Program Budget Manager

About the Role

The Program Budget Manager - Business Operations plays a critical role in strengthening the organization's financial planning, budget integrity, and resource allocation practices across all programs and regions. Reporting to the Associate Director of Operations, this position serves as a strategic partner to Finance, Operations, and Program leadership. This role is responsible for analyzing, validating, and optimizing budgets, improving time reporting and staffing allocations, and ensuring that funding is maximized and aligned with both internal and external funder requirements. The Budget Manager supports leadership by translating complex financial data into actionable insights, identifying risks and opportunities, and strengthening quality assurance across budgeting and allocation processes. This role requires strong leadership skills, attention to detail, and the ability to foster cross-departmental collaboration. This is a highly analytical, cross-functional role suited for someone who thrives at the intersection of budget construction, funder compliance, operational execution, and systems improvement.

Responsibilities

• Annual & Programmatic Budgeting:
  • Partner closely with department leads to support agencywide and program-level budgeting processes.
  • Review, analyze, and quality check budgets developed by program teams for alignment with funder budgets, internal assumptions, and approved cost structures.
  • Facilitate discussions and gather input from program directors to align budgeting practices with programmatic goals.
  • Work with stakeholders to standardize budgeting practices and implement tools and resources to streamline the budgeting process across all programs/regions.
  • Support mid‑year budget reviews and ongoing reforecasting by analyzing spending trends, burn rates, and variances.
  • Identify inconsistencies between internal budgets and funder budgets and support reconciliation and modification processes.
• Maximizing Funding & Resource Optimization:
  • Analyze grant and contract spending to identify underutilized funding, overages, or reallocation opportunities.
  • Support strategies to maximize funding utilization while maintaining compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
  • Cross-reference program spending using Intacct P&Ls and comparable programs to surface insights, risks, and potential corrective actions.
  • Provide analysis to leadership on staffing models, allocation strategies, and cost drivers that impact sustainability.
• Time Reporting & Staffing Allocation Analysis:
  • Lead initiatives to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the organization's time reporting system.
  • Coordinate with program directors to conduct quality assurance processes to track spending against available funding, optimizing use and preventing overages.
  • Provide guidance and training to staff on the updated reporting procedures.
  • Act as a point of contact for any time reporting issues affecting grant spenddown, use quarterly averages to forecast spending and accurately report efficient allocations to maximize grant funding.
• Cash Flow, Advances & Financial Structure (As Needed):
  • Support analysis related to contract structures involving advances, cost-reimbursement, and cashflow timing.
  • Assist leadership with financial modeling or analysis related to advance drawdowns, burn rates, and sustainability risks.
  • Provide analytic support for decisions involving complex funding structures.
• Integrate Quality Assurance:
  • Implement quality assurance processes within the budgeting framework to ensure that all budgets are accurate and align with organizational financial goals, achieving consistent compliance.
  • Conduct monthly quality assurance checks to ensure accuracy in staffing allocations and compliance with grant and funding requirements.
  • Develop and maintain a compliance calendar to ensure all deadlines and financial requirements are met in a timely manner.

Potential Projects/Goals

• Standardization of program budgeting assumptions across regions, improving alignment between internal budgets and funder budgets.
• Reduction in time reporting and allocation discrepancies.
• Development and maintenance of a budget and compliance calendar to ensure key deadlines are met.
• Implementation of quality assurance processes within the budgeting framework to ensure accuracy and alignment with organizational financial goals.

Requirements

• Professional Experience:
  • At least 3 years working in a social justice, human services, non-profit management, healthcare, or public policy agency.
  • At least 2 years building and managing a team.
  • At least 2 years of contracts management experience.
  • At least 2 years of budget management and invoicing experience.
  • At least 2 years of grant procurement experience.
  • Demonstrated leadership with increasing levels of responsibility and management.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • Familiarity with principles of accounting, business process improvements, and government contracts.
  • Comfort with using data to improve systems and drive decision-making.
  • Proficiency with MS Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; experience with databases such as Salesforce preferred.
  • Strategic, global thinking with an orientation towards inclusive design and decision-making.
  • Good communication skills and ability to collaborate with managers and directors.
  • Creative, problem-solving approach with an eye towards the "big picture."
  • Excellent organizational, project management, and planning skills.
  • Ability to work well under pressure and in cross-cultural situations.
  • Intacct software experience preferred but not required.
• Core Competencies:
  • Strategic Agility: Future-oriented, proactively navigating challenges through planning and critical thinking.
  • Process Management: Excels at developing efficient workflows and simplifying complex processes.
  • Building Effective Teams: Builds cohesive, high-performing teams through collaboration and coaching.
  • Functional/Technical Expertise: Possesses advanced skills to support high-level task accomplishment.

Physical Requirements

Candidates should have physical mobility for tasks such as standing, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, twisting, and walking on uneven surfaces. They should be capable of performing stationary tasks like sitting for up to 6 to 8 hours a day. Additionally, candidates should be able to lift, carry, push, pull light to moderate weights up to 15 pounds safely. Requires mental acuity for analytical reasoning and document interpretation.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental, & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (With 5% Match)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary and AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long-Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Wellness Resources
• Hybrid Work

Location: Candidates must reside within reasonable commuting distance of our Los Angeles, San Francisco, or San Diego offices.
Compensation: $80,000 - $85,000 per year, exempt