Lead Budget and Policy Analyst - Budget & Policy Analyst III

State of Colorado•Denver, CO

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position serves as a senior-level Budget and Policy Analyst for the Division of Community Programs (DCP), providing high-level fiscal, policy, legislative, and data analysis to support statewide programs and services. It operates with significant autonomy and independent judgment in analyzing complex budgetary and policy issues, developing allocation methodologies, evaluating program performance, and interpreting legislative and regulatory changes. The Budget and Policy Analyst acts as a trusted advisor to program leadership, the Division Director, and the office-level Chief Financial Officer, offering actionable recommendations that inform decisions related to resource allocation, program rules, and policy development. This position serves as a member of the DCP leadership team. The position translates complex financial and policy information into clear, practical guidance to ensure DCP programs operate efficiently, equitably, and in compliance with statutory and fiscal requirements. This role plays a critical and ongoing part in program finance and budgeting, including designing, testing, and implementing tools that support effective service delivery and program operations. The position is essential to the Division’s effectiveness, bridging department objectives, program administration, and fiscal management. Through evidence-based analysis, policy recommendations, and high-quality reporting, it enables leadership to make informed decisions that directly impact community programs and outcomes statewide. In addition, this position serves as the Budget and Policy Analyst for OCACS. It evaluates budget and policy needs in alignment with long-term program plans and performance measures, and recommends adjustments to OCACS leadership. The role is responsible for coordinating program budget analysis, formulation, presentation, implementation, execution, and monitoring. It also collaborates with program staff to prepare fiscal note responses for draft legislation from the General Assembly.

Requirements

Seven (7) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position OR A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to seven (7) years
Current, valid licensure as a CPA by the Colorado Board of Accountancy will substitute for the degree requirement and two (2) years of the required experience.

Nice To Haves

Strong understanding of government accounting and budgeting.
High attention to detail when drafting, proofreading, and revising written reports.
Highly motivated, detail-oriented, and a self-starter
Comfortable self-managing competing priorities
Highly organized with an emphasis on thorough documentation and process orientation
Experience successfully communicating both verbally and in written form to high-level audiences
Ability to gather, analyze, and present data for both technical and general audiences
Excellent computer skills with desktop and mobile office productivity applications, and general tools such as Microsoft products, including Excel, and Google Suite
Relevant years of state service experience.

Responsibilities

Leads the development, execution, and ongoing management of the Division’s budget for statewide community programs, including monitoring expenditures, projecting needs, analyzing trends, and identifying fiscal risks to ensure resources are allocated efficiently and aligned with program priorities.
Conducts scenario modeling, forecasting, and validation to support accurate and sustainable budgets, while exercising independent judgment in designing analyses, interpreting data, and recommending improvements to budgeting methodologies in compliance with state fiscal rules, procurement requirements, and statutory directives.
Provides direct support to program leadership, the Division Director, and the office Chief Financial Officer by preparing analyses, recommendations, and decision materials that inform strategic planning, annual budgets, and supplemental funding requests across multiple funding sources, including federal grants and cash funds.
Partners with OCACS program staff to identify financial issues, manage the office’s budget process, and review proposed budget actions, including decision items and supplemental requests.
Plays a key role in drafting, editing, fact-checking, and finalizing budget change requests for executive review.
Guides OCACS budget requests through the executive and legislative budget processes and keeps program staff and leadership informed of developments.
Collaborates with office staff to finalize funding splits and letter note annotations for the annual Long Bill and supplemental appropriation bills.
Prepares and maintains appropriation reconciliations to track the impact of all budget actions across Long Bill appropriations, federal grants, and cash revenue sources, and leads preparation for JBC briefings and hearings, including development of briefing materials to support executive leadership.
Provides fiscal and analytical support for annual contracting processes and Requests for Proposals/Requests for Applications (RFPs/RFAs), including development of funding methodologies, budget templates, cost analyses, and review of applicant budget submissions for compliance with fiscal requirements and program objectives.
Assists with the preparation and submission of federal grant applications, including completion and review of SF-424M and SF-424A forms, ensuring alignment between program narratives, funding requests, and federal budget requirements.
Develops and delivers budget presentations and fiscal updates to Division boards and committees, including the Brain Injury Trust Fund Board, Juvenile Parole Board, TGYS Board, and other stakeholder groups, translating complex fiscal information into clear and actionable recommendations for decision-making audiences.
Monitors current-year revenues and expenditures for assigned program areas and exercises independent judgment in analyzing, projecting, and reconciling financial activity to ensure compliance with appropriated funding levels.
Proactively identifies and anticipates budget risks, such as revenue shortfalls or over- and under-expenditures, and determines appropriate actions to address emerging issues, working in close coordination with program and accounting staff.
Plays a lead role in program budget management by identifying financial issues, evaluating options, and determining recommended solutions.
Independently develops high-level reports that assess budget-to-actual performance and project fiscal outcomes through the end of the fiscal year, providing leadership with clear, actionable insights.
Determines the structure, frequency, and focus of ongoing fiscal team meetings with program and accounting staff, using these forums to surface issues, drive analysis, and facilitate resolution of complex financial challenges.
Identifies cash fund sources, develops revenue projections, and ensures sufficient resources are available to support program budgets.
Monitors and verifies changes to appropriations, ensuring accuracy and proper recording in CORE.
Serves as the fiscal note lead for DCP during the legislative session and is the primary point of contact for all fiscal note requests.
Independently manages communications with the office Chief Financial Officer and responds to general and technical inquiries on behalf of the Division.
Responsible for implementing and enforcing the Department’s policies and procedures for fiscal note responses, including establishing timelines, assigning requests to the appropriate program areas, and ensuring all responses are accurately tracked and archived in the fiscal note log.
Exercises discretion in setting internal deadlines to meet statutory requirements and legislative timelines.
Upon receipt of draft legislation for fiscal analysis, evaluates the scope and complexity of the request and determines the appropriate program areas for review.
Provides direction to program staff on expectations for analysis and level of detail required.
Plays a central role in developing fiscal note responses by guiding program staff, shaping the narrative, and ensuring supporting data, spreadsheets, and analyses are complete and aligned with departmental and legislative standards.
Independently reviews and approves all fiscal note submissions, ensuring they are accurate, defensible, and professionally presented prior to submission to the Legislative Council.
Monitors all legislation impacting assigned budget areas and determines how fiscal impacts should be incorporated.
Analyzes proposed and enacted state and federal legislation, regulatory changes, and budget items to determine impacts on DCP programs, funding, and county partners.
Produces legislative and fiscal analyses, including bill reviews and interpretation of federal guidance.
During legislative sessions, evaluates multiple proposals with uncertain and interrelated outcomes, identifying embedded statutory changes that may affect funding, reporting, or program implementation.
Develops scenario analyses and provides recommendations to leadership to mitigate fiscal risk and ensure statutory compliance.
Exercises autonomy in determining legislative impacts, selecting modeling assumptions, and recommending policy or budget adjustments to maintain program alignment with legislative intent.
Serves as a key liaison for information requests from the Office of State Planning and Budgeting and the Joint Budget Committee, coordinating the development of clear, accurate verbal and written responses.
Prepares and coordinates required footnotes, requests for information (RFIs), and legislative reports for assigned program areas, including responses for the Department’s annual hearing with the Joint Budget Committee.
Working closely with the Office of Judicial and Legislative Liaison and program staff, tracks all required reports and deadlines, establishes internal timelines, and directs the development of responses.
Determines the appropriate data and level of detail needed to ensure responses fully address legislative and stakeholder inquiries.
Performs other duties as assigned that are consistent with the scope, responsibilities, and classification of a Budget and Policy Analyst. These may include special projects, ad hoc fiscal or policy analyses, participation in cross-divisional workgroups, or support for emergent legislative, budgetary, or policy initiatives. Assignments require analytical judgment, independent problem-solving, and application of policy and fiscal expertise. Work often supports program leadership, the Division Director, or the office Chief Financial Officer in urgent or high-impact decision-making scenarios.

Benefits

Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans
Medical and dental health plans
Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
Paid life insurance
Short- and long-term disability coverage
11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center
Employee Wellness program
Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
Remote work arrangements for eligible positions
Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.