Post job

Budget analyst vs senior finance analyst

The differences between budget analysts and senior finance analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a budget analyst and a senior finance analyst. Additionally, a senior finance analyst has an average salary of $83,222, which is higher than the $56,598 average annual salary of a budget analyst.

The top three skills for a budget analyst include financial management, budget analysis and financial reports. The most important skills for a senior finance analyst are financial analysis, hyperion, and financial models.

Budget analyst vs senior finance analyst overview

Budget AnalystSenior Finance Analyst
Yearly salary$56,598$83,222
Hourly rate$27.21$40.01
Growth rate3%9%
Number of jobs50,081117,609
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4740
Years of experience44

What does a budget analyst do?

A budget analyst supports organizations and businesses by organizing their financial resources to develop and execute budgets for them. A budget analyst is also responsible for evaluating budget proposals, analyzing data, extra funds redistribution, recommending spending cuts, preparing reports annually, and estimating spending requirements in the future. A budget analyst explores alternative funding methods and uses cost-benefit analyses. In addition, budget analysts also look at past budgets and research any financial developments that could affect income and expenditures.

What does a senior finance analyst do?

A Senior Financial Analyst's role is to oversee the financial aspects and manage fellow analysts in a company. Among the tasks of a Senior Financial Analyst include conducting research and analysis, providing forecast in revenue and expenditures, creating financial models that would suit the company and project more sales, and take part in the planning of finances. Moreover, being a Senior Financial Analyst means leading a team of skilled professionals in the same field of expertise.

Budget analyst vs senior finance analyst salary

Budget analysts and senior finance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

Budget AnalystSenior Finance Analyst
Average salary$56,598$83,222
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $76,000Between $62,000 And $110,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateVirginiaCalifornia
Best paying companyShenzhen Capital GroupGoogle
Best paying industryGovernmentTechnology

Differences between budget analyst and senior finance analyst education

There are a few differences between a budget analyst and a senior finance analyst in terms of educational background:

Budget AnalystSenior Finance Analyst
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorBusinessAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Budget analyst vs senior finance analyst demographics

Here are the differences between budget analysts' and senior finance analysts' demographics:

Budget AnalystSenior Finance Analyst
Average age4740
Gender ratioMale, 45.7% Female, 54.3%Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage13%7%

Differences between budget analyst and senior finance analyst duties and responsibilities

Budget analyst example responsibilities.

  • Write and document SAS, SPSS and SQL programs to automate standard processes.
  • Manage accounting data of expenditures in ledgers; ensure all transactions are re-serve for obligation.
  • Manage virtual war room database and prepare advanced PowerPoint presentations for high-level briefings.
  • Manage credit card revenue reporting and reconciliations for multiple credit card merchant accounts which include recommending and implementing process improvements.
  • Provide corporate financial support services for multiple contracts and various contract types (FFP, CPFF, CPAF, etc . )
  • Prepare and present EAC projections, customer financial reports, and documents for program reviews.
  • Show more

Senior finance analyst example responsibilities.

  • Used SharePoint repository to manage all project documents.
  • Manage deployment of SQL databases across multiple platforms within a secure environment focusing on security and data integrity.
  • Leverage and improve key performance indicators to drive portfolio management to core business team leads and executive sponsors.
  • Develop, maintain financial models/applications (VBA Excel/Access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis.
  • Validate data in Hyperion EssBase for implementation.
  • Perform month end accounting close activities including preparation of accruals and monthly financial analysis reports for business unit management.
  • Show more

Budget analyst vs senior finance analyst skills

Common budget analyst skills
  • Financial Management, 8%
  • Budget Analysis, 6%
  • Financial Reports, 5%
  • Financial Data, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Budget Estimates, 3%
Common senior finance analyst skills
  • Financial Analysis, 12%
  • Hyperion, 5%
  • Financial Models, 5%
  • Strong Analytical, 4%
  • Variance Analysis, 4%
  • Ad-Hoc Analysis, 4%

Browse business and financial jobs