With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and opportunities in more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in the United States and one of the largest employers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. As an employer, the City of Philadelphia operates through the guiding principles of service, integrity, respect, accountability, collaboration, diversity and inclusion. Through these principles, we strive to effectively deliver services, to resolve the challenges facing our city, and to make Philadelphia a place where all of our residents have the opportunity to reach their potential. 

Agency Description

The Office of Director of Finance was created by the Home Rule Charter to give the Mayor and the City government a principal officer responsible for the financial, accounting, and budgeting functions of the executive branch. The Director of Finance is thus the chief financial officer of the City and all powers and duties concerning finances, accounting, and budgeting in the executive branch are directly or indirectly the Director's. The Office of Budget and Program Evaluation performs budgetary functions for the City, including preparing and monitoring the annual operating and capital budgets for the City, providing periodic projections of the year end fund balance for the operating funds for the City, preparing the City's five-year financial and strategic plan including financial and economic forecasts and assumptions, as well as other budgetary reports as required. The office also prepares and monitors appropriations legislation and reviews and analyzes City spending and project requests, as relevant.

The Office of Budget and Program Evaluation is looking to recruit a skilled and experienced Deputy Budget Director for Analysis & Communications. This position will report directly to the Budget Director and oversee a staff of two. 

The Deputy Budget Director for Analysis & Communications will be an accomplished data analysis and communications professional with writing, editing, analytic, and strategic skills to ensure the Budget Office’s work continues to be the highest quality and is understood by and actionable for key stakeholders including policymakers and city management leadership, as well as the public. Proven staff management skills and a commitment to mentoring are necessary. Along with your team, you’ll be evaluating policies, crunching the numbers, and then designing and delivering compelling materials to clearly convey your findings.

The ideal candidate will be skilled at strategically identifying and designing critical analysis projects, directing analytics, and generating and conveying insightful recommendations across a broad set of policy areas. Blending hard quantitative skills to enable data-driven decision making with data visualization and communications chops to ensure information and decisions are clearly conveyed, plus the savvy to work in a political environment and navigating a large bureaucracy is essential. The Deputy will be adept at handling complex and multiple responsibilities simultaneously—mixing long-term projects with urgent immediate responses to time-sensitive issues.
 

The Budget Office will publish many reports, policy briefs, blog entries, testimony, and op-eds annually, including the annual Five-Year Financial and Strategic Plan and Quarterly City Manager’s Reports. Many deliverables include plans for improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of governmental activities, including public safety, education, affordable housing, economic development, and tax policy. Advocacy for those initiatives may include op-eds, media interviews, testimony at public hearings, and panel discussions and the Deputy Budget Director will be responsible for the content, design, and delivery of many of those products, in collaboration with other city agencies including the Office of the Finance Director, Mayor’s Office, Press Office, and operating departments.

The Deputy must be a proactive strategic thinker, planner, problem solver and executer who shares the Administration’s commitment to maintaining the long-term fiscal health of the City while addressing immediate service needs of Philadelphians and achieving the long-term policy goals of the Mayor and the Mayor’s team. The Deputy must have excellent communication skills and be able to articulate clearly Budget’s objectives and decisions to the business, government, and nonprofit communities, as well as to media and the public. S/he must be able to work closely and collegially with the staff inside and outside the Budget Office. The Deputy must possess the skills to collaborate with and achieve actionable results through others, supervise and mentor staff, build strong and sustainable relationships, and interact within all levels of city government. He or she must have the demonstrated ability to deal with confidential information and act as a liaison between the organization and other constituencies, particularly high- and mid-level government professional and technical staff.
 

Essential Functions

Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Coordinating the content and design of the City’s Five Year Financial and Strategic Plan and other routine and ad hoc reports and analyses.
• Developing and executing a communications plan for messaging to multiple audiences around budgetary and policy issues
• Leading the collection, analysis, and presentation of budgetary and performance data, particularly for inter-departmental initiatives or issue areas (ex. expenditures and outcomes related to poverty or violence prevention).
• Monitoring, analyzing, and responding to legislation and budgetary proposals and requests, particularly during the annual budget process.

Qualifications (Education and Experience)

• Minimum of five years working in government, budget, or financial analysis and communications
• Minimum of two years managing staff or contractors
• Bachelor’s degree required. Masters in economics, City Planning, Data Science, Business Administration, Government Administration, Public Policy, or related field preferred.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Data-oriented personality with a commitment to user engagement and human-centered design
• Data analysis skills, including proficiency with software such as Access, R, or SPSS
• Design and data visualization skills, particularly for infographics of financial data and geographic mapping and presentation
• Demonstrated experience in fiscal, policy, and operational impact analysis
• Exemplary written, verbal, and data visualization communication skills
• Strong organizational and staff management skills
• Effective collaborator that works well with others
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences, including senior government officials
• Self-motivated, with the ability to work with minimal supervision
• Proficient in Google Docs, Microsoft Office Suite, and Adobe Creative Suite
• Bi- or multi-lingual preferred

Salary: $95 –110 k

What We Offer:

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• A wellness program that offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options

Successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected]. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx

#LI-OHR