Business Planning Analyst Journey

To provide value-added financial and technical analysis, consultation, reporting and assistance to client organizations to drive effective planning, budget and work process management practices, and timely business decisions.

This classification is comprised of two levels: Level "E" is the entry-level where incumbents are provided formal training for progression to the journey-level of the classification. The incumbent is promoted/progressed to the journey level "J" upon successful completion of all training requirements and meeting performance standards for the classification. Incumbents hired at the entry-level are required to successfully progress to the journey-level within 18 to 60 months, depending on the length of the training and meeting performance standards. If an employee is unsuccessful with progressing to the journey-level they will return to last class held or separate from SMUD.

• Partners closely with assigned client organizations to develop work plans, resource requirements and budgets, and work performance measures for SMUD core work and services, programs, projects, and overhead expenditures.
• Analyzes, evaluates, and reports on budget and work performance; accurately measures plan to work completed and actual cost, and fully determines drivers and causes of work and financial variances; provides value added recommendations to budget and work process owners for effective planning and work performance management.
• Proactively seeks to understand business unit/area dynamics, including business drivers, challenges, constraints, and opportunities to enable high-value consultation and assistance for planning, budget and work process management.
• Translates financial and work performance data into value-added information and presents to enlighten and persuade decision makers.
• Prepares budget and work performance management reports; determines the materiality of variances to formally report and discusses with budget and work process owners; identifies resource constraints and variance and provides exception monitoring.
• Researches and develops budget expenditure forecasts using a well-developed knowledge of the client organization's operations and dynamics in combination with statistical tools and methods, such as trend analysis, and seasonal fluctuation patterns. Partners closely with internal clients to develop, finalize and report on forecast projections.
• Develops cost-benefit analyses, including identifying relevant costs, resource requirements and optimization for decisions at hand; performs scenario analysis with most likely outcome(s) identified
• Reports monthly/quarterly financial data to internal stakeholders
• Utilizes software tools, such as Excel, SAP, BPC, Power BI and enterprise data warehouse at a high level of proficiency to analyze and forecast financial and work performance, and provides value-added recommendations and support; extracts performance data and calculates metrics from SAP and other tools such as data warehouse, and compares to target.
• Collaborates and partners effectively with budget and work process owners, and planning staff; proactively informs key partners and stakeholders of urgent issues and concerns.
• Complies with enterprise level reporting requirements and data requests; applies critical thinking: deduction, inference, logic and reasoning to develop evaluations and recommendations
• Performs other related work as assigned.

BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university majoring in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance or Economics; equivalent experience and/or education may be substituted.

Three (3+) or more years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in analysis and evaluation of administrative and business systems, planning and performing management reporting, accounting or financial analysis and reporting and/or information management, personnel administration and/or organizational evaluation and management.

Techniques and practices of financial accounting principles and practices such as accruals and capitalization policies; cost accounting concepts such as unit cost or cost/quantity variance; data aggregation; principles of performance measures development, application, planning and evaluation; terminology and business segment planning processes, work management and managerial reporting systems; critical thinking; consultative skills and interpersonal communication skills; strong organizational skills and systems to ensure work is completed accurately; principles and practices of budget preparation and administration; principles and procedures of record keeping document management; principles of business writing and basic report preparation; mathematical principles; office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint; English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Analyze complex issues and develop/implement resolution alternatives; analyze procedures/systems and develop/implement operational improvements; analyze situations, documents and data for conformance to established policy and procedures; gather data from appropriate sources and identify relevant factors; interpret, clarify, understand and analyze verbal/written information and ideas; compile and prepare technical, statistical and/or analytical reports and presentations; independently prepare a variety of correspondence, presentations and memoranda; compile data, maintain records and files, and prepare administrative or technical reports; develop and implement new and revised policies and procedures to provide for the effective operation of the area of responsibility; develop, implement and maintain work procedures; plan, organize, prioritize and schedule projects; assist in budget preparation and administration; operate office equipment including computers and supporting Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint; interpret and apply administrative and departmental policies and procedures; communicate effectively orally and in writing internally/externally; establish and maintain effective working relationships internally/externally.

• Proficient with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
• Very strong in Excel, with demonstrated ability to perform data analysis and complex formulas using Excel
• Experience with accounting, variance reporting, accruals, cost review and data analysis
• Experience using budget software to produce and analyze budgets
• Experience using a large ERP system such as SAP or similar
• Experience using dashboard reports and reporting tools such as Power BI
• Experience developing, planning and reporting on multi- year operational budgets, including labor and non-labor elements
• Experience analyzing spending trends and drafting variance comments/explanations
• Experience generating monthly actual performance reports
• Experience effectively communicating data and financial performance/results
• Proven ability to effectively manage relationships and gather data from a diverse and extensive range of stakeholders