Budget Analyst

Actively supports and upholds the City’s stated mission and values.   The Budget Analyst develops, analyzes, manages and evaluates an area of assignment in the Finance Section of the Management Services Division.  This position develops recommendations, implements changes, and performs other duties involving research, analysis, forecasting and developing efficient budget processes and procedures.   

In addition, employees are expected to exercise considerable judgement, initiative, and professional skills in financial administration, knowledge of acceptable accounting practices, and coordination of projects with final financial project completion.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

• Supervisory: This job does not have any formal supervisory responsibility.
• Budgetary:   This job has partial responsibility for budgeting including reviewing, reconciling, and adjusting division budgets.   Incumbents are responsible for having a basic knowledge of 10-year plans to allow for better forecasting.
• Strategic Planning:  This job does not have strategic planning responsibilities but carries out day-to-day activities in order to reach the stated goals and objectives.
• Policies/Procedures: This job does not have any responsibility for implementing policies/procedures.
• Compliance:    This job has partial responsibility for ensuring compliance requirements are met for the annual budget and are presented in accordance with state statutes and federal laws.  
• Council Communications:  This job does not have any direct responsibility for Council communication.
• Reporting:   This job has partial responsibility for preparing the annual budget in accordance with Government Finance Officers Association budget reporting standards. 

EXAMPLES OF THE WORK PERFORMED (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)

• Complies with financial reporting requirements as they relate to federal, state, and local entities.
• Provides excellent customer service to both internal and external customers. 
• Supports and analyzes the City's budget, including the personnel, operating budget, capital improvement program (CIP), Priority Based Budgeting, and the budget management and reporting system,
• Prepares analytical and budgetary comparative information for presentation to staff, Council, and the public.
• Assists in the preparation of short and long-range revenue and expenditure forecasts; supports forecast modeling.
• Researches economic indicators, analyzes factors and trends and makes recommendations regarding the City's ability to finance general personnel, operations and capital improvement projects.
• Supports divisions by discussing budget situations
• Provides training in the preparation, presentation and monitoring of annual budgets. 
• Prepares assigned elements of the annual budget document.
• Performs research and analysis on identified special projects as assigned. 
• Attends management meetings to provide presentations and support to divisions related to budgetary information. 
• Analyzes the completeness and accuracy of prepared budget data provided by divisions.
• Participates with other accounting/budget staff in answering general questions relating to budget policies, procedures, and operations.
• Adhere to established accounting standards and City of Flagstaff deadlines on assigned tasks.
• Carry out day-to-day budgeting activities to ensure Federal and State compliance.
• Work in a team-based environment requiring problem solving skills and teamwork.
• Performs related duties, as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accountancy, Business Administration or closely related field.
• Two years of professional budgeting and/or general accounting experience
• Or any combination of education, experience and training equivalent to the above minimum requirements.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Must possess, or obtain upon employment, a valid Arizona driver’s license.
• Regular attendance is an essential function of this job to ensure continuity.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)

• Language Skills:  Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.   Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.  
• Presentation Skills:  Ability to prepare information for presentation and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients and customers.
• Mathematical Skills:  Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.  Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations.
• Reasoning Ability:  Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form.  Ability to solve problems involving several concrete variables in a systematic way effectively and efficiently.
• Ability to adhere to accounting principles and standards.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands and fingers to handle or feel; and talk or hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to ten pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to fifty pounds.   Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and color vision.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.