Budget Analysis

Budget work in 0560 splits into formulation, building and justifying the annual request, and execution, tracking obligations and expenditures against appropriations and reprogramming funds. Every agency needs this work, so the series appears across the government rather than concentrating in one place; recent employers have ranged from the National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation and Fish and Wildlife Service to the Veterans Health Administration, the Agricultural Marketing Service and National Guard units.

Recent listings have included budget analysts at a wide range of grades, lead and supervisory budget analysts, budget officers and supervisory budget officers, and the occasional temporary appointment that an agency notes may be extended or made permanent.

Applying tip: budget analyst qualifications are mostly experience based. Announcements ask for specialized experience in formulation or execution at the next lower grade, and at the lower grades education can substitute, so quote the appropriations, systems and dollar scale you have worked with rather than generic “financial management” phrasing. The GS pay scale guide explains how the grade in an announcement translates into pay.