WHAT DOES A CONSTRUCTION CFO ACTUALLY DO?
A construction CFO owns job costing accuracy, cash flow forecasting, overhead calculation, and monthly financial reporting, built specifically around how subcontractors bill and get paid. That's different from a bookkeeper, who records transactions, and a general CFO, who may lack construction-specific experience.
The title gets used loosely, so it helps to be specific. A construction CFO is not someone who reconciles the bank account or files taxes, those are bookkeeping and CPA functions. A construction CFO owns the financial control system: making sure job costs are tracked accurately against the estimate, cash flow is forecasted against the real billing cycle, overhead is calculated from actual spend rather than a guess, and the numbers get reviewed monthly with specific action items attached. It's an operational role as much as a financial one.
WHAT'S ACTUALLY ON THE JOB.
Job Costing Accuracy
Making sure every job has a real cost structure that mirrors the estimate, tracked in real time, so it's possible to know which jobs are actually making money while they're still running.
Cash Flow Forecasting
Building and maintaining a rolling cash flow forecast that reflects the real billing cycle, pay app timing, retainage, and vendor terms, not a generic template.
Overhead Calculation
Calculating the true overhead rate from actual financials, correctly separating direct job costs from real overhead, so bids are priced against an accurate number.
Monthly Financial Cadence
Running a monthly review that ends in specific, assigned action items, not just a summary of what already happened.
DIFFERENT TITLE. DIFFERENT JOB.
