SENIOR BUDGET ANALYST

Job Summary:  

Reporting to the Manager Finance and Accounting, the Senior Budget Analyst is responsible for coordinating, supporting, and providing direction, and advice on the development of annual budgets, and presentations for administrative and political reviews. The Senior Budget Analyst will oversee the implementation, analyze and monitor the budget throughout the year and assist with performance measures development, variance reporting, and special projects within Program areas.  

Major Responsibilities:
 

• Assists the Manager Finance to manage all aspects of the Division's budget, forecast, project planning, performance, and variance reporting in line with the corporate guidelines. 

• Monitors, controls, and provides analytical support in budget development, expenditures, revenues, and management of budgets throughout the year by organizing the collection and interpretation of appropriate data on costs, staffing, and other resources. 

• Develops analytical and procedural techniques to optimize budgetary planning and control. 

• Develops, reviews, and analyzes financial policies/procedures to ensure the integrity of internal controls. 

• Liaises with the Financial Planning Division during the budget's development and approval, including briefing and committee notes; ensures compliance with corporate policies and procedures; reviews budget transfers and supplementary adjustments to ensure conformity with City authorizations and policy. 

• Develops and implements appropriate forecasting techniques, comments on historical trends and future expenditure patterns, determines the course(s) of major variances in consultation with senior management. 

• Provides support and direction to divisional managers and staff in operational planning and development of operational and financial strategies to assist in their decision-making by monitoring and reporting key performance and financial indicators. 

• Provides professional advice and guidance to senior and divisional management on budget issues, financial analysis, measurement criteria, and evaluation of measurement criteria against achievements. Participates in corporate and divisional task forces and project teams as a financial resource in leadership or membership capacity. 

• Provides financial impact analysis on divisional initiatives. Reviews reports and research produced by others to determine the potential financial impact on the City and prepare appropriate responses. 

• Establishes credible professional relationships with client programs and other customers, which enable the delivery of value-added strategic and financial advice to programs in regard to their services, budgets, operations, or core businesses. 

• Evaluate the impact of government policies and divisional initiatives and designs administrative procedures in response. 

• Works closely with the appropriate programs and staff to facilitate operational efficiency, financially viable services, and the Council recommendations; liaises and provides advice in regard to the operating budget process to programs that seek approval of budgets from the Council.  

Key Qualifications:  

1. Post-secondary education in Business Management, Accounting or Finance OR other relevant discipline related to the job function, OR an accounting designation (CPA, CA, CGA or CMA), OR the equivalent combination of education and experience. 

2. Considerable experience using enterprise-wide computer-based and financial systems such as SAP, S4/Hana, PBF, CAPTOR and Excel, and other Microsoft Office Applications (Access, Word, PowerPoint). Advanced excel skills is considered an asset. 

3. Considerable experience in capital and/or operating budgets; applying principles and best practices towards effective financial analysis and reporting, budget development, processes and control techniques within a large private or public sector organization 

4. Considerable experience in period end closing, financial projections, reconciliation of accounts, and development of business cases. 

5. Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish effective working relationships with all levels of staff and external clients. 

6. Ability to manage assigned projects from inception to completion through effective leading, planning, developing, coordinating and implementing. 

7. Ability to develop financial accounting policies based on operational needs, and consistent with the overall corporate accounting framework. 

8. Ability to learn new technologies and current processes and to take initiative to enhance and redevelop existing practices. 

9. Highly skilled in writing briefing notes, business cases, reports and preparing presentations. 

10. Highly skilled in the discipline of extracting, organizing and analyzing large amounts of data from various databases and transforming it into information for decision-making at the management level.