Senior Budget Analyst Salary

A senior budget analyst is the person who is responsible for helping an institution organize their finances and budgets. This is a position found in a variety of professional settings, including public companies, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and universities. A senior budget analyst will typically work in an office environment, although some light travel may be required. This person will typically keep traditional weekday, daytime hours. However, overtime may also be required, depending on deadlines. A senior budget analyst will often be required to attain a bachelor’s degree in an area such as accounting, business, finances, economics, statistics, sociology, political science, or public administration. Organizations are increasingly requiring a master’s degree for this position. Some agencies are also requiring their senior budget analysts to attain specialized certifications within the field, as well as continuing education in financial management.

A senior budget analyst is primarily responsible for assisting a business to reach budgeting objectives by designing, testing, and implementing various changes and requirements to business processes and systems. This person will have a variety of other duties, including implementing a budget, forecasting financial needs, processing budgetary data, loading and validating budgetary data, tracking the usage and status of funds, reconciling and resolving budgetary data discrepancies, improving upon processes, increasing profitability, using resources efficiently, conducting research and analyses, formulating budgetary recommendations, preparing budgetary reports and briefings, and solving budgetary problems. This position is supervisory in nature and will often require a person with natural leadership skills. A senior budgetary analyst should possess expert analytical skills and math skills. This person must be able to communicate efficiently and effectively among their budgetary team as well as other executives within the company. (Copyright 2017 PayScale.com)

Senior Budget Analyst Tasks

• Review and analyze budget data, identifying gaps and finding data to answer key questions.
• Identify trends and opportunities to improve financial status.
• Develop, validate and communicate financial metrics.
• Meet with and guide department heads about budget needs and decisions.
• Present findings in multiple formats to multiple audiences.

Senior Budget Analysts will find that Washington offers an impressive pay rate, one which exceeds the national average by 11 percent. Senior Budget Analysts will also find cushy salaries in Los Angeles (+5 percent). Compared to the national average, Atlanta Senior Budget Analysts have considerably lower salaries, 24 percent below the national average to be exact. Location appears to be a major driving force in pay for those in this profession. Two other places where employers offer below-median salaries are Boston (18 percent less) and New York (9 percent less).