CFO COMPENSATION IN PE-BACKED MACHINED COMPONENTS FIRMS

We analysed compensation data from 136 CFOs operating within Private Equity-backed Machined Components businesses across North America.
The data is segmented by revenue size to demonstrate how CFO compensation, incentive structures, and equity participation evolve as platforms scale in complexity, capital intensity, and M&A activity.

---

RESPONDENT BREAKDOWN

• 38% from firms with under $50M revenue

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

• 21% from firms with over $150M revenue

---

BASE SALARY

Firms < $50M Revenue

• Lowest: $110,000

• Median: $225,000

• Highest: $350,000

Firms $50M–$150M Revenue

• Lowest: $175,000

• Median: $275,000

• Highest: $400,000

Firms > $150M Revenue

• Lowest: $240,000

• Median: $325,000

• Highest: $500,000+

---

BONUS STRUCTURE

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

• 79% of CFOs at firms $50M–$150M receive a bonus of 50% or less

• 72% of CFOs at firms > $150M receive a bonus of 50% or less

Key insight: Cash bonus structures remain relatively conservative across revenue tiers, reinforcing PE’s emphasis on EBITDA predictability, cash discipline, and working capital control.

---

EQUITY & PROFIT PARTICIPATION

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

• 67% 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 with scale, reflecting the CFO’s growing role in debt structuring, acquisition integration, margin optimisation, and exit readiness.

---

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Median base salary increases steadily with revenue, rising from $225K in sub-$50M platforms to $325K in businesses exceeding $150M.

• Top-end compensation widens significantly at scale, with larger platforms reaching $500K+.

• Bonus targets remain controlled, with the majority capped at ≤50%.

• Equity becomes more prevalent as revenue grows, aligning CFOs with long-term value creation rather than short-term cash incentives.

---

Bottom Line

CFO compensation in PE-backed Machined Components firms is disciplined on salary and bonus, but increasingly equity-driven at scale.
As platforms grow and acquisition activity increases, CFOs play a central role in financial architecture and exit preparation — and their compensation reflects that alignment.

---

Looking to benchmark CFO compensation or hire a Machined Components finance leader for your portfolio company?
Connect with Raw Selection.

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.