A commercial painting chief financial officer turns progress billing, retainage and job costs into a cash plan the company can bid against. They run the WIP schedule, send the surety and bank honest numbers, and tell the CEO which jobs are earning their margin and which are not.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Cost Reduction Initiatives: Implement measures to reduce expenses by 10%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
CPA or equivalent certification is preferred.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in financial management.
Advanced proficiency in financial software and ERP systems.
Strong analytical, leadership, communication, and strategic planning skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services or construction industry.
Familiarity with financial management for commercial painting projects.
Proven track record in managing large-scale project budgets.
Hands-on experience with cost analysis in a similar industry.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 20 pounds.
Primarily office-based work with occasional site visits.
Extended periods of sitting and extensive computer use.
Adaptability to a dynamic work environment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: 40 hours per week.
Occasional travel to project sites as required.
Regular scheduled financial review meetings.
Occasional extended hours during peak project phases.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual Salary Range: $150,000 - $200,000 USD.
Performance-based bonus structure available.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) with company match.
Additional benefits include paid time off and professional development support.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Innovative and growth-oriented company focused on excellence.
Collaborative work environment that values integrity, accountability, and teamwork.
Commitment to professional development and continuous improvement.
Emphasis on inclusivity and a passion for customer satisfaction.
Example: "We foster an environment that encourages creative problem-solving and continuous improvement, enabling every team member to excel and contribute to the company’s mission."
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
A painting subcontractor bills monthly and gets paid on someone else's schedule. The CFO keeps cash, bonding, licensing and tax in step with the backlog.
Retainage is cash you've earned but don't have
On federal fixed-price construction, the contracting officer pays progress in full when progress is satisfactory and may hold back up to a tenth of a payment when it isn't. General contractors often hold back part of each painting pay application until the owner releases it. The CFO tracks retainage by job and GC, chases release at substantial completion, and counts it as cash only once a release date is set. Source: FAR 52.232-5: Payments under fixed-price construction contracts, including retainage (eCFR).
Federal primes have a payment clock
On federal construction jobs, the prime's subcontracts must promise to pay subs within 7 days of the prime receiving payment for satisfactory work, and to owe an interest penalty on any late payment. The same clauses must flow down to every lower tier. A CFO who knows this asks for the prime's payment dates and claims the interest when they slip. Source: FAR 52.232-27: Prompt payment for construction contracts and subcontractors (eCFR).
In Arkansas, the license file needs a CPA
Arkansas's commercial license calls for a financial statement from a licensed CPA or public accountant with every original and renewal application. An unrestricted license needs an audited or reviewed statement. A restricted license, capped below 1.5 million dollars per project, can use a compiled one. The CFO plans the year-end close around that deadline. Source: Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board: Commercial contractors law and rules (revised April 2026).
Tax can count job income on a different clock
Federal tax law lets a contractor that meets the small business gross receipts test skip the percentage-of-completion method on a construction contract it expects to finish within two years. A newer federal law allows three years on residential contracts that aren't home construction contracts, for contracts signed in tax years that began after it passed. A painting company near 20 million dollars should have its CPA check each year which method fits, since the choice moves taxable income between years. Source: 26 U.S.C. 460: Long-term contracts and the small construction contract exception (GovInfo).
The WIP schedule is the report everyone reads
Each month, compare billings with earned revenue on every open job. Overbilling looks like cash but is owed back to the job; underbilling means a project manager is behind on pay apps or the job is losing money. Sureties and lenders ask for this schedule, so a late or messy one can cost bonding room.
How much commercial painting chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for commercial painting chief financial 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.
Most are paid a salary with a yearly bonus based on profit and cash goals.
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 run construction accounting with progress billing and retainage
Builds a monthly WIP schedule and explains over and under billings
Forecasts weekly cash from pay application and payroll dates
Works well with sureties, banks and outside CPAs
Sets job-cost codes that project managers and field leads will actually use
Teach these on the job
Your accounting and payroll software
Each GC's pay application format and portal
State contractor license renewals
Union fringe and benefit fund reporting, if you're signatory
Most commercial painting CFOs run a construction accounting system like Foundation, Viewpoint Vista or Sage 100 Contractor, plus GC pay application portals such as Textura or Procore. Say which you use, and say so if the WIP schedule still lives in spreadsheets.
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 · Managing retainage cash
Retainage held across jobs is squeezing your cash. What do you do?
A strong answer: Tracks retainage by job and due date, pushes closeout paperwork, negotiates retainage terms on new contracts, and plans the credit line.
Behavioral · Surety and bank relationships
Tell me about how you built a surety relationship that raised your bonding capacity for bigger painting jobs.
A strong answer: Communicated proactively, shared reliable numbers and WIP, and shows the larger jobs it made possible.
These template targets are a starting point. Reset them from your closed-job history and your surety's expectations, and review them with the CEO each quarter.
Gross Margin
Measure on closed jobs, comparing final revenue with every job cost including labor burden. Review open jobs monthly against their estimates so a fading job shows up before closeout.
Budget Variance
Compare each department's spending and each job's cost to complete with its budget every month, and have the owner of any line that misses explain why.
Cash Flow Efficiency
Define the ratio in writing, such as operating cash against current obligations, then track it weekly with retainage and overdue GC payments shown on separate lines.
Cost Reduction Initiatives
Write down every saving, who owns it and when it began, such as renting versus buying lifts or changing insurance, and confirm it in the books after a full quarter before counting it.
Career path
Project accountantBuilds pay applications, tracks retainage and codes job costs.
ControllerCloses the books each month and produces the WIP schedule.
Chief financial officerPlans cash, bonding, banking and tax across the company.
How should a commercial painting CFO handle a general contractor that pays late?
Start with the subcontract: it sets the pay date, any pay-when-paid terms and how notices must be sent. Keep a dated record of each pay application, approval and payment. Lien and payment bond claim deadlines vary by state and can be short, so put each job's dates on a calendar the day the job starts, not the day the check is late.
How much does a commercial painting chief financial 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.
What will a surety ask a commercial painting CFO for?
Expect CPA-prepared year-end statements, a current WIP schedule, a list of jobs in progress with backlog, and bank references. Sureties often want to meet the owners and see a cash plan before a large bond. When a job goes bad, call the surety before the next report shows it; a surety that hears bad news early is easier to work with.
Should a commercial painting company bill from a schedule of values?
On most GC work, yes. The schedule of values breaks the contract into lines, such as floors, areas or coats, and every month the PM bills for the share finished on each line. Build lines small enough that the GC's superintendent can check them on a walk. Billing ahead of the work helps cash for a month and costs trust for the rest of the job.
How should a commercial painting CFO plan for paint price increases on long jobs?
Ask suppliers for job pricing held through the expected finish date, and state in each bid how long your price holds. On jobs that run longer than a season, propose an escalation clause tied to the supplier's published price changes. Track paint and sundries on each job against the estimate so a rise shows up in the WIP the month it lands.
Why does a commercial painting CFO template mention lifting 20 pounds?
It covers tasks such as carrying a laptop bag, file boxes or closeout binders to a meeting, and walking a job site with a project manager during a visit. The rest of the work is at a desk. Note the usual number of site visits in the ad.
