Budget Analyst

Active or Interim Secret Clearance Required

Remote Work – Metro Washington, DC Preferred

Are you a highly analytical and detail-oriented Budget Analyst, looking to have a real impact?

Can you combine strategic foresight with evaluative rigor, ensuring sustainment activities are both well-planned and effectively executed?

Do you have a solid foundation in budgeting and program analysis within the DOD, and a desire to learn?

Does working for a growing firm with a collaborative, supportive mindset, ready to invest in your future, appeal to you?

@Orchard is seeking a Budget Analyst to support the F-35 Joint Program Office, tasked with integrating programmatic planning with performance-based financial execution. This is an exceptional opportunity for a highly motivated early-career individual with a foundational knowledge of DOD budgeting and program analysis to be trained on the F-35 structure and process. The program will offer suitable training and mentorship from more senior staff members to enable success in driving process efficiencies, cost-effectiveness, and ultimately, mission success in a high-stakes defense landscape. Your insights, honed over time, will be critical in transforming traditional sustainment practices into a modern, agile system that supports operational readiness. 

As the Budget Analyst, you will be trained and mentored to perform the following:

Program Planning & Analysis (Front-End):

• Support accurate capture of sustainment requirements in Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs).
• Evaluate acquisition documentation such as Statements of Work (SOWs), Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) metrics, and Maintenance Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) to ensure alignment with customer operational needs. 
• Support programming and planning activities by validating that pre-acquisition efforts reflect customer-specific sustainment requirements. 
• Coordinate with stakeholders to ensure that sustainment documentation supports mission readiness and operational effectiveness. 

Performance Monitoring & Financial Execution (Back-End): 

• Track, analyze, and evaluate the execution of intra-governmental and commercial sustainment contracts, with a focus on financial performance and compliance with planned objectives. 
• Conduct variance analysis to identify and report deviations from expected performance and budgetary targets. 
• Collaborate with program analysts to perform root cause analysis and develop corrective actions for underperforming areas.
• Act as a “portfolio manager” for Below the Line (BTL) expenditures, ensuring each contract contributes effectively to the overall sustainment strategy.

Integrated Budget Management:

• Support management of the USAF Operations & Maintenance (O&M) funding portfolio (including ACC, ANG, and AFRC components) and Centralized Asset Management (CAM) processes and procedures.
• Provide input to the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) and Program Objective Memorandum (POM) cycles. 

Your skills and experience will feature.

• Requirements:
  • Proficiency in Office 365 – including self-sufficiency in MS Excel with formula writing and pivot tables. 
  • Foundational knowledge of the Federal budget process (as CTR, CIV, or MIL).
  • Demonstrable excellent analytical and mathematical ability.
  • A consultative mindset, skilled in asking clear, insightful questions and articulating a point of view.
  • Attention to detail and completist tendencies.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Preferred:
  • Veterans and military dependents are strongly encouraged to apply, as their experiences and knowledge align with project delivery.
  • Direct experience in sustainment or logistics support for advanced defense systems.
  • Certifications or formal training in federal budget, financial management, program analysis, and/or performance analysis.
• Minimum Eligibility Requirements:
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen and possess and maintain a(n) (Interim) Secret Clearance.
  • 1+ years of relevant DOD experience in Program Analysis, Budget Analysis, or Financial Analysis. 
  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, or a relevant field. 

Compensation for the role of Program Management Analyst will be determined based on experience and qualifications. The salary range is expected to be $65,000 - $90,000, plus benefits.

Established in 2010, @Orchard LLC has an exceptional reputation, providing staffing solutions to time-sensitive, talent scarcity issues to deliver better talent management ROI.  Our specialty lies in the critical area of program talent acquisition and resource management, not in one narrow skillset, but across many areas of technical and functional delivery. To learn more about our other exciting opportunities, visit our Jobs Page at www.atOrchard.com.