Sr. Budget Analyst

The Town of Castle Rock•Castle Rock, CO

About The Position

The Sr. Budget Analyst serves as a financial and budget liaison to Town departments, providing analysis, planning support, and guidance on complex financial and operational issues. The role leads assigned parts of the annual budget process, develops forecasts and budget documents, evaluates budget requests, and communicates financial findings and recommendations to departments and management. The position independently analyzes complex financial and budgetary matters, supports budget software implementation and maintenance, reconciles budget and accounting data, and prepares financial schedules, reports, and analyses. It also monitors account balances, contracts, project costs, cash balances, and budget variances; supports budget amendments and annual reporting; maintains financial records; assists external auditors; and recommends improvements to financial procedures and processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a closely related field.
At least five years of finance, budget, or accounting experience, including financial analysis, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Ability to exercise independent judgment and initiative, identify assignments, select appropriate methods, and manage complex analyses and projects with limited supervision.
Ability to define financial and budgetary problems, investigate causes, evaluate alternatives, and develop well-supported recommendations.
Ability to develop multi-year forecasts, analyze financial, fiscal, and statistical data, and assess the impact of proposed budget decisions.
Ability to track and analyze project-level financial activity, identify budget variances and funding concerns, and communicate project financial status.
Ability to use and maintain budget software, improve its use, train others, and develop accurate reports.
Ability to coordinate and interpret information from multiple sources and communicate complex findings through clear reports and presentations.
Ability to apply accounting and budgetary principles and relevant laws and regulations to financial records, reports, and decisions.
High degree of accuracy and attention to detail in preparing and reviewing financial data, records, and reports.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including explaining complex financial information and preparing concise reports and presentations.
Ability to work collaboratively and establish productive working relationships with employees, departments, officials, and the public.
Ability to exercise tact and discretion when handling confidential information and interacting with Federal, State, and Town officials and the public.
Ability to explain, develop, and continually update departmental policies and procedures.
Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, practices, and techniques and their application to accounting transactions.
Thorough knowledge of recordkeeping and reporting principles and practices.
Ability to compile, analyze, and interpret financial statements and reports and to learn and use financial, budgeting, and reporting software.
Ability to develop and modify work procedures, methods, and processes to improve efficiency.
Ability to establish and maintain complex records and files and prepare reports from such data.
Must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check before commencing employment.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in municipal government.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access.

Responsibilities

Serve as a financial and budget liaison to Town departments, providing analysis, planning support, and guidance on complex issues.
Coordinate the collection, evaluation, and interpretation of financial and operational information to help departments identify problems, evaluate options, and make informed decisions.
Lead assigned components of the annual budget process, including coordinating department submissions, developing personnel projections and multi-year forecasts, evaluating new budget requests, and preparing revenue and expenditure forecasts and budget documents.
Review assumptions and complex analyses, identify potential budget impacts, and recommend funding options to the Budget Manager.
Provide guidance to departments and other budget staff.
Lead complex projects and special assignments, which may include cost allocation, fiscal impact analysis, custom department reporting, and project-specific financial analysis.
Coordinate information from multiple sources, evaluate results, and communicate conclusions and recommendations.
Independently analyze complex financial and budgetary issues, including significant fluctuations, emerging trends, and unusual transactions; investigate underlying causes and assess fiscal and operational impacts.
Bring significant issues to the attention of the Budget Manager or appropriate leadership in a timely manner and recommend solutions or next steps.
Develop reports and analyses showing the impact of proposed budgetary decisions, and present findings and recommendations to departments and management.
Participate in implementing the Town’s budget software and integrating it with other Town systems; use and maintain the software for budget development, monitoring, forecasting, and reporting.
Reconcile data between budget software and the accounting system, investigate differences, coordinate corrections, and recommend improvements to software use, processes, and reports.
Train and support users and develop reports for internal and external audiences.
Develop, prepare, or assist with monthly and quarterly account reconciliations, capital carryforward schedules, and financial schedules for actual and budget amounts by fund.
Provide detailed and summary financial information to departments, explain significant results, prepare and monitor account balances and reports, investigate and resolve variances, and prepare monthly financial analysis reports.
Identify issues that may require corrective action and recommend appropriate steps.
Verify and monitor department contracts, including amounts, terms, scope, and available budget; analyze project costs against original budgets and identify funding or compliance concerns.
Support department planning by monitoring cash balances and preparing cash flow analyses; provide periodic reports, interpret results, identify risks, and make recommendations.
Assist with budget amendments, budget transfers, capital carryforward, and other budget management tasks; analyze fiscal effects and advise departments on available options.
Prepare schedules, fund analysis narratives, and other information, and assist with information requested for the annual ACFR and other annual reporting requirements.
Maintain detailed records and develop, maintain, and document record systems for key financial items.
Prepare professional reports and presentations explaining complex financial data.
Evaluate financial procedures and work processes, recommend improvements, and assist with implementation.
Assist external auditors as needed and perform other duties as assigned.