A commercial roofing chief financial officer handles cash, job costs, bonds and bank lines for a contractor that bills general contractors, schools and building owners. They use the monthly work-in-progress schedule to forecast results the CEO can act on.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for our Commercial Roofing division is a strategic leader responsible for guiding the financial management of our operations. This role plays a critical part in managing budgets, controlling costs, and forecasting financial performance while ensuring fiscal prudence and supporting our company’s growth objectives.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and oversee comprehensive budgeting, cost controls, and financial forecasting initiatives across all commercial roofing projects.
Collaborate with operational and project management teams to ensure financial strategies support core business objectives.
Prepare and present detailed financial reports, analysis, and strategic insights to the executive team.
Ensure compliance with relevant financial regulations, reporting standards, and industry-specific financial practices.
Manage banking relationships and secure funding opportunities to drive business growth.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor daily cash flow, revenue, and expenses to maintain optimal financial health.
Review, update, and analyze project budgets to identify variances and initiate corrective actions.
Prepare detailed financial forecasts and cost analysis reports for ongoing and future projects.
Conduct regular meetings with department heads to discuss financial performance and strategic initiatives.
Coordinate with external auditors and regulatory bodies to ensure adherence to industry standards.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Budget adherence: Achieve less than 5% variance between planned and actual expenses.
Cost control efficiency: Attain at least a 10% reduction in operating expenses year-over-year.
Financial forecasting accuracy: Maintain a forecasting accuracy rate of greater than 95%.
Gross margin improvement: Drive an annual increase in gross margin of at least 5%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
CPA, CMA, or equivalent professional certification preferred.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive financial management experience.
Exceptional analytical, strategic planning, and communication skills.
Advanced proficiency in financial software applications and Microsoft Excel.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the commercial roofing or broader home services industry.
Demonstrated success in managing multi-million dollar budgets in a complex business environment.
Familiarity with industry-specific financial challenges and cost control measures.
A proven track record of financial leadership in a high-growth, dynamic organization.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally travel to client sites and project locations as required.
Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer or desk.
Capability to lift up to 20 pounds for carrying documents or small equipment.
Work predominantly in standard office settings with occasional visits to field environments.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours from Monday through Friday, typically 9 AM to 5 PM.
Some travel expected for site visits, client meetings, and financial reviews.
Flexibility required during peak financial reporting periods.
Occasional on-call availability during significant financial events or audits.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range of $150,000 - $200,000, commensurate with experience.
Potential for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off and opportunities for professional development.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and inclusive culture where each team member’s contributions are valued.
Our focus is on continuous growth, innovation, and customer satisfaction, ensuring our employees have the resources to succeed.
We support career development through on-going training, mentorship programs, and an entrepreneurial work environment.
Our company is committed to excellence and encourages creative problem-solving and proactive leadership.
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 commercial roofer's money sits in pay applications, retainage and bonds, and one job can run for months. The CFO has to know where every job stands on paper and when its cash will arrive.
Federal roofs over 150,000 dollars need bonds
Under the federal Bonds statute, once called the Miller Act, a federal construction contract over 150,000 dollars needs performance and payment bonds. Public owners in each state have their own bond rules. The surety decides how much bonded work the company can carry. Keep CPA-prepared statements and a current WIP schedule ready for each renewal. Source: 48 CFR 28.102-1: Performance and payment bonds for construction contracts (eCFR).
Federal primes must pay you soon after they're paid
On federal construction jobs, each subcontract under the prime must carry a clause obligating the prime to pay the sub within 7 days after it is paid for that work, with interest owed when it's late. When you work under a federal prime, track the government's payment dates. Follow up as soon as the window closes. Source: 48 CFR 52.232-27: Prompt Payment for Construction Contracts (eCFR).
North Dakota renewals check your payroll bills
To renew a North Dakota contractor license, the company must certify that payroll taxes, state income tax, Workforce Safety and Insurance premiums and unemployment premiums due at renewal are paid. It also files a liability insurance certificate. The registrar may refuse to renew when the application is incomplete, so keep those accounts current. Source: North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-07: Contractors.
Long jobs need a monthly WIP review
A school reroof or a new warehouse roof can run for months and cross the year end. Each month, compare every job's billings with the revenue it has earned to find overbilled and underbilled jobs. Underbilling often points to change orders nobody has billed yet. Overbilling can hide a loss that only shows at closeout.
Material quotes come with an end date
Membrane, insulation and adhesive prices can move between bid day and delivery, and supplier quotes carry an expiry date. Ask for written price holds, buy for the job once the contract is signed, and push for an escalation clause on long projects. Track the gap between bid and actual material cost on every closed job.
How much commercial roofing chief financial officers make
The closest BLS group for commercial roofing 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.
Pay is a salary, and the template adds a possible bonus. Its low end sits below the BLS median for top executives in specialty trades, and its high end above it.
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 roofing 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
Ten or more years of progressive financial management, as the template asks
Has booked revenue by stage of completion and kept a monthly WIP schedule for a contractor
Has set up bond lines with a surety and credit lines with a bank
Builds a cash forecast around pay applications and retainage
Explains job costs to project managers in plain words
Teach these on the job
Your job cost codes and cost breakdown for each roof system
Federal bond and payment rules, if they come from private work
North Dakota and New Mexico tax and license filings
Manufacturer warranty fees and how you price them
How your estimating software feeds accounting
Job costing runs in construction accounting software like Sage 100 Contractor, Viewpoint Vista or Foundation, with Excel for the WIP schedule and cash forecast. Many general contractors take pay applications through their own online portals. Ask which portals a candidate knows.
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 · Freeing cash tied up in retainage
Retainage held across your jobs keeps growing, and the credit line is nearly maxed. What do you do?
A strong answer: Ages retainage by job, pushes closeouts (punch lists, warranties, as-builts) to release it, asks for reductions at substantial completion, bills accurately and talks to the bank before it's urgent.
Behavioral · Leading audits
Tell me about an audit you led, like a surety review, workers' comp premium audit or prevailing wage audit. How did you prepare?
A strong answer: What was requested, how records were organized ahead of time, and a specific finding or result.
Use the template's percentages as placeholders. Set targets after a full year of clean job cost data under this CFO.
Budget adherence
Each month, set actual overhead and job costs beside the approved budget for every department and job. Note the cause of each gap, such as a material price change or extra tear-off labor.
Cost control efficiency
Track overhead such as office pay, insurance, rent, trucks and software from year to year. Weigh each line against revenue so growth isn't mistaken for waste.
Financial forecasting accuracy
Compare each quarter's forecast of revenue, gross profit and cash with what actually happened. Write down why big misses happened, such as a late start or a late pay application.
Gross margin improvement
Measure gross margin on closed jobs year over year, split by roof system and customer type, using final job costs rather than estimates.
Career path
Project accountantKeeps job costs, pay applications and lien waivers in order.
ControllerCloses the books each month and builds the WIP schedule.
Chief financial officerOwns cash, bonding, banking and the company forecast.
What does a surety want to see from a commercial roofing contractor?
Expect to send CPA-prepared year-end statements, a WIP schedule, lists of current and completed jobs, bank line details and often personal guarantees from the owners. Sureties look closely at working capital, unbilled work and jobs losing money. A CFO who sends clean reports on time is in a better spot to ask for a larger bond line.
How much does a commercial roofing 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.
How is billing a general contractor different from billing a building owner?
A general contractor usually wants a monthly pay application against a schedule of values, due by a set day, with lien waivers from you and your suppliers. Miss the cutoff and the payment can slip a month. A building owner on a direct reroof may accept a simple progress invoice. Keep a calendar of each customer's cutoff and paperwork.
Who pays for the manufacturer's warranty?
Makers often charge the contractor a fee for long membrane warranties, so it belongs in each bid. Keep a list of fees by maker and warranty length, check that estimators include them, and confirm the warranty is paid for and issued before closeout so the owner's final payment isn't held up.
Why does a CFO job list a 20-pound lift?
It covers tasks like bringing a box of audit records or a roll of plans to a site meeting, or carrying a laptop between offices. A field visit may also mean walking a roof with a project manager to see progress before a large change order is approved. List these duties in the posting.
