Senior Budget Analyst

Overview

The Senior Budget Analyst provides advanced financial analysis and technical expertise to support the Laboratory's budget development, execution, long-term planning, and indirect cost management. Working independently, the role evaluates financial performance, identifies emerging risks and trends, and translates complex financial information into actionable recommendations for Budget Office leadership.

Responsibilities

Financial Analysis / Budget Formulation & Execution (55%)

• Lead and perform complex financial analysis supporting budget formulation and execution, multi-year/outyear planning, and development and analysis of provisional and actual indirect rates.
• Develop, maintain, and independently analyze financial schedules, models, forecasts, and supporting data to evaluate budget performance, cost trends, funding requirements, indirect cost recovery, and projected financial results.
• Perform monthly analysis of indirect cost recovery at provisional rates; identify and investigate significant trends and variances, assess potential financial impacts, and develop clear explanations and recommendations for management.
• Monitor financial performance against budget and forecast, proactively identifying emerging issues, risks, or inconsistencies requiring management attention.
• Prepare and perform quality review of financial reports, schedules, and analyses for submission to DOE and other stakeholders.
• Serve as a key contributor to the annual Incurred Cost Submission, supporting preparation, reconciliation, analysis, and validation of financial data and supporting schedules.
• Provide advanced analytical and financial support to the Associate Budget Director and Deputy Chief Financial Officer, including independently researching and responding to complex or time-sensitive DOE and management data calls.
• Interpret financial results and translate complex financial data into clear, concise and meaningful information for Budget Office leadership and other stakeholders.

Oracle ERP System – Funding, Data & Report Validation, Project/Award Setup and Budget Office Functions (30%)

• Serve as a senior Budget Office resource for Oracle ERP activities, applying in-depth knowledge of financial processes, system functionality, and underlying accounting and funding relationships.
• Independently establish and maintain projects and awards and execute complex financial system updates, including cost allocation tables and other Budget Office-controlled financial data.
• Manage monthly project funding updates as funding is received; reconcile and validate system funding against DOE and other authoritative funding records and independently research and resolve discrepancies.
• Perform detailed validation of indirect and allocated cost calculations; identify anomalous results, determine root causes, assess financial impacts, and coordinate resolution of system, data, or process issues.
• Execute and independently validate assigned month-end and year-end Budget Office close activities, including reconciliations and review of financial results for completeness and accuracy.
• Analyze system-generated financial data and reports for integrity and consistency and identify opportunities to strengthen controls, reporting, and operational efficiency.
• Serve as a key Budget Office participant in testing system enhancements, upgrades, configuration changes, and defect corrections.
• Provide subject-matter guidance to Budget Office staff and other stakeholders regarding Budget Office processes and the appropriate use and interpretation of Oracle financial data.

Other Responsibilities (15%)

• Provide financial and analytical support to Principal Investigators in the development and submission of proposals to DOE and other sponsors.
• Support internal and external audits by independently preparing analyses, reconciliations, schedules, and supporting documentation; research and respond to auditor inquiries.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance Budget Office procedures, desktop instructions, analytical tools, and documentation to strengthen consistency, internal controls, knowledge transfer, and operational effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to automate, streamline, and improve financial analysis, reporting, data validation, and Budget Office processes.
• Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to less-experienced analysts and serve as a resource for complex financial, system, and process questions.
• Lead or independently execute special projects and complex financial analyses as assigned by Budget Office leadership.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Mathematics or similar field; 5-8 years' of progressively responsible experience working in a budgeting/accounting environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Experience with Oracle financials, including PPM and EPM cloud a plus.
• Experience with DOE financial management, federal contracting, indirect costs, or government cost accounting, preferred.
• Experience in the development and maintenance of complex financial spreadsheets.
• Experience using artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, or automation tools to support financial analysis, forecasting, reporting, data validation, or process improvement.
• Knowledge of Cost Accounting Standards and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills; ability to explain and quantify the impact of alternative decisions/scenarios to address business issues.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple assignments.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of personnel, both internal and external to the Laboratory.
• Ability to independently research, interpret, analyze, and compile data, and present results.
• Ability to work well under pressure and successfully meet deadlines/deliverables working outside normal hours as needed.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint; and Google Workspace applications.