Budget and Policy Analyst, Senior

City of Richmond • Richmond, VA

3d

About The Position

The Department of Budget & Strategic Planning seeks a dynamic, team-oriented, self-starting, and hardworking analyst to support the development, analysis, and execution of the City’s budgeting and strategic performance management processes, as well as grant support. The role contributes to development of the City’s budget and works with municipal departments to address budgetary and financial challenges and improve operational efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness. Compensation will not exceed $95,000 annually.

The analyst performs financial, budgetary, and policy analyses; reviews departmental budget proposals and performance measures; prepares forecasts, reports, and presentations; and communicates findings and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders. The position may involve coordinating or leading budget proposal and adoption tasks, conducting training, serving on committees and task forces, and representing the department to senior staff, external agencies, and the public. The selected candidate will work with municipal departments and the Budget & Strategic Planning team, and may attend relevant training and educational workshops, pursue certifications, and participate in professional organizations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, or a field related to the assignment.
• Five years of journey-level professional experience in an area related to the assignment, such as management, policy, or financial analysis.
• Considerable knowledge of financial best practices and citywide governmental budgeting principles.
• Foundational knowledge of strategic focus areas.
• Understanding of local governance, fiscal policy development, financial controls, and compliance.
• Familiarity with economic and revenue forecasting methodologies and financial risk assessment practices.
• Knowledge of enterprise financial systems, budget systems, and data analytics platforms.
• Understanding of policy analysis methodologies and program evaluation techniques.
• Awareness of emerging trends and best practices in municipal finance and budgeting.
• Skills in analyzing complex issues; building budgets and forecasts; and collecting, assembling, verifying, and analyzing data across platforms and databases.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Effective communication with internal and external partners and city leaders; strong writing skills, including explaining technical concepts to varied audiences.
• Strong research, critical-thinking, project-management, and policy-analysis skills, including managing multiple priorities and synthesizing information into recommendations.
• Interpersonal and collaboration skills to work with departments, leadership, and external partners.
• Ability to think strategically and anticipate fiscal, operational, and policy implications.
• Ability to independently lead complex analyses and projects while contributing to a team.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion with sensitive or high-impact financial information.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, particularly during peak budget cycles.
• Ability to influence decisions through data, analysis, and clear communication; learn and adapt to new systems and frameworks; and build relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to identify problems, develop solutions, implement process improvements, and maintain accuracy, attention to detail, and accountability.
• No licensing or certifications required.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in a business-related field or public administration.
• At least three years of experience performing budgetary analysis of local government departmental budgets, including reviewing, analyzing, or developing budgets.
• Experience reviewing and assessing departmental or program performance measures, including key performance indicators and metrics.
• Experience implementing or assisting with implementation of budget software.
• Experience working on and knowledge of fiscal policy issues.
• Experience writing policy papers, issue briefs, or background memos.

Responsibilities

• Analyze expenditures and revenues for city departments’ operating, special, enterprise, capital, and/or internal service fund budgets.
• Prepare expenditure and revenue projections for multiple city departments’ operating budgets.
• Prepare personnel projections and analyze related economic factors.
• Communicate with departmental staff about budgets and other fiscal and budgetary matters.
• Review budget proposals and funding requests for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with laws and regulations.
• Assist with program evaluation and policy analysis, particularly relating to local government finance and budget policy.
• Work with high volumes of data in Excel; analyze and interpret financial and budget data and clearly present findings and solutions.
• Assist in estimating future financial needs.
• Train incoming partners in other departments on processes and procedures related to annual or quarterly tasks.
• Conduct specialized projects and analyses.
• Prepare financial forecasts, reports, and presentations related to city budgets.
• Coordinate or lead tasks supporting budget proposal preparation or budget adoption.
• Research, develop, write, and edit complex reports and plans.
• Provide policy recommendations based on research and findings.
• Review and assess departmental performance measures.
• Oversee budgetary transactions and perform complex analysis.
• Serve on interdepartmental and intradepartmental committees and task forces and act as a liaison or representative to senior staff, external agencies, and the public.
• Conduct trainings and use various software and digital platforms.

Benefits

• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• Language Incentive
• Referral Bonus
• Tuition Assistance Program
• Opportunity to attend applicable training and educational workshops, obtain relevant certifications, and join appropriate professional organizations

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior