limits and how change orders get approved. Watch scope lines that make the painter patch drywall or clean up for others. Have counsel review each major GC's standard form once, then list the clauses your project managers can't accept.
Should a commercial painting company add wallcovering or drywall finishing?
Both sit next to painting in many specs, and GCs like one sub for the whole finish package. Wallcovering needs hangers with their own skills and its own warranty terms. Drywall finishing pulls you earlier into the schedule, adds crews and changes your bonding needs. Price one pilot job, track its margin, and expand only if your project managers can run it without losing focus on paint.
What does a commercial painting CEO do on job site visits?
Walk the job with the project manager and the GC's superintendent rather than alone. Look at progress against the schedule, protection of finished work, cleanup and how crews treat the building. Ask the superintendent what would make them call you first next time. Visit the largest and riskiest jobs; the rest belong to the operations team.
