A commercial plumbing CFO manages cash across long construction jobs, from monthly pay applications to retainage and lien deadlines. They build the budget and job cost reports, and keep the bank and surety confident in the numbers.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in our Commercial Plumbing division is a strategic leader responsible for planning budgets, overseeing cost controls, and ensuring a healthy cash flow. This role plays a critical part in driving the financial success of our company by providing data-driven insights and guiding financial decision-making processes.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and execute comprehensive financial strategies to support the commercial plumbing business.
Plan budgets, coordinate financial forecasting, and monitor financial performance against established targets.
Oversee cost control initiatives to optimize operational expenditures and improve profitability.
Ensure the maintenance of a healthy cash flow through effective treasury management and capital allocation.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Lead daily financial operations, including cash management, billing, budgeting, and cost analysis.
Monitor daily cash flow and update forecasts to enable proactive financial decision-making.
Collaborate with operations managers and project teams to review cost implications of ongoing projects.
Engage with external auditors, banks, and financial partners to ensure compliance and optimize financial operations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Cash flow metrics: Maintain a positive cash flow with a minimum of $500K monthly surplus.
Budget adherence: Achieve less than 2% variance between forecasted and actual expenses.
Cost control: Reduce operational costs by at least 5% year-over-year.
Financial reporting accuracy: Deliver financial reports with 100% accuracy and timeliness each quarter.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field; CPA or CFA is preferred.
Minimum 10 years of financial management experience in a related industry.
Strong leadership, analytical, and strategic planning abilities.
Excellent proficiency in financial software, ERP systems, and advanced Excel skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working within the home services or commercial plumbing industry.
Proven track record in managing large-scale budgets and financial operations for a service-driven business.
Familiarity with industry-specific cost management, contract negotiations, and project financing.
Experience in leading process improvements and implementing technology solutions in finance.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment with occasional visits to operational sites if needed.
Minimal lifting required; primarily desk-based work with standard ergonomic demands.
Occasional travel may be necessary for meetings, conferences, and site visits.
Extended periods of sitting or standing as necessary during daily operations.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard full-time work schedule, typically 40 hours per week.
Occasional evening or weekend work may be required during critical financial periods.
Travel up to 10% for business meetings, conferences, and site visits.
Collaborative work environment with regular cross-departmental meetings and strategic sessions.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range between $150,000 - $200,000 USD annually, based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonus opportunities tied to achieving financial KPIs and business growth targets.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision coverage.
401(k) retirement plan with company matching; additional fringe benefits may include paid time off and professional development allowances.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we cultivate a dynamic and inclusive environment where every employee is empowered to innovate, lead, and grow. Our culture is built on trust, accountability, and commitment to customer satisfaction. We believe in investing in our team and are dedicated to providing a work environment that nurtures talent and rewards success.
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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Where a commercial plumbing CFO's money gets stuck
Construction pays late and in pieces. These are the spots a CFO at a commercial plumbing contractor watches closest.
Lien deadlines run from your last day of work
In Idaho, a contractor claiming a lien must file it with the county recorder within 90 days after it finishes its labor or furnishes its materials. Miss that window and you lose one of your best tools for getting paid. The CFO should track the last work date on every open job and chase slow payers well before the deadline. Rules vary by state. Source: Idaho Code 45-507, claim of lien and filing deadline.
Federal jobs put a clock on paying subs
On federal construction contracts, the prime contractor must pay its subcontractors for satisfactory work within 7 days of being paid, and owes them an interest penalty when it pays late. Under a GC on a federal job, point to that clause when money runs slow. When you are the prime, your own insulation or excavation subs get the same clock. Source: eCFR: FAR 52.232-27, prompt payment for construction contracts.
Hawaii taxes gross income, minus subcontracts
Hawaii charges its general excise tax on a contractor's gross income, at the contracting rate the state statute sets. A contractor can deduct amounts already taxed to another contractor. The return must name that contractor and its general excise number. Collect those numbers from every sub before the first payment, not at filing time. Source: Hawaii Revised Statutes 237-13, tax on contractors.
Pay apps follow the schedule of values
Each month you bill against the schedule of values set at the start of the job. Load it too heavily up front and the GC rejects it; set rough-in too light and you finance the job yourself. The CFO should review the schedule of values on every large job before it goes to the general contractor.
Material prices move after the bid
Copper, cast iron and water heaters can cost more on buy day than on bid day, and on a long job those days are far apart. Ask suppliers for price holds, buy major items early when cash allows, and push for escalation language in contracts. The CFO should know which open jobs carry the most exposure.
How much commercial plumbing CFOs make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing CFOs 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 plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Most contractors pay their CFO a salary and a yearly bonus. Link some of that bonus to collections and job margin, so it never rewards billing ahead of the work.
Plumbing and HVAC 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
Plumbing and HVAC 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 plumbing and HVAC contractors together, residential and commercial. 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
Percentage-of-completion accounting and WIP schedules
Job costing by phase and cost code
Cash forecasting around pay apps and retainage
Working with sureties, banks and outside CPAs
Reading a subcontract for payment and retainage terms
Teach these on the job
Your ERP and how jobs are set up in it
Tax and lien rules for each state on your job list
Union benefit fund reports, if your crews are union
Your estimating format and bid markups
The equipment and fleet loans you already carry
The finance team runs on construction accounting software, for example Foundation, Sage Intacct Construction or Viewpoint Vista, tied to the project managers' system for pay apps and change orders. Excel still carries the cash forecast. Ask candidates which construction system they have closed a full year in.
Commercial plumbing 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 · Collecting retainage
Retainage from finished jobs is piling up and not getting collected. What do you do?
A strong answer: Lists retainage by job and age, finds what's blocking release (closeout documents, punch lists), assigns owners, and follows up with each general contractor until it's paid.
Behavioral · Cash under pressure
Tell me about a time cash got tight because general contractors paid slowly.
A strong answer: Explains how they saw it coming, the actions taken (collections, credit line, timing payables), how they communicated, and what changed afterward.
The template's targets assume a certain size and season. Set yours from your bank covenants, what your surety expects and last year's actual results.
Cash flow metrics
Track cash from operations each month, along with days to collect pay apps and the retainage still held. Check last month's forecast against what actually came in.
Budget adherence
Compare overhead and job costs against budget by cost code each month. Ask for a written reason behind every line that moves past the limit you set.
Cost control
Measure overhead as a share of revenue, and the cost of big recurring buys such as insurance, fleet and rented lifts, year over year. Cuts that slow field crews don't count as savings.
Financial reporting accuracy
Count restatements, late closes and adjustments from the outside CPA each quarter. Check that job cost reports tie to the general ledger and to the WIP schedule.
Career path
Construction staff accountantBills pay apps and learns job costing on live projects.
ControllerCloses the books, runs the WIP schedule and leads the accounting team.
Chief financial officerOwns cash, budgets, bonding reports and the banking relationship.
CFO of a larger contractor or construction groupTakes the same job to a multi-trade or multi-state company.
What is a WIP schedule, and why does a commercial plumbing CFO live by it?
A work-in-progress schedule lists every open job with its contract value, estimated cost, cost to date and billings. It shows whether you've billed ahead of the work or behind it, and which jobs are losing margin as they go. Sureties and banks ask for it, so the CFO should own it and review it with the project managers before it goes out.
How much does a commercial plumbing CFO 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.
How should a commercial plumbing CFO set up job cost codes?
Match cost codes to how the field builds and how you bid: underground, rough-in, top-out, trim and equipment setting, with labor and material split. Add a code for each change order so it can be priced and tracked on its own. When estimating and job cost use the same codes, project managers can compare bid hours to actual hours every week.
What if the subcontract ties your check to the owner's check?
Many subcontracts say the general contractor pays you after the owner pays it. Some go further and make your payment depend on the owner paying at all. Courts treat these clauses differently from state to state, so have a construction lawyer read them before the company signs. The CFO should flag any job where those terms meet an owner with shaky finances.
Should finance sign off on big bids?
For large or unusual jobs, yes. The CFO checks payment terms, retainage, bond cost and how much cash the company must carry before the first check arrives. Estimating owns the price, but finance should be able to stop a bid the company can't carry, or send it back asking for better terms.
