BUDGET DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Budget Development Officer

The Department of Financial Management is seeking a highly qualified and experienced professional for the position of Budget Development Officer. Appointment to this position is expected to be at or below the midpoint of $147,916.861 of the salary range, however, the final amount will be carefully determined based on the candidate's knowledge, skills, qualifications, and an evaluation of internal equity within the organization.

The City of Long Beach, California (population 470,000) is ideally located on the Pacific Ocean south of Los Angeles, adjacent to Orange County. Long Beach is home to an abundance of cultural and recreational options. The Long Beach Convention Center, Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, and the annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, plus a wide variety of other attractions (two historic ranchos, three marinas, and five golf courses), serve to draw 6.5 million visitors a year. The City is also home to California State University, Long Beach and Long Beach City College. Cal State Long Beach is the second largest university in the state and was recently ranked the No. 3 best-value public college in the nation. Serving the K-12 student population, the Long Beach Unified School District consistently ranks among the Top 10 urban school districts in the country. Covering approximately 50 square miles, Long Beach is supported by a wide mix of industries with education, health and social services, manufacturing, retail trade, and professional services comprising the highest representation. Long Beach was named by America's Promise Alliance as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People two years in a row. While it offers all the amenities of a large metropolis, many say Long Beach offers the added benefit of having maintained a strong sense of community and cohesiveness despite its growth. Long Beach is the seventh largest city in California and has been referred to as the "most diverse city" in the country by USA Today. A superb climate, quality schools, a vibrant downtown, and a wide variety of neighborhoods help make Long Beach one of the most livable communities in the country.

Long Beach, a charter city formed in 1897, is governed by nine City Council members elected by district and a city-wide elected Mayor. Other elected officials include the City Attorney, City Auditor, and City Prosecutor. The elected officials are elected to staggered four-year terms. The City Council appoints the City Manager, City Clerk, and Director of Police Oversight. The City Manager is responsible for the efficient administration of all City departments, excluding those under direction of a separately elected official, Board, or Commission. Long Beach is one of only three cities in California with its own Health Department and one of the very few municipalities with its own Utilities (Water and Gas) and Energy Resources Departments. The City is supported by a FY 2025 total budget of $3.6 billion with a General Fund budget of $752 million. More than 6,000 full- and part-time employees support municipal operations with the majority being represented by eleven recognized employee associations.

The Department of Financial Management, with 272 authorized permanent positions, oversees the City's financial and fleet services operations (each constituting about half of the department's employees) and serves as a financial adviser to the City Manager and City Council. The Department is organized into the following bureaus: Administration, City Controller/Accounting, Budget Management, Business Services, Commercial Services, Fleet Services, and City Treasurer. The Department's mission is to help the City Manager, Mayor and City Council keep the City financially strong, and to provide high quality fleet operations. The Department has an informal/relaxed personable work environment, but one expecting high productivity, dedication with integrity, and the best interests of the City always in mind. The City's Hybrid Work Program allows many Department employees, including this position, to work remotely.

The Budget Development Officer is an at-will management position that reports to the Manager of the Budget Management Bureau. The Budget Management Bureau is a high-performing, engaging, and collaborative team environment. This position leads the coordination and implementation of the City's annual budget development process, including the development of procedures, schedules, and instructions. The successful applicant will strategically oversee all internal review and budget decision meetings. As part of the budget process, this will include the management of budget proposal entries into the budget system, the development and production of the City's proposed budget book. In partnership with the Budget Manager, this position will coordinate budget-related public hearings and presentations, the coordination of the Budget Oversight Committee meetings, and follow-up responses. The Budget Development Officer will manage all documentation and ordinances needed for the Council to adopt the annual budget as well as manage validation of entries into the system for changes to lead to the development of the final adopted budget book. This Officer will provide significant oversight and guidance for the various financial systems (BPREP, Munis) and the development and maintenance of the reporting interface for departments (Simpler Reporting).

As a core member of the Budget Management Bureau leadership team, the position will not only be responsible for day-to-day duties as assigned but is expected to be an active and engaged participant in robust and lively discussions regarding City issues and concerns, often providing insight and offering ideas for areas of improvement to processes, policies, and overall Citywide strategies as it relates to budget. Finally, the position will not only directly supervise Budget Management Bureau staff across various functions but will also provide consistent support to grow and develop the capabilities of budget staff.

The ideal candidate will have strong problem-solving and interpersonal/communication skills to navigate through political and practical citywide issues and challenges, as well as be a self-starter with strong critical and analytical abilities. As part of the leadership team, the Officer will serve as a key resource to support budget staff and departments as they navigate various budget processes and special projects throughout the year. The ideal candidate will work to create a sense of trust, effective communication, and foster strong team dynamics through building strong employee morale.

Examples Of Duties

• Manage the Base Budget process, the start of the budget development cycle, which involves working with payroll and city consultants to establish the proper starting point in BPREP for the personnel records.
• Develop proposed budget strategy, procedures, and instructions to distribute to the department and Budget Staff.
• Manage and coordinate meetings for the citywide personnel, benefits, and other centralized cost updates (i.e. paid time off, health care, insurance, interdepartmental charges, etc.).
• Establish the process to analyze department budget proposals and coordinate proposed budget decision-making meetings and strategic approach with the City Manager Executive Team.
• Coordinate, analyze, and validate the City's interdepartmental MOUs and its impact on current and proposed budget.
• Validate information entered into the budget system throughout budget development process to ensure accurate entry and tying it to the budgeting system.
• Manage the legacy financial system BPREP, for entry and tracking of various points of the budget process and development and ongoing maintenance of reporting interface for departments known as Simpler.
• Engage as the liaison with the Technology and Innovation Department and city consultants to oversee and make decisions on all aspects of Munis as it relates to budget management work and other technical systems.
• Work closely with Human Resources staff to continue the maintenance and discussions on Position Control, while participating in extensive discussions on various new process changes to keep Position Control relevant.
• Manage and support special analysis needed for out-year forecasting, including the City's pension costs.
• Provide support and facilitation of various reports/presentations, including the coordination of departmental budget hearings, and City Council and Budget Oversight Committee presentations.
• Directly supervise budget staff assigned to the position, as well as guide other staff on relevant analysis and projects.
• Review Council letter fiscal impacts to ensure content is politically sensitive, accurate, and comprehensive.
• Oversee highly complex special projects.
• Develop the capabilities of budget staff.
• Work closely with City staff across all levels of the organization, including department and executive management.
• Develop and conduct training on various budget topics such as, but not limited to: BPREP system, BEAR database, Position Control.
• Create and make presentations to City Council, commissions, and committees when appropriate.
• Represent the Budget Manager and the Director of Financial Management at various public and interdepartmental meetings dealing with critical City issues and concerns.
• May assume primary responsibility for one or more department budgets.

Requirements To File

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Accounting, Finance, or related field (Proof of education is required at time of submission).

Experience: Three years of increasingly responsible experience performing budget development or finance duties in the related field: collecting, compiling, and analyzing financial, statistical, and technical data. Must have at least one year of supervisory or managerial level experience in the related field.

Desirable Qualifications: Three years of experience working effectively with senior management, in the public sector, elected