Behavioral Health Finance Analyst (WMS2/FS)

About the role

The Fiscal Information and Data Analyst (FIDA) role offers a high-impact, non-supervisory position managing a $2.6 billion behavioral health budget. Ideal for analytical professionals, it provides influence over Medicaid rate setting, legislative processes, and AI/AN programs while working directly with executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple high priority assignments and resources concurrently, taking initiative to resolve problems or recommend alternative approaches when appropriate.
• Work closely with outside agencies and other external staff on many regular as well as ad hoc tasks, primarily receiving and requesting information and analysis.
• Provide expert financial level budget, program and system planning and analysis for the Statewide Behavioral Health programs for the community mental health and substance use disorder budgets based on policies set at the Executive level.
• Create and use complex databases, spreadsheets, tables, graphs, and tracking systems including Agency Financial Reporting System (AFRS), Enterprise Reporting (ER) and ad hoc tools like Web Intelligence (Webl) to extract, summarize and evaluate fiscal data.
• Prepare and manage biennial and supplemental budgets for the assigned programs for the Statewide Behavioral Health program populations to provide community mental health and substance use disorders services, on behalf of the Agency.
• Develop and update the financial models prepared in a complex multi-system environment and reconcile the data used for budget requests and fiscal notes periodically to ensure they are always up to date.
• Monitor and analyze Agency expenditures for the Behavioral Health programs. Compare the same to relevant budgets, forecasts, and projections to ensure that the Agency operates within its budgetary allotments.

Qualifications

• Required qualifications:
  • Option 1: Bachelor's degree in public administration, healthcare administration, finance, accounting, business or related fields.
  • Option 2: Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Option 3: Seven (7) years of professional experience working with large, complex financial systems/information.
• Required competencies:
  • The ability to take action to learn and grow.
  • The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.
  • Analytic & Technical Skills - Expert/advanced level skill with Microsoft Excel and working knowledge of designing complex modeling, structuring and ad-hoc data for use in pivot tables, and composing nested formulas.
  • Ability to creatively use resources to create and document work processes and analytical tools.
  • Working knowledge of analytical query protocols/software such as SQL.
  • Ability to analyze financial data, identify data needs, develop problem solving strategies, support ideas using financial data as evidence, develop goals and priorities, and establish benchmarks.
  • Ability to analyze and research the differences among budgeted and forecasted expenditures and actual expenditures and effectively communicate the reason for the differences.
  • Analytical skills for financial research and modeling in complex multi-system environment.
  • Communication Skills - Effective verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to translate complex financial/analytical information for non-financial/analytical audiences.
  • Experience communicating with an array of audiences, ranging from staff with little financial background to elected government officials and federal auditors.
  • Ability to coordinate and build consensus among internal/external stakeholders toward the development of department and legislative initiatives.
  • Ability to develop and review complex written materials and provide detailed policy analysis.
• Preferred qualifications:
  • Two (2) or more years of experience querying or managing financial data, financial standards and program requirements.
  • Four (4) or more years of experience in the development of financial modeling, financial program management, monitoring and reporting.
  • Seven (7) years of experience working in the financial field.
  • Experience working with the Washington State Agency Financial Reporting System (AFRS) data.
  • Experience contributing to decision packages and fiscal notes.
  • Knowledge of protocols/processes of the executive/legislative branches of state government.
  • Knowledge of Provider One System.
  • Experience with the Washington State Budget Development System (BDS).
  • Experience working with the federal government.
  • Familiarity with State and Federal laws, rules, and regulations that impact/govern the State’s Medicaid, CHIP, and state funded health programs.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you will need to complete your profile which includes three professional references and attach in separate files:

• A cover letter that specifically addresses how you meet the qualifications for this position
• Your current resume

To take advantage of veteran preference, please do the following:

• Attach a copy of your DD214 (Member 4 long-form copy), NGB 22, or USDVA signed verification of service letter.
• Please black out any PII (personally identifiable information) data such as social security numbers. Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.