Senior Budget Analyst

Santa Clara University • Santa Clara, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The mission of the University Budget Office is to provide planning and decision support for University executive leadership, business managers and others at Santa Clara University through compilation, analysis and dissemination of information that contributes to sound decision making in the planning and allocation of resources and assessments of institutional effectiveness. The Senior Budget Analyst is responsible for analytical, in-depth management of complex budgeting processes and will be required to apply advanced budgeting and accounting theory to various problems by using analytical, evaluative, or interpretive processes and independent problem-solving skills. Specific duties include but not limited to: compiling, analyzing, disseminating and presenting budget and financial data; preparing supplemental schedules and verifying school/unit information; loading and reviewing annual budgets and projections of operating units, with analytical review for plan compliance/potential problems. Become a valued strategic finance partner by applying deep and insightful analytical skills and good business acumen to ensure sound financial decisions are made. This position requires a high degree of independence and critical thinking and is heavily relied upon to provide information to management, upon which strategic decisions will be made.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required. Accounting, finance, or other business field preferred.
• 5-7 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of related education and experience.
• Experience in the use of technology to illustrate complex financial reports, comparisons, impact studies.
• Commitment to understand and support Santa Clara University’s distinctive Jesuit educational vision and further the mission, values and goals of the University.
• Desire to be inquisitive and strive to gain understanding of the workings of the university and its operating units and schools.
• Strong analytical skills and the proven ability to plan, develop and execute creative approaches to complex financial issues.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, as well as strong organizational and management abilities.
• A commitment to inclusion and diversity and a demonstrated ability to work with an increasingly diverse campus community.
• Ability to work effectively with school administrators, faculty, students and staff as well as university administrators at various levels.
• Ability to handle multiple projects, set priorities, meet deadlines and maintain a high level of performance in a fast paced environment with frequent interruptions.
• Ability to apply high level of critical thinking to address business issues and provide solutions or recommendations.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree preferred.
• Strong preference for individual with experience working in higher education and directly supporting operating units.

Responsibilities

• Deliver on the annual university budget and forecast processes in collaboration with the University Budget Office team.
• Coordinate in the financial information flow between assigned business units and the budget office.
• Leverage business knowledge to obtain in-depth understanding of and explanations for variances.
• Work closely with accounting to ensure financial statements and forecasting methodologies are consistent.
• Develop a deep understanding of all aspects of the university, particularly within the assigned units, in order to critically analyze financial results and budget submissions along with allocation of new funding requests.
• Provide analysis and financial perspective in support of strategic directions from the university or assigned operating units.
• Utilize data to provide meaningful analyses and support for departmental and school operational planning and budgeting requirements.
• Independently develop reports using University forecasting and reporting tools, troubleshoot existing reports, build queries for central and unit-level use in managing budgets and financial planning activities.
• Ensure that budget managers have access to appropriate and timely information to support financial analyses and budget status reporting.
• Independently identify and perform critical analyses, develop recommendations, and generate standardized and ad-hoc reports for units as assigned.
• Effectively partner with assigned operating units to improve operations through the use of insightful data and analyses.
• Actively partner with leaders from assigned units to provide reasonable projections of annual revenues and uses based on financial models.
• Analyze and evaluate variances and recommend budget planning strategies.
• Work closely with assigned divisional administrators and senior managers to monitor the financial performance of the divisions and programs.
• Meet regularly with assigned divisional administrators and senior managers to develop corrective action plans as needed.
• Compare actual performance to budgeted performance; provides analytical and technical support to specific assigned divisions of the University concerning detail budget issues.
• May hire and supervise graduate and undergraduate interns.

Benefits

• Santa Clara University offers a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees with programs and resources designed to promote and sustain personal health care, well-being, and the financial objectives of our employees and families.

What This Job Offers

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