Become A Senior Budget Analyst
Where do you want to work?
Working As A Senior Budget Analyst
- Interacting With Computers
- Getting Information
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Processing Information
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Mostly Sitting
Repetitive
$92,890
Average Salary
What Does A Senior Budget Analyst Do
Budget analysts help public and private institutions organize their finances. They prepare budget reports and monitor institutional spending.
DutiesBudget analysts typically do the following:
- Work with program and project managers to develop the organization's budget
- Review managers' budget proposals for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with laws and other regulations
- Combine all the program and department budgets together into a consolidated organizational budget and review all funding requests for merit
- Explain their recommendations for funding requests to others in the organization, legislators, and the public
- Help the chief operations officer, agency head, or other top managers analyze proposed plans and find alternatives if the projected results are unsatisfactory
- Monitor organizational spending to ensure that it is within budget
- Inform program managers of the status and availability of funds
- Estimate future financial needs
Budget analysts advise various institutions—including governments, universities, and businesses—on how to organize their finances. They prepare annual and special reports and evaluate budget proposals. They analyze data to determine the costs and benefits of various programs and recommend funding levels based on their findings. Although elected officials (in government) or top executives (in a private company) usually make the final decision on an organization's budget, they rely on the work of budget analysts to prepare the information for that decision.
Sometimes, budget analysts use cost-benefit analyses to review financial requests, assess program tradeoffs, and explore alternative funding methods. Budget analysts also may examine past budgets and research economic and financial developments that affect the organization's income and expenditures. Budget analysts may recommend program spending cuts or redistributing extra funds.
Throughout the year, budget analysts oversee spending to ensure compliance with the budget and determine whether changes to funding levels are needed for certain programs. Analysts also evaluate programs to determine whether they are producing the desired results.
In addition to providing technical analysis, budget analysts must effectively communicate their recommendations to officials within the organization. For example, if there is a difference between the approved budget and actual spending, budget analysts may write a report explaining the variations and recommend changes to reconcile the differences.
Budget analysts working in government attend committee hearings to explain their recommendations to legislators. Occasionally, budget analysts may evaluate how well a program is doing, provide policy analysis, and draft budget-related legislation.
Show More
Show Less
How To Become A Senior Budget Analyst
A bachelor’s degree is typically required to become a budget analyst, although some employers prefer candidates with a master’s degree.
EducationEmployers generally require budget analysts to have at least a bachelor's degree. However, some employers may require candidates to have a master’s degree. Because developing a budget requires strong numerical and analytical skills, courses in statistics or accounting are helpful. Federal, state, and local governments have varying requirements, but usually require a bachelor's degree in one of many areas, such as accounting, finance, business, public administration, economics, statistics, political science, or sociology.
Sometimes, budget-related or finance-related work experience can be substituted for formal education.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsGovernment budget analysts may earn the Certified Government Financial Manager credential from the Association of Government Accountants. To earn this certification, candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, 24 credit hours of study in financial management, 2 years of professional-level experience in governmental financial management, and they must pass a series of exams. To keep the certification, budget analysts must take 80 hours of continuing education every 2 years.
AdvancementEntry-level budget analysts begin with limited responsibilities, but advancement is common. As analysts gain experience, they have the opportunity to advance to intermediate and senior budget analyst positions.
Important QualitiesAnalytical skills. Budget analysts must be able to process a variety of information, evaluate costs and benefits, and solve complex problems.
Communication skills. Budget analysts need strong communication skills because they often have to explain and defend their analyses and recommendations in meetings and legislative committee hearings.
Detail oriented. Creating an efficient budget requires careful analysis of each budget item.
Math skills. Most budget analysts need math skills and should be able to use certain software, including spreadsheets, database functions, and financial analysis programs.
Writing skills. Budget analysts must present technical information in writing that is understandable for the intended audience.
Show More
Show Less
Senior Budget Analyst jobs
Senior Budget Analyst Career Paths
-
Senior Billing Analyst 4.2 years
-
Senior Budget Analyst 4.0 years
-
Budget Officer 3.9 years
-
Senior Treasury Analyst 3.6 years
-
Budget Manager 3.6 years
-
Senior Cost Analyst 3.5 years
-
Budget Coordinator 3.5 years
-
Budget Accountant 3.4 years
-
Budget Analyst 3.4 years
-
Budget/Finance Analyst 3.3 years
-
Senior Accountant Analyst 3.3 years
-
Senior Accounting Analyst 3.3 years
-
Finance Management Analyst 3.2 years
-
Program Finance Analyst 2.8 years
-
Budget Assistant 2.8 years
-
Project Finance Analyst 2.7 years
-
Contract Finance Analyst 2.0 years
-
Budget Analyst 19.9%
-
Finance Analyst 15.4%
-
Senior Finance Analyst 13.3%
-
Accountant 7.3%
-
Senior Accountant 6.0%
-
Staff Accountant 4.6%
-
Finance Manager 4.0%
-
Consultant 3.8%
-
Business Analyst 3.2%
-
Management Analyst 2.5%
-
Program Analyst 2.2%
-
-
Controller 2.2%
-
-
-
Accounting Manager 2.0%
-
Senior Consultant 2.0%
-
Project Manager 1.8%
-
Cost Accountant 1.8%
-
Finance Director 1.8%
-
Senior Finance Analyst 19.3%
-
Finance Analyst 10.4%
-
Finance Manager 9.1%
-
Budget Analyst 8.9%
-
Business Analyst 5.0%
-
Finance Director 4.8%
-
Controller 4.8%
-
-
Director 4.3%
-
Project Manager 3.4%
-
Senior Accountant 3.2%
-
Budget Manager 3.0%
-
Senior Consultant 2.9%
-
Business Manager 2.7%
-
Senior Analyst 2.5%
-
Manager 2.5%
-
Deputy Director 2.3%
-
Finance Consultant 2.1%
-
-
Accounting Manager 2.0%
Average Length of Employment
Top Careers Before Senior Budget Analyst
Top Careers After Senior Budget Analyst
Senior Budget Analyst Demographics
Gender
-
Male
52.6% -
Female
45.2% -
Unknown
2.2%
Ethnicity
-
White
77.9% -
Hispanic or Latino
10.2% -
Asian
7.7% -
Unknown
2.9% -
Black or African American
1.3%
Languages Spoken
-
Spanish
50.0% -
French
11.5% -
Japanese
7.7% -
Russian
7.7% -
Portuguese
3.8% -
Mandarin
3.8% -
Carrier
3.8% -
Hindi
3.8% -
Urdu
3.8% -
Arabic
3.8%
Senior Budget Analyst
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Senior Budget Analyst Education
-
Strayer University
13.8% -
University of Phoenix
10.8% -
George Mason University
9.2% -
George Washington University
5.4% -
Webster University
5.4% -
Virginia Commonwealth University
4.6% -
Hofstra University
4.6% -
New York University
3.8% -
Michigan State University
3.8% -
University of Maryland - College Park
3.8% -
University of Maryland - University College
3.8% -
Carnegie Mellon University
3.8% -
Suffolk University
3.8% -
Liberty University
3.8% -
American University
3.8% -
Syracuse University
3.1% -
Pace University - New York
3.1% -
Pennsylvania State University
3.1% -
University of Texas at Dallas
3.1% -
Nova Southeastern University
3.1% -
Business 36.9%
-
Accounting 21.1%
-
Finance 17.6%
-
-
Management 3.7%
-
Economics 2.6%
-
Political Science 2.2%
-
Psychology 1.1%
-
-
Law 1.1%
-
Marketing 0.9%
-
Project Management 0.9%
-
Information Systems 0.9%
-
-
Management Science 0.7%
-
-
-
Computer Science 0.7%
-
-
-
Masters
48.5% -
Bachelors
34.7% -
Other
9.6% -
Certificate
3.4% -
Associate
2.0% -
Doctorate
1.7% -
Diploma
0.2%
Schools
Majors
Degrees
Senior Budget Analyst
Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.
Real Senior Budget Analyst Salaries
Job Title
|
Company
|
Location
|
Start Date
|
Salary
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Financial & Budget Analyst | 2 Us, LLC. | Gainesville, FL | Mar 30, 2016 | $146,182 |
| SR. Budget Analyst II (Director of Financial Planning) | Montclare Children's School, LLC | New York, NY | Jan 07, 2016 | $112,700 |
| Senior Financial & Budget Analyst | SMF Corporation LLC | Davie, FL | Feb 18, 2016 | $109,762 |
| SR. Budget Analyst (Director of Financial Planning | Montclare Children's School, LLC | New York, NY | Jun 04, 2014 | $106,000 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Hanwha Q Cells USA Corp | Irvine, CA | Sep 09, 2015 | $97,115 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Open Society Foundations | New York, NY | Apr 14, 2016 | $96,615 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Open Society Foundations | New York, NY | May 27, 2014 | $95,000 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Joins America Inc. | Los Angeles, CA | Sep 01, 2015 | $93,500 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Hwa Seung Networks America Corporation | Los Angeles, CA | Sep 21, 2015 | $93,226 |
| SR. Budget Analyst | Fujitsu America, Inc. | Sunnyvale, CA | Jul 01, 2013 | $91,707 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Appnexus, Inc. | New York, NY | Oct 06, 2014 | $90,000 |
| SR. Budget Analyst | Asico LLC | Westmont, IL | Sep 14, 2016 | $89,981 |
| SR. Budget Analyst | Chicago Food Corporation | Chicago, IL | Jan 14, 2015 | $88,587 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Gali Service Industries | Rockville, MD | Oct 31, 2014 | $85,800 |
| Senior Budget Anaylst | Signature Consultants, LLC | Charlotte, NC | Aug 10, 2009 | $83,000 |
| Senior Project Budget Analyst | Pharmanet, LLC | Princeton, NJ | Jul 01, 2011 | $83,000 - $93,000 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Paige Academy | MA | Nov 18, 2010 | $82,389 |
| Senior Clinical Research Budget Analyst | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center | New York, NY | Feb 15, 2016 | $78,935 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | The New York Public Library | New York, NY | Aug 02, 2016 | $78,582 - $116,000 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | AWI USA LLC | Plainview, NY | Apr 25, 2016 | $75,132 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | Cleaners of America Corporation | Alexandria, VA | Jul 14, 2015 | $75,005 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | L.L.Bean Inc. | Freeport, ME | May 07, 2015 | $74,160 |
| SR. Project Budget Analyst | Sea Louisiana Construction, LLC | Westlake, LA | Sep 19, 2016 | $72,342 |
| Senior Budget Analyst/Accountant | L.L. Bean Inc. | Freeport, ME | May 06, 2013 | $72,000 |
| SR. Budget Analyst | Visual CITI Inc. | Lindenhurst, NY | Apr 05, 2016 | $71,510 |
No Results
To get more results, try adjusting your search by changing your filters.
Top Skills for A Senior Budget Analyst
Show More
Top Senior Budget Analyst Skills
- Financial Management
- Financial Analysis
- Financial Resources
- Administered general accounting and financial management functions, to include AR/AP, account reconciliation, contract management, and cash management.
- Conduct diverse and highly complex financial analysis of the University's operations and annual operating budget.
- Prepared specialized reports detailing management utilization of financial resources.
- Conducted variance analysis and analyzed budgetary impact of federal and state laws.
- Provided technical assistance to Department Heads on preparing budgets.
Top Senior Budget Analyst Employers
Show More