Senior Budget Analyst (Senior Fiscal Analyst)

Overview

The Judicial Council of California is accepting applications for the position of Senior Fiscal Analyst with the State Budget unit of the Budget Services Sacramento office.

The Senior Fiscal Analyst will provide advanced, complex, and specialized analytical and technical budget support to the State Budget unit for the development of the Judicial Branch’s annual budget in accordance with the Department of Finance’s Budget Letters and other guidelines. This position will be responsible for reconciliation, analysis, and preparation of workload budget adjustments including salaries and wages schedule, employer retirement contribution adjustments, employee compensation adjustments, as well as lease revenue debt service adjustments, general administrative costs adjustment, statewide cost allocation plan adjustments,and other miscellaneous baseline budget adjustments. The position will be responsible for preparing and reviewing budget adjustments and Capital Outlay packages that will be reivewed by the Departmant of Finance and State Public Workds Board. The position is also responsible to provide lead staff support for the Judicial Branch Budget Committee.

The Senior Fiscal Analyst will review year-end financial statements and prepares past year budget adjustments and fund balance reconciliation packages for the General Fund, Federal Funds,and 14 special funds. This position will assist with the development and review of approximately 20 annual budget change proposals, spring finance letters, May Revision requests, Capital Outlay budget change proposals, and budget change concepts. This position will review and reconcile the budgetary information in Governor’s Budget and budget bill language and monitor and track legislative hearings. This position will coordinate enhanced tracking and review of legislation impacting the branch and prepare fiscal analyses for proposed legislation as assigned. This position will provide backup support to the other areas within the State Budget unit and provide lead staff support to the Judicial Branch Budget Committee.

The Judicial Council 
The Judicial Council of California is the policy setting body for the state court system and has constitutionally conferred statewide rule-making authority. This authority includes developing, advocating for, and allocating the judicial branch budget. A majority of Council members are California state justices and judges; however, the Council also includes lawyers, legislators, and court administrators.

By enhancing its role as a leadership, knowledge, and service resource for the judicial branch, the Judicial Council’s staff organization seeks to continue to evolve as one of California’s most dynamic public service entities, focused on improving access to justice for all Californians by innovating and responding to the changing needs of the courts and the public. As a government body charged with improving the statewide administration of justice, the Judicial Council has multiple offices with diverse responsibilities relating to court policy and operations. As employees of the council, every member of staff should view and approach their work as one Judicial Council with a public service mission that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The Judicial Council strives for work-life balance, including substantial vacation and holiday time. In addition, we offer an excellent benefits package, including pension, medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible spending, up to $130 per month reimbursement for qualifying commuting costs, student loan forgiveness as part of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), and retirement savings plans. In Sacramento, the office is located minutes from downtown, just north of Discovery Park.

The Judicial Council offers hybrid work arrangements for many positions. The successful candidate will be expected to work in person at the Judicial Council’s Sacramento office at least two days per week, based on their office leader’s direction, and reside in the areas surrounding these locations. To be eligible for Judicial Council employment and participation in the Judicial Council’s Hybrid Work Program, a prospective or current employee’s primary residence/remote work location must be in the State of California and within a 150-mile driving radius of their assigned reporting location.
 

Responsibilities

• Prepare complex technical budget documents associated with the development of judicial branch’s annual budget in accordance with Department of Finance’s Budget Letters and other guidelines.
• Track legislative budget hearings and budget enactment and develop and maintain trackers for all budget items.
• Coordinate enhanced tracking and review of legislation impacting the branch and prepare fiscal analyses for proposed legislation as assigned.
• Provide lead staff support to the Judicial Branch Budget Committee (Budget Committee).
• Support Capital Outlay and Facilities related activities.
• Develop agendas, meeting calendars, materials, and plan for Budget Committee meetings and ensure attention to posting timelines per the Open Meeting Guidelines and Rules of Court.
• Coordinate with all offices to provide direction and submission of all materials for Budget Committee meetings.
   

Qualifications

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Bachelor’s degree, preferably in business, finance, accounting, or a directly related field, and four (4) years of professional experience in accounting, financial analysis, budgetary, or contract administration/procurement.

Possession of a bachelor’s degree in a directly related field such as accounting, finance, business, etc., may be substituted for one (1) of the years of required experience. An additional four (4) years of professional experience in the assigned function as noted above may substitute for the bachelor’s degree. Or, additional directly related experience and/or education may be substituted on a year-for-year basis.

OR

Juris doctor, Master of Business Administration, or master’s degree in a directly related field for the assigned discipline such as finance, contract administration or accountancy, and one year of experience as identified above.

OR

One (1) year as a Fiscal Analyst in the assigned field with the Judicial Council of California or one (1) year of experience performing the duties of a class comparable in the level of responsibility to that of a Fiscal Analyst in a California superior court or California state-level government entity.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the State of California’s budget process and governmental budgeting.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications – Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong analytical, communication, interpersonal, presentation, writing, and organizational skills with attention to detail.
• Problem-solving and adaptability skills.
• Knowledge of the Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal).
• Ability to research, analyze, and summarize financial and policy information for diverse audiences.
• Self-motivated, innovative, and capable of working independently to achieve organizational goals.

Other Information

Please note, if you are selected for hire, verification of employment eligibility or authorization to work in the United States will be required.
 

How To Apply

To ensure consideration of your application for the earliest round of interviews, please apply by May 1, 2026. However, this position is Open Until Filled. This position requires the submission of our official application, responses to the supplemental questions, and a resume. 

To complete an online application, please click the Apply for Job button.

The Judicial Council provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who request such accommodation. Reasonable accommodation needs should be requested through Human Resources at (415) 865-4260. Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) is available by dialing 711. Once connected, provide the relay operator with the number for Human Resources: 415-865-4260.

Pay and Benefits

$7,941 - $11,912 per month

Please note due to statewide fiscal conditions, the posted salary range is subject to a temporary 3% reduction. In exchange for this temporary reduction, judicial branch employees accrue an additional 5 hours of paid personal leave per month through June 30, 2027.

Some highlights of our benefits package include:

• Health/Dental/Vision benefits program
• 14 paid holidays per calendar year
• Choice of Annual Leave or Sick/Vacation Leave
• 1 personal holiday per year
• Up to $130 per month reimbursement for qualifying commuting costs 
• CalPERS Retirement Plan
• 401(k) and 457 deferred compensation plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
• FlexElect Program
• Pretax Parking
• Long Term Disability Program (employee paid/optional)
• Group Legal Plan (employee paid/optional)
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligibility

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Judicial Council of California Is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Supplemental Questions

To better assess the qualifications of each applicant, we will review your responses to the following questions.

1. Describe your professional budget development experience and specific roles in the budget process, including your primary areas of responsibility, and any work around budget preparation and/or review, financial forecasting, and/or analysis.  
2.  Please describe your experience, if any, with the budget practices and procedures of the State of California or other public sector environments. Please include any experience with preparing baseline budgets, collecting and analyzing financial data, adjustment to budget, developing costs allocations, drafting budget requests, and reviewing budget change proposals.