How to hire a senior budget analyst

How to hire a senior budget analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior budget analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior budget analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior budget analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior budget analyst do?

Post a senior budget analyst job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior budget analyst job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior budget analyst for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior budget analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior budget analysts from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior budget analysts and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Budget Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Budget Analyst	Budget analysts help public and private institutions organize their finances. They prepare budget reports and monitor institutional spending.	$21-50
   Finance Analyst	A finance analyst is responsible for evaluating a company's financial data and historical reports to assess investment opportunities and provide accurate financial statements in support of business strategies and company performance prediction. A financial analyst's duties also include suggesting recommendations to boost operations efficiency and grow revenues, researching the current market performance and economic trends to adjust budget goals as needed, and managing client portfolios... Show more	$22-50
   Analyst	Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes... Show more	$25-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Management
   • PowerPoint
   • Financial Analysis
   • Budget Analysis
   • Financial Data
   • Financial Systems
   • DOD
   • Budget Formulation
   • Budget Preparation
   • PPBE
   • Budget Execution
   • Budget Development
   • Variance Analysis
   • Budget Analysts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage regional incentive budgets including A/P, A/R, and document control for all on-site programs.
   • Manage and implement process improvement projects for payroll and other administrative services.
   • Prepare Medicaid and Medicare cost reports.
   • Upload DTS funds into GFEBS to ensure execution of allot funds.
   • Work extensively pushing and pulling funds in the GFEBS accounting systems.
   • Research, compile, and summarize data concerning propose POM budget submission to DoD.

   More senior budget analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior budget analyst job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior budget analyst can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior budget analysts' average salary in arkansas is 52% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior budget analysts 57% less than senior-level senior budget analysts.
   • Certifications. A senior budget analyst with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior budget analyst's salary.

   Average senior budget analyst salary

   $69,249yearly

   $33.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior budget analyst salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 26, 2026

   Average senior budget analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$91,583	$44
   2	New Jersey	$86,783	$42
   3	Virginia	$81,737	$39
   4	Massachusetts	$79,835	$38
   5	California	$79,817	$38
   6	Maryland	$78,512	$38
   7	Pennsylvania	$72,055	$35
   8	Washington	$71,359	$34
   9	New York	$70,039	$34
   10	Oregon	$67,300	$32
   11	Missouri	$66,726	$32
   12	Wisconsin	$64,677	$31
   13	Colorado	$63,977	$31
   14	Alabama	$61,731	$30
   15	Illinois	$61,429	$30
   16	Wyoming	$61,029	$29
   17	Texas	$58,403	$28
   18	Florida	$56,996	$27
   19	Iowa	$56,298	$27
   20	North Carolina	$55,932	$27

   Average senior budget analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Brookhaven National Laboratory	$99,211	$47.70
   2	LG&E and KU	$97,746	$46.99
   3	University of California-Berkeley	$94,750	$45.55
   4	Florida Power and Light	$93,493	$44.95	18
   5	Vornado Realty Trust	$93,182	$44.80	2
   6	Northrop Grumman	$91,818	$44.14	47
   7	City of San Jos	$89,187	$42.88
   8	Noblis	$87,432	$42.03	4
   9	PPL	$86,352	$41.52	4
   10	SAIC	$85,093	$40.91	10
   11	International Research & Exchanges	$84,694	$40.72
   12	New York Power Authority	$84,098	$40.43	1
   13	Bevilacqua Research	$83,642	$40.21
   14	Canon	$83,425	$40.11	4
   15	TBWA Worldwide	$81,595	$39.23
   16	Sparrow Health System	$81,098	$38.99
   17	L.L.Bean	$80,261	$38.59
   18	Axiologic Solutions	$79,987	$38.46
   19	1 8 3 Lanes	$79,520	$38.23
   20	TBWA\Chiat\Day NY	$79,114	$38.04

4. Writing a senior budget analyst job description

   A senior budget analyst job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior budget analyst job description:

   Senior budget analyst job description example

   The Planning and Budget Office facilitates the efficient and effective use of county resources for the community's benefit. The office works on planning, researching, and evaluating budgetary and policy issues, integrating county-wide spending and strategic plans, and prepares the County's annual budget. The work performed is fast-paced and often time-sensitive. This posting reflects a series of four budget analyst-related job classifications within the Planning and Budget Office.
   
   A Planning and Budget Analyst provides independent planning, budget, fiscal and policy analysis made directly to offices and departments and in public to the Commissioners Court. Works under only general direction with extensive latitude for independent judgment and action. Coordinates budget development, evaluation, and execution. Analyzes budget requests and develops funding recommendations throughout the budget process and as needed throughout the year. Conducts highly visible and sometimes controversial fiscal and programmatic research on a wide variety of topics. Required to publicly defend analytic conclusions to Elected and Appointed Officials. Provides analysis and recommendations on the development of County programs and policies, performance measures, and special analytic projects. Proactively identifies problems and solutions. Initiates independent and group analytic projects. Conducts economic and programmatic research and makes recommendations on County finances and projects, as required. May assist with departmental or County strategic planning efforts.
   
   This position is eligible for telework, with in-office work as necessary from a central office location (700 Lavaca Street). Must live in or near Austin, Texas area or be willing to relocate. This classification may require a flexible work schedule in order to meet the needs of the office, including possible night or weekend work.
   
   Travis County offers a premier compensation and benefits package that includes a highly rated retirement plan, vacation and sick leave, personal holidays, longevity pay, tuition reimbursement, parental leave, medical, dental, and vision, and employee health care clinics.
   If you're passionate about making a difference in your community, we want you on our team!
   
   Duties and Responsibilities
   
   * Coordinates every phase of planning and development of the Adopted Budget for assigned departments. Conducts budget reviews and prepares analysis of departmental budget requests. Performs such reviews and analysis, independently and with little supervision, and as a member of work teams. Presents findings directly to Commissioners Court in a public forum and defends conclusions reached with Elected and Appointed Officials.
   * Works during the year with respective departments to develop budgets consistent with relevant strategic plans and available County resources. Determines the effectiveness of programs and services using performance measures and identifies measures that best reflect departmental operations for the Commissioners Court and the public. Monitors the execution of departmental budgets, analyzes departmental expenditure patterns for anomalies, evaluates financial plans, interprets budget variances, and acts as liaison with County departments concerning budgetary and program matters. May function as a team leader on special projects and assignments.
   * Conducts independent departmental, programmatic, and functional evaluations, research, and analysis. Presents findings and recommendations directly to Commissioners Court for improvement, including departmental reorganizations, new programs and management analysis. May function as a member of interdepartmental problem-solving teams to address high priority County issues with broad organizational impact. Prepares economic, social and programmatic research on countywide trends and finances, for evaluation of present and future components of County services.
   * Performs periodic revenue and expenditure forecasts, cost-effectiveness analysis, and other financial studies. Performs cost comparisons and cost/benefit analysis. Develops forecasts to facilitate short- and long-term financial needs. Develops evaluative and statistical methods to appraise operating results. Analyzes and interprets fiscal variances. Evaluates data from national, state and local sources to assist in the planning and evaluation process. Assists County departments in the development of strategic plans, including establishing goals, objectives and performance measures and the assessment of internal and external environments.
   * Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior budget analyst for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior budget analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior budget analysts who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find senior budget analyst candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior budget analysts requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior budget analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior budget analyst position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new senior budget analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a senior budget analyst?