Fiscal And Program Policy Section Director

State of Connecticut - Office of Policy and Management; Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

State employee benefits overview

Professional growth opportunities

Healthy work/life balance

Job summary

The State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management is seeking a Fiscal and Program Policy Section Director focused on Economics and Revenue Forecasting in the Budget and Financial Management Division. You will lead budget analysts and shape revenue policy for the state budget, analyzing economic data and presenting findings to leadership and external stakeholders.

Based in Hartford, CT, this role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complex

Qualifications

• Ten years of professional experience in budget or financial management.
• Experience in public budgeting and financial policy development.
• Ability to analyze and interpret economic data.
• Experience with legislative processes.
• Strong Excel and statistical analysis capability.

Responsibilities

• Review, vet and make recommendations for revenue-related functions within the Budget and Financial Management Division.
• Develop financial policy for the state’s revenue projections used for the state budget.
• Analyze economic data affecting the state’s residents and the state budget.
• Lead staff supervision and training in the Revenue unit.
• Prepare materials for budget hearings and testimony.

Skills

Budget management

Financial management

Public budgeting

Interpersonal skills

Oral and written communications

Statistical analysis

Policy development

Education

Bachelor's degree in public administration, economics, finance, or related field

Master's degree may substitute for one additional year of experience

Tools

Excel

R

Job description

Introduction

The State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM) is accepting applications for qualified candidates to fill the position of Fiscal and Program Policy Section Director focused on Economics and Revenue Forecasting within the Budget and Financial Management Division. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a number of budget analysts responsible for significant budget matters related to state revenue policies.

The opportunity is available to current Office of Policy and Management employees.

Highlights

This is a full time position conveniently located in Hartford, CT, easily accessible to all major highways.

• LOCATION: Office of Policy and Management
• ADDRESS: 450 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT
• WORK HOURS: Full-time, first shift, 40 hours per week
• SCHEDULE: Monday through Friday

What We Can Continue To Offer You

• Our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees

The Role

In this position, you will have the opportunity to:

• Review, vet and make recommendations for revenue-related functions that fall within the Budget and Financial Management Division at OPM.
• Develop and recommend financial policy for the state in areas including but not limited to, General Fund fund revenue projections used for the state budget.
• Analyze and interpret economic data affecting the state’s residents and the state budget.
• Develop statistical targets and benchmarks.
• Develop the revenue plans for the state and review for statutory compliance to ensure they meet the Governor's capital policy goals.
• Consult with all state agencies on their budget requests that affect revenue collections.
• Work with staff within the Office of Policy and Management to ensure all revenue proposals are compliant with current law and meet statewide policy goals.
• Perform analysis of the state's overall financial position for inclusion in the General Obligation Bond Official Statements.
• Prepare and present financial and budgetary information to ratings agencies, bond underwriters, and bond attorneys.
• Prepare testimony and exhibits for legislative hearings, fact findings, and collective bargaining proceedings.
• Represent the Revenue unit at meetings with the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and policy/capital project discussions with the Governor.
• Represent the agency at legislative study committees.
• Provide advice and functional assistance to the Department of Revenue Services and other revenue-producing agencies in their submission of budget proposals to the automated budget system.
• Prepare materials for budget hearings and presentations.
• Provide training, direct workflow, and overall supervision to staff members and interns assigned to the Revenue unit.

The ideal candidate for this position will be organized, motivated, and possess a strong work ethic, as well as the ability to maintain working relationships with multiple stakeholders and the capacity to multi-task and adapt and navigate changing circumstances.

Selection Plan

In order to be considered for this job opening you must be a current State of CT employee of the agency listed above for at least six (6) months of full‑time service or full‑time equivalent service, absent any applicable collective bargaining language, and meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.

Purpose Of Job Class (Nature Of Work)

In the Office of Policy and Management, Budget and Financial Management Division this class is accountable for directing a fiscal and program policy section in administering statewide programs, policies and fiscal plans for the preparation and execution of the Governor's budget.

Examples Of Duties

• Assists the Executive Budget Officer in developing financial policy for the State;
• Develops, implements, and evaluates section policies, goals and objectives;
• Assists in maintenance and improvement of program budgeting;
• Supervises strategic analysis and program evaluation of assigned budget specialists;
• Coordinates electronic budgeting techniques and their interfacing with other statewide systems;
• Oversees long range forecasting and revenue projections;
• Consults with and advises agency executives on budgetary and financial matters;
• Represents section at briefings and hearings with Office of Policy and Management executives;
• Maintains liaison with legislative committees and sub-committees;
• Performs analysis of proposals relating to collective bargaining;
• Appears as an expert witness;
• Represents the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management at various boards and commissions as assigned;
• Leads the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
• Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skill And Ability

• Considerable knowledge of
• And ability to apply management principles and practices;
• Relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
• Organization and management including public administration, governmental budgeting, budgetary control, and governmental accounting;
• Considerable
• Interpersonal skills;
• Oral and written communications skills;
• Ability to analyze and evaluate complex statistical data.

Minimum Qualifications - General Experience

Ten (10) years of professional experience in budget management or financial management including budget responsibility.

NOTE: Professional experience in budget management is defined as principal responsibility for such aspects of budget as planning, preparation and administration. Professional experience in financial management is defined as principal responsibility for a combination of budget work and financial planning, accounting and/or financial analysis and reporting.

Minimum Qualifications - Special Experience

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been at the level of a Principal Budget Specialist or Fiscal Administrative Manager 2.

Minimum Qualifications - Substitutions Allowed

• College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
• A Master's degree in public administration, economics, finance, business or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in public budgeting;
• Experience developing financial public policy;
• Experience performing statistical analysis using programs such as Excel and the statistical programming language R;
• Experience working with the budgeted revenues;
• Experience working with economic data;
• Experience working with tax policies;
• Experience serving on legislative committees;
• Experience working with agency executives and legislative officials.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Acknowledgement

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.