CFO COMPENSATION IN PE-BACKED BUILDING PRODUCTS FIRMS

We analysed compensation data from 33 CFOs operating within Private Equity-backed Building Products businesses across North America.
The data is segmented by revenue size to illustrate how CFO compensation, bonus structures, and equity participation evolve as platforms scale in operational complexity and capital intensity.

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RESPONDENT BREAKDOWN

• 33% from firms with under $50M revenue

• 41% from firms with $50M–$150M revenue

• 26% from firms with over $150M revenue

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BASE SALARY

Firms < $50M Revenue

• Lowest: $150,000

• Median: $220,000

• Highest: $350,000

Firms $50M–$150M Revenue

• Lowest: $190,000

• Median: $250,000

• Highest: $325,000

Firms > $150M Revenue

• Lowest: $250,000

• Median: $325,000

• Highest: $350,000+

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BONUS STRUCTURE

• 91% of CFOs at firms < $50M receive a bonus of 50% or less

• 84% of CFOs at firms $50M–$150M receive a bonus of 50% or less

• 71% of CFOs at firms > $150M receive a bonus of 50% or less

Key insight: Bonus structures remain tightly capped across all revenue tiers, reflecting PE’s preference for cash-flow discipline and controlled financial governance.

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EQUITY & PROFIT PARTICIPATION

• 52% of CFOs at firms < $50M receive carry or profit/partner share

• 63% of CFOs at firms $50M–$150M receive carry or profit/partner share

• 74% of CFOs at firms > $150M receive carry or profit/partner share

Equity participation increases steadily with scale, reinforcing the CFO’s role in margin expansion, working capital optimisation, capital allocation, and exit preparation.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• CFO base salaries scale moderately with revenue, rising from a $220K median in sub-$50M firms to $325K in businesses exceeding $150M.

• Bonus targets remain conservative, with the majority of CFOs across all revenue tiers capped at ≤50% bonus levels.

• Equity participation is common and increases at scale, aligning financial leadership with long-term value creation.

• Compensation dispersion narrows at scale, indicating more standardised pay structures in larger building products platforms.

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Bottom Line

CFO compensation in PE-backed Building Products firms is disciplined, equity-aligned, and value-creation focused.
While base salaries increase with scale, meaningful upside is driven primarily through carry participation tied to operational performance and exit outcomes.

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Looking to benchmark CFO compensation or hire a proven Building Products finance leader for your portfolio company?
Connect with alex.rawlings@raw-selection.com

Raw Selection | De-Risking Executive Search for Private Equity firms across Europe & North America

All insights in this salary report are derived from Raw Selection’s proprietary data.