June 28, 2011

Hot Job: Budget analyst

• 1 Comment |
• E-mail |
• Print
• • Share:
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Tesia Forbes is a budget analyst with the King County Executive Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget.

The job: Budget analysts help organizations allocate their financial resources. They develop, analyze and execute budgets, as well as estimate future financial needs. Analysts also seek new ways to improve efficiency or increase profits.

A Seattleite at work: Tesia Forbes says that working with smart, talented people on a wide range of policy issues -- from ferries and parks to housing and criminal justice -- is what she likes about her job as budget analyst with King County. “I’ve always loved math and puzzles and this job provides an endless supply of complex puzzles,” says Forbes, who has master’s degrees in both public policy and urban planning.

The amount of time and energy that goes into developing a single year’s budget is a surprising part of the job, says Forbes.

“We receive budget proposals in June and the county council passes the annual budget just before Thanksgiving,” she says. “Budget analysts spend the months in between reviewing agency proposals, making recommendations and aligning the budget to the county’s strategic plan.”

Outlook: Employment of budget analysts is expected to increase 15 percent over the 2008-18 decade, faster than the average for all occupations.

Pay: The 2,130 budget analysts in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area earned a median wage of $69,530 in 2009.

Training: A bachelor’s degree is required; many employers also require a master’s degree.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, NWjobs staff

Is your pay competitive? Find out by using our Salary Wizard.

• 1 Comment |
• E-mail |
• Print
• • Share:
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Read more
Resumes and Job Hunt, featured, finance

1 Comments

georgia on July 3, 2011 5:35 PM | Reply

How many opening are there in the Seattle area? I have a BS in Finance with a minor in engineering and 15 years of IT experience and can't find a job.

Leave a comment

* required field

Your name: *

E-mail address: (Will not be displayed)

Your comment: *

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.