Budget Analyst: The Most Important Job You’ve Never Heard Of
On my first day of Public Budgeting class at the Maxwell School, our professor asked the class, “How many of you think you will get jobs as budget analysts after graduation?” Out of 100 MPA students, only a few raised their hands. I was not one of them. In response, the professor said, “In fact, most of you will become budget analysts or will depend on one!” One year later, I began my career as a budget analyst in the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget.
Back in grad school, I thought budget analysts must be some kind of government accountant, and that it couldn’t be for me. I wanted to work on programs and public policy! As I took additional public finance courses, I found I had an unexpected knack for it. I learned that the realm of programs and policy all trace back to where the money comes from, and budget analysts help elected officials decide where the money goes!
When I started as a budget analyst for New Jersey during the Great Recession, I quickly realized my work had a big impact. Unlike the federal government, state and local governments can’t run budget deficits. Rather than funding exciting new policy agendas, I started my career scouring my assigned departments for cost savings and slashing programs to help find billions of dollars to balance the budget. But I realized that the better my analysis, the more accurate my projections, the more savings options I found, the less draconian the cuts needed to be. How much funding would go to schools? Who would receive what level of public benefits? How many public employees would deliver what level of services? Even an entry-level state budget analyst’s work can affect millions of real people’s lives.
For nearly 20 years, I’ve been a budget analyst and mentored dozens more. What makes a great budget analyst? They need to have quantitative skills for sure. They can’t be scared of spreadsheets. We love spreadsheets! But a great budget analyst is more than a math whiz. They are naturally curious. They are resourceful. They are voracious information consumers. They read everything. They know how to talk to people. They are empathic. They are good writers. They know how to explain big, complicated things in succinct but compelling tables, graphs, and narratives. When it’s time for production of the budget book, they morph into editors and publishers. They are not afraid of uncertainty. They are honest about their assumptions and limitations. They learn from past mistakes.
When the policy team or agency director makes their passionate pitch for a new program or expansion, budget analysts deliver the sobering reality of what it costs and ask questions like, “But is that feasible to implement over the next year? Can we start with something smaller? What outcomes will it achieve? Is it the most cost-effective way to achieve them? Does it reflect the highest priorities of our elected officials and the public?” But a budget analyst’s job isn’t simply to say “no” to budget requests. They are problem solvers. They find more options. They provide expert unbiased advice to elected officials who are short on time and need to make informed decisions and tough choices. A budget analyst’s recommendations carry weight. More often than not, elected officials approve those recommendations without doubt. Budget analysts are among the most influential and trusted bureaucrats in government. They work in a political environment but are not political. They provide vital continuity when political leadership changes hands. The budget is the one thing all elected officials must finish every year. Even Congress!
I’ve always found it hard to capture my career experience in a single relatable description. There are so many dimensions to the work. Throughout the annual budget cycle, you are doing or learning something new every day. You never get bored! There is always a way to fill your day. You live in three fiscal years at once. We finish a budget every year, but the work continues. For years, when family friends would ask my mom what I do for a living. She would always say “some kind of government accountant.” Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from my accountant friends. How to read a balance sheet. When we recognize revenues. Why we still have all these encumbrances. Which fund balances are available to spend. All the GASBs! But my favorite was when one once said, “We each have our roles. We’re accountants. We record and report what happened. You’re budget analysts. You imagine what could be.”