Budget and Finance Specialist II

About Seattle Center: Seattle Center is the region's premier civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our city and region, home to more than 30 arts, cultural, and entertainment organizations, family attractions, and tourist amenities. Our mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. As a department of the City of Seattle, Seattle Center contributes to the quality of life for Seattle residents—and the region's economy and image as its top visitor destination.In 2023 Seattle Center expanded its role to serve as the City’s lead department for operating Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center has built a Waterfront Operations team providing maintenance, public safety and strategic planning and oversight for the operations of the new waterfront, leveraging Seattle Center’s experience successfully managing public space. Seattle Center is working in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which is responsible to provide a range of recreational and cultural programming to the community in the new Waterfront Park. In our first year we have grown Seattle Center’s team by 20% to meet this new opportunity, building out a unified team to support both Seattle Center and the new Waterfront Park. That team will continue to grow in to be ready for the park’s completion in 2025.About this position:Seattle Center is seeking qualified candidates for a Budget Manager position. The Budget Manager provides fiscal oversight of the department’s Operating and Capital Improvement budgets and ensures fiscal strategies, controls and policies are implemented consistently. The Budget Manager also ensures revenue sources are correctly tracked, and the biennial budget is accurately prepared, monitored, and balanced. The Budget Unit provides financial analysis, budgeting, reporting, and revenue and expense forecasting to support Seattle Center operations.We are looking for a leader with fiscal management and budgeting expertise to support the department. Seattle Center has a complex business model with a wide variety of revenue streams, blending governmental, entrepreneurial, and not-for-profit activities with a focus on entertainment. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to overall strategic budget planning for Seattle Center. This position reports to the Director of Finance and Administration.This position will remain open until filled; we will review applications on August 23, 2024. To be considered, please submit an application on or before August 23, 2024. If your application isn't received by this date, it may not be considered. The department reserves the right to make a hire any time after the initial screening date.To be successful in this role, you have demonstrated abilities in:• Preparing and monitoring a large and complex operating and capital improvement budget that informs and ensures fiscal accountability• Performing complex fiscal and policy analysis• Developing recommendations and strategies related to fiscal and budgeting policies that directly impact the department's ability to effectively fund and support various programs• Tracking and forecasting department revenue and expenditures, bringing anomalies to the attention of program managers and division directors• Researching and reporting on use of grant funds and ensuring compliance with grant requirements• Developing and implementing a budget development work plan, including revenue, expense, and staffing budget adjustments• Presenting financial information to a variety of audiences• Operating budgeting software and expertise with data querying tools• Working closely with accounting data to develop and interpret coding structures and develop reports• Leading, coaching and developing employees to improve efficiencies and assure quality performanceTo be effective in this job:• You enjoy strategizing and leading the transformation of business processes in partnership with other stakeholders such as managers, employees, and the RSJ Change Team• You are interested in assessing and resolving complex business, technical and operational issues• You have excellent research, evaluation, and technical skills with the ability to craft and present reports and materials consisting of complex technical information to a wide variety of audiences, including non-technical staff• You are collaborative and appreciate the value of creating and maintaining relationships You have an excellent track record of accuracy in your work• You like a varied work environment with multiple deadlines that involves completion of significant projects and regularly advising, presenting, and defending financial policy recommendations• You would take pride in successfully managing the full range of day-to-day budget operations for a purpose-driven organization, with a 2-person teamMinimum Qualifications:Education:• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Accounting, or similar field.Experience:• Experience of three or more years of demonstrated expertise in complex budgeting and financial preparation and analysis skills, and a working knowledge of business systems substitute for degree requirements.OR: An equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the position duties.Though not requirements, strong candidates will have some of the following experience or are able to describe comparable experience:• An advanced degree or certification in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Accounting• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to analyze large data sets, determine the most salient information resulting from the analysis and create presentation tools that convey results in an easy-to-follow format• Advanced technical skill level in Microsoft Office applications, specifically MS Excel and MS Word• Previous experience with Questica, or other similar budget software• Highly effective communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences• Strong customer service skills• Excellent organizational skills, ability to respond to unanticipated requests, prioritize work, and meet tight deadlines• Proven people skills, ability to build trust and convey big ideas to both experts and laypeople.• Effectively work in a multi-cultural workplace with a diverse customer baseHow to Apply: This position will remain open until filled; we will review applications on August 23, 2024. To be considered, please submit an application on or before August 23, 2024. If your application isn't received by this date, it may not be considered. The department reserves the right to make a hire any time after the initial screening date.The full salary range for this position is $48.19 - $72.23 per hour.Submit the following items to be considered for this position:• Completed NEOGOV online application.• Supplemental questionnaire responses.• Cover letter describing how your skills and experience align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications.• Current résumé indicating relevant experience and education.Your application may be rejected if these items are missing or incomplete. Note, simply providing a cover letter and résumé is not a substitute for completing the application itself.IMPORTANT NOTE: To align with our commitment to equity and the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative, Seattle Center is collecting cover letters and resumes without personal identifiers to achieve a blind screening process.The work is performed in an office environment. Hybrid work arrangements will be considered, but the budget office is open to the public during regular work hours and some in-person work will be required.Background Check - This position involves background check of conviction and arrest records in compliance with Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17. Applicants will be provided with an opportunity to explain or correct background information.Why work at the City?The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our perspectives and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in dismantling racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and create and provide equitable processes and services. Seattle Office of Civil Rights)The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and covered family-members/most employees-plansFor helpful tips on the application process and recruitment process: Working at the City - Human Resources | seattle.gov