Senior Budget Officer

Role Responsibilities

Are you looking for an opportunity to put your financial planning and analytical skills to work? Do you thrive in a high-pace, innovative focused environment? The Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services is looking for a Senior Budget Officer to join their team!

Reporting to the Manager, Financial Planning, this position performs all work within the parameters of relevant legislation, policies, guidelines, business practices and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The position also facilitates and fosters an effective, efficient financial team environment and will report to the Director of Financial Planning on associated duties.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Prepare financial information and variance analyses for Ministry Executive Committee, including identification of major cost pressures, funding options and overall opportunities and risks facing the Ministry. Support the preparation of Budget submission to Treasury Board based on Executive Committee decisions.
• Review forecast submissions compiled by Budget Analysts for accuracy and completeness, conformance with guidelines, and justification of requests.
• Liaise with Ministry representatives to ensure appropriate understanding and application of planning and financial reporting processes and procedures, including impacts of results-based budgeting processes.
• Prepare Ministerial correspondence to Treasury Board and Finance when submitting Budget and Quarterly Update information and funding requests and supporting the Communications branch in ensuring accurate presentation of budget and forecast briefings for legislative sessions and committees.
• Oversee provision of training to business areas to ensure expenditure officer responsibilities for budget preparation, monitoring, and reporting are properly carried out.
• Respond to action requests and other enquiries and provides senior management with decision support by preparing correspondence, briefing notes, and financial reports.
• Provide input to development of Government budget preparation processes and supports development and monitoring of financial processes and policies relating to business practices.
• Compile and consolidate Ministry’s annual expense and revenue budgets and three-year fiscal targets, including briefing materials and presentations for use by the Minister and Deputy Minister at Cabinet, Standing Policy Committee, Treasury Board and Committee of Supply.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

Agility – You are able to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, maintain resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.

Drive for Results – You are able to determine what outcomes are important and maximize the use of resources to achieve results that are aligned with the goals of the organization, while maintaining accountability to each other and all stakeholders. 

Build Collaborative Environments – You lead and contribute to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.

Systems Thinking – Ability to consider the whole system and recognize links between everything from the complex network of global to departmental priorities. Set goals within the context of long-term outcomes and broad perspectives.

Develop Self and Others – Desire to invest in the development of the long-term capability of self and others

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.
 

Qualifications

Four-year university degree in a related field such as Business, Finance, Accounting, Commerce or Management plus four years related experience.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience which includes as a minimum, completion of a recognized applied accounting degree or diploma program.

Required:

• Knowledge of financial administration, monitoring, forecasting, costing and budgeting concepts.
• Experience in preparing and overseeing complex budget and forecast submissions within a large organization.
• Experience preparing briefing materials that translate financial data into meaningful information for decision makers.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office, including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience working with relevant financial information systems, reporting tools, and software (e.g., Excel, Power BI, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) / System Analysis Program (SAP) and ability to manipulate data sets.
• Experience in data management software or language (Business Intelligence Tools, SQL, VBA, Python, Tableau, Power BI)

Assets:

• Canadian professional accounting designation (CPA or legacy designation) or equivalent.
• Experience working in financial planning area within public sector (Federal, Provincial, Municipal) in the last five years
• Knowledge of government financial legislations, regulations and policies.
• Experience using Fiscal Amounts Tracking Sheet (FATS) and 1GX

A cover letter must accompany your application and should indicate how your previous work experience aligns to the qualifications and competencies required. Please provide clear examples of how you meet the criteria and skills required in your cover letter. Failure to provide a cover letter will lead to the application being screened out. Cover letter will be one of the ways to assess communication skills of candidates.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.
 

Notes

Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week
 

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.
 

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

What we offer:

• Working for the Alberta Public Service – https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) – https://www.pspp.ca
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information – https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits
• Professional learning and development – https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance
• Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement
• Leadership and mentorship programs