A solar company CFO manages cash, margins and financing for a business that sells and installs solar and battery systems. They price in lender fees, plan for the gap between install and payment, and keep taxes and pay records right for crews and sales staff.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
Solar Panel Install & Service - Chief Financial Officer
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Finance
Reports to:
[Chief Executive Officer]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Serve as the strategic financial leader for our Solar Panel Install & Service division by ensuring robust fiscal management, cost optimization, and stable cash flow that drives organizational growth and sustainability.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and oversee comprehensive financial strategies and planning initiatives for the division.
Manage budgets and conduct detailed cost analyses to safeguard fiscal stability.
Ensure a consistent and stable cash flow through vigilant monitoring and proactive financial management.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align financial strategies with operational objectives.
Ensure compliance with regulatory standards and industry best practices.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor daily cash flow and reconcile expense reports to maintain financial accuracy.
Review and adjust operational budgets based on periodic financial analyses.
Analyze financial performance data to drive strategic decision-making.
Prepare and present detailed financial reports and forecasts for senior leadership review.
Coordinate regularly with department heads to ensure alignment of financial targets with business operations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Maintain a budget variance threshold below 5%.
Achieve a positive cash flow margin of at least 20%.
Increase gross margin by 10% year-over-year.
Implement cost reduction initiatives that yield a minimum 15% decrease in operational expenses.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field. A Master’s degree or MBA is preferred.
Proven experience (minimum 10 years) in financial leadership roles.
Strong analytical skills with expertise in financial modeling and budgeting software.
Excellent communication and leadership abilities to manage cross-departmental collaborations.
Demonstrated skills in strategic planning, cost analysis, and financial forecasting.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience working in the renewable energy or home services industry.
Direct experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets in a dynamic environment.
Familiarity with the financial aspects of solar panel installation and service operations.
A strong track record of implementing effective financial strategies in growth-oriented companies.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment.
Frequent use of computers and advanced financial software.
Occasional travel to company sites and project locations.
Extended periods of sitting and data analysis in an office setting.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Full-time role with typical office hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM).
Occasional travel required for meetings, site visits, and industry events.
On-call responsibilities during key financial reporting periods.
Collaborative and dynamic work environment with regular team meetings.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range of $150,000 - $200,000 USD per annum.
Performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits.
401(k) retirement plan with a competitive company match.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Collaborative and innovative work culture that fosters professional growth and excellence.
A strong commitment to renewable energy and sustainable business practices.
Supportive team environment with ample opportunities for career advancement.
A visionary leadership team dedicated to maintaining a healthy work-life balance while driving industry 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].
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
Every CFO guards cash and margin. Solar adds lender fees tucked inside the price, state contractor taxes and a sales force that is often paid by commission.
Lender fees hide inside the price
A 2024 CFPB report says solar lenders often add a fee to the loan, called a dealer, program or platform fee, without showing it as a markup over the cash price. The report found some of these fees run past half the cash price. Track each lender's fee by product, keep one cash price, and see that sellers show customers both the cash price and the loan amount. Source: CFPB: Issue spotlight on solar financing (2024).
Some states tax the contract itself
South Dakota is one example. The state's Department of Revenue charges prime contractors on construction and realty improvement projects an excise tax on their gross receipts. A subcontractor with the prime's exemption certificate doesn't owe it on that job. Ask the department how it treats each kind of solar job, then build the tax into bids. Source: South Dakota Department of Revenue: Contractor's excise tax.
Commission sellers and crews mean 1099s
If you pay sales reps or install crews as independent contractors, the IRS raised the minimum for reporting those payments for tax years beginning after 2025, with inflation changes possible from 2027. Its instructions also say a prize for a top commission salesperson who isn't an employee goes on Form 1099-NEC. Whether each worker is truly a contractor is a separate question to settle with counsel. Source: IRS: Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC.
Money arrives in stages
When a customer finances, a lender may pay you in parts, for example once the install is done and again when the utility lets the system run. Forecast cash by job stage instead of sale date, and keep a weekly list of jobs stuck waiting on inspection or utility approval.
Hold money back for warranty work
Workmanship warranties bring costs long after a job is paid off. Track service visits and roof leak repairs by install year and crew, and keep a warranty reserve that owners and auditors can see and test.
How much solar company CFOs make
The closest BLS group for solar 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.
The template offers salary plus bonuses. For a solar CFO, weigh the bonus toward cash flow and gross margin over revenue.
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 solar installers on their own. These figures cover electrical and wiring 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
Cash forecasting for a contractor paid in project stages
Knowing how lender fees, leases and power purchase agreements change revenue and margin
Job costing by system, crew and finance product
Controls over commissions, chargebacks and cancellations
Clear reporting the CEO and owners can act on
Teach these on the job
Your lenders' funding steps and fee tables
How long approval takes at each utility you serve
Each equipment maker's warranty claim process
Your CRM and proposal software
How your installs are permitted and inspected
The accounting system (QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct or NetSuite) should tie to the CRM and the lender portals, so each job's price, fee and funding stage match. A strong solar CFO also builds a commission report that sales leaders trust.
Solar 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 · Responding to fee changes
A loan partner raises its fees sharply next month. What do you do?
A strong answer: Models the margin impact, reprices or shifts to other options, gives sales clear pricing and makes sure fees are disclosed properly.
Behavioral · Handling cash crunches
Tell me about a time loan partner funding delays or slow permission to operate left the company short on cash.
A strong answer: Built a weekly cash plan, pushed the stuck milestones (missing documents, utility delays), worked with suppliers or the bank, delayed spending, and fixed the process that caused the delay.
Read these targets as examples. Set yours from your own close history, lender mix and cost base, and revisit them every quarter alongside the CEO.
Maintain a budget variance threshold below 5%
Compare actual results to budget each month by department, and explain any line that drifted, starting with equipment, labor and lender fees.
Achieve a positive cash flow margin of at least 20%
Divide operating cash flow by revenue each month, and show money still waiting on inspection or utility approval on its own line.
Increase gross margin by 10% year-over-year
Track gross margin by job type and finance product, compared with the same months a year earlier, using full job costs including permits and warranty work.
Implement cost reduction initiatives that yield a minimum 15% decrease in operational expenses
List each savings plan with its owner and start date, then check the real change in that cost line after each quarter closes.
Career path
Senior accountantCloses the books and learns how solar jobs are costed and funded.
ControllerOwns the monthly close, commission payouts and lender reconciliations.
Chief financial officerPlans cash, capital and pricing for the whole company.
Should a solar CFO know tax equity and project finance?
Only if you own systems or plan to. A company that sells to homeowners for cash or loans needs strong everyday finance: cash, margins and controls. If you lease systems or sell the power they make, look for someone who has raised project money and reported to investors, and ask which deals they closed and what went wrong.
How much does a solar 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.
How should a solar CFO set up sales commissions?
Pay on a stage the company can confirm, such as a finished install or lender funding, and write clear rules for cancellations and clawbacks. Send each rep a monthly statement they can check line by line. Clear statements head off most disputes before they reach the CEO. Each state sets its own clawback rules, so ask counsel to look over the plan.
How do equipment prices affect a solar CFO's job?
Panels, inverters and batteries are a big part of each job's cost, and their prices move with trade rules and supply. The CFO sets how long a quote holds, when to buy ahead and how much stock to carry. Agree on those rules with the CEO and the warehouse manager so sales and buying follow the same plan.
Should the CFO approve which lenders sellers can offer?
Yes, together with the CEO. Each lender brings its own fees, approval rules and funding steps, and the CFO can see what each one costs per job. Check the list every quarter and cut lenders whose fees or slow funding cost more than the sales they bring.
