Budget Research Analyst

Office of the New York City Comptroller; New York (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the New York City Comptroller is seeking an Assistant Budget Analyst to support the City’s budget analysis, reporting, and data products. The role focuses on publishing dashboards, maintaining databases, and monitoring agency spending to inform policy and decisions.

Ideal candidates have a BS/BA in a related field and 1+ years of data research or budget experience, with residency in New York City preferred. The position offers a path to impact fiscal policy and city services.

Responsibilities

• Create and publish data products, including reports, dashboards, charts and graphs, models, and databases regarding various aspects of the City’s budget.
• Update, maintain, and/or improve the Bureau’s existing databases, dashboards, analysis tools and reports
• Monitor New York City’s expense budget, with particular focus on assigned issue areas and agencies, including the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and the Department of Correction.
• Analyze technical budget documents and spending reports.
• Assist in writing assigned sections for Charter-mandated reports on the City’s budget, with a keen eye to potential risks and unaccounted for costs.
• Follow current events, policy, and legislative proposals and identify timely and salient issues for analysis and research.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the Budget Bureau, as well as other Bureaus within the Office. Engage with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other City agencies.
• Perform other related assignments and special projects as required.

Job description

The Office of the New York City Comptroller serves as the City's chief fiscal steward, working to promote the financial health, integrity, and effectiveness of New York City government, in order to strengthen trust, secure a thriving future for all New Yorkers, and build a more just, equitable, and resilient city. Led by an independently elected citywide official, the Comptroller’s Office provides checks and balances needed to hold City government accountable for budgeting wisely, investing responsibly, operating efficiently, acting fairly, living up to its obligations and promises, and paying attention to the long-term challenges we face together.

The Bureau of Budget evaluates New York City’s fiscal, cash, and economic position by analyzing revenue collections, expenditures, the capital program, and the condition of the local economy. The Bureau uses its charter-mandated responsibilities to promote transparency and accountability in financial reporting and budgeting. In addition to reviewing and commenting on the City’s Financial Plans and issuing reports on the City’s cash balances and debt capacity, the Bureau oversees an independent actuarial audit to review the assumptions underlying the City’s pension contributions. The Bureau also conducts regular assessments of the City’s economic outlook and revenue performance and strives to lead the dialogue on the City’s fiscal state through reliable and thought-provoking economic and budget research.

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Budget Oversight, the Budget Research Analyst will support both quick turnaround projects as well as longer term research, monitoring, and reporting on a variety of topics that impact the budget of the City of New York and promote transparency about City spending, revenues, and the fiscal impact of its policies.

Responsibilities

• Create and publish data products, including reports, dashboards, charts and graphs, models, and databases regarding various aspects of the City’s budget.
• Update, maintain, and/or improve the Bureau’s existing databases, dashboards, analysis tools and reports
• Monitor New York City’s expense budget, with particular focus on assigned issue areas and agencies, including the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and the Department of Correction.
• Analyze technical budget documents and spending reports.
• Assist in writing assigned sections for Charter-mandated reports on the City’s budget, with a keen eye to potential risks and unaccounted for costs.
• Follow current events, policy, and legislative proposals and identify timely and salient issues for analysis and research.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the Budget Bureau, as well as other Bureaus within the Office. Engage with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other City agencies.
• Perform other related assignments and special projects as required.

Qualification Requirements

• BS/BA degree in Economics, Finance, Accounting, Public Policy Analysis/Administration, or a closely related field and one (1) or more years of professional experience in data research and analysis, budgetary planning/management, financial analysis, public policy analysis, and/or administration in a government agency or non-profit organization; or,
• Combined education and/or experience equivalent to '1' above.

Note: All applicants are required to submit a cover letter with their application.

ASSISTANT BUDGET ANALYST (COMP - 06710

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college; or
• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and four years of full-time experience in budgetary planning, financial analysis, management or engineering.

Preferred Skills

• Ability to analyze and distill large data sets in Excel and/or other analytic programs and effectively communicate findings - Experience building, maintaining, and improving data pipelines and/or automated workflows using common data analysis languages (Python, R, SQL, etc.) - Experience documenting and structuring data processes and workflows so they can be maintained or transferred by others - Experience designing, developing, and maintaining dashboards or data projects for stakeholders with varying degrees of technical knowledge using common BI software (Power BI, Tableau, etc) - Knowledge of database management and engineering principles, such as relational database design, data normalization, and connecting to and querying server databases - Experience building novel and longitudinal datasets from disparate, non-standard, and/or multi-year source files (PDFs, PNGs, Web tables, etc.), including developing repeatable ETL processes for ongoing updates. - Experience using New York City’s Financial Management System (FMS) or other financial systems - Knowledge of and experience with publicly available government data - Strong interest in fiscal and public policy and desire to promote more effective and equitable government services and policies - Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills - Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills - Demonstrated ability to work independently or as part of a team and - Openness to learning new data tools and new subject matters is a must.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.