Operating Budget Analyst

Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City)•Omaha, NE

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Operating Budget Analyst serves as a strategic financial partner within the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Office. This position leads operating budget analysis, financial forecasting, variance reporting, and budget system administration while partnering with college leaders to support informed decision-making and responsible stewardship of institutional resources. The Analyst provides proactive, customer-centered guidance to support budget development, expenditure monitoring, revenue forecasting, and financial reporting. As part of a team-oriented FP&A environment, this position also contributes to shared learning and supports a culture of continuous improvement and financial transparency. As a core team member supporting Adaptive Planning (Workday’s budgeting module), the Analyst is instrumental in driving the successful adoption and ongoing optimization of the platform. The Analyst ensures campus users understand how to use Adaptive effectively and recognize its value as a tool for financial clarity, planning, and accountability. Through one-on-one support, training, and process enhancements, the Analyst fosters a positive user experience and helps promote consistent, confident engagement with the College’s budgeting systems. The successful candidate will have an excellent problem-solving mindset, strong financial acumen, flexibility and the ability to adapt.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, data analytics, or related field required.
Three years of progressively responsible experience in budgeting, FP&A, accounting, finance, or related analytical work.
Experience with Workday Financials or similar ERP systems.
Experience with Workday Adaptive Planning or comparable budgeting software.
Advanced Excel skills including PivotTables, Power Query, Power Pivot, and financial modeling.
Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, with the ability to tailor insights to different stakeholder needs.
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and other college supported systems.
Ability to interpret and communicate complex financial information clearly and constructively with non-financial audiences.
Excellent communication skills including active listening.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Ability to work well with minimal supervision in a team-orientated environment.
Ability to demonstrate cooperation and professionalism while maintaining patience and understanding in stressful situations.
Strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity, good judgement, maturity, and a positive attitude.
Ability to envision and recommend new methods to improve tasks and processes, and to embrace new initiatives and solutions to achieve institutional goals.
Demonstrates adaptability; anticipates and embraces change, acquires new skills, and engages in challenging tasks with flexibility and initiative.
Ability to effectively work and interact with various cultures and ethnicities.
Must pass a background check.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in business administration (MBA) or a related field strongly preferred.
Equivalent combination of education and/or work experience considered.
Prior experience in higher education or the public sector is strongly preferred.
Experience supporting annual budget development and financial reporting preferred
Ability to travel between campuses for meetings or position responsibilities.

Responsibilities

Supports the preparation, implementation, and management of the College’s all-funds annual operating budget in collaboration with the FP&A team.
Analyzes historical spending patterns, departmental requests, and strategic priorities to inform allocations and develop multi-year planning and forecasting models.
Monitors departmental budgets and expenditures to ensure compliance with college policies and funding guidelines.
Reconciles monthly budget-to-actual results, assists departments with variance analysis, and supports resource alignment through forecasting, scenario planning, and cost modeling.
Prepares regular and ad hoc financial reports tailored to internal and external stakeholders, including college leadership.
Contributes to the development and enhancement of team reporting standards, dashboards, and budget tracking tools using Adaptive Planning, Workday, and Excel.
Provides responsive, customer-centered support and training to budget owners and department staff. Develops and delivers guidance, resources, and workshops that improve budgeting literacy and system engagement across the College.
Supports position budgeting, including reconciliation, vacancy analysis, salary and fringe forecasting, and collaboration with Human Resources.
Actively participates in team knowledge-sharing and mentoring of new or less experienced colleagues.
Serves as contributor to FP&A team efforts to implement, test, and enhance Adaptive Planning and Workday.
Collaborates with other team members to improve configuration, data integrity, and cross-functional workflows.
Recommends and implements improvements to budgeting tools, workflows, and reporting practices that promote user-friendly, transparent, and efficient financial operations.
Helps ensure adherence to applicable college policies, accounting standards, and audit requirements. Supports financial audits, accreditation reviews, and regulatory reporting, including the monitoring of restricted and unrestricted funding sources.
Ensures the accuracy and timeliness of month-end and year-end budget close processes.
Helps foster a culture of informed budget ownership, mentoring users where appropriate and contributing to shared FP&A team goals.
Supports monthly financial forecasting and trend analysis.
Coordinates budget amendments and transfers.
Partners with assigned divisions as the primary FP&A liaison.
Supports Budget Steering Committee and Board financial presentations.
Supports annual budget book preparation
Maintains budget procedures and user documentation.
Provides budget training and office hours.
Attends work activities or programs as scheduled or assigned.