Budget Analyst/Program Analyst

Remote/Work from Home (Metro DC Area preferred)

Must possess an Interim or Active Secret Clearance

@Orchard has been retained by an award-winning Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that brings industry veterans with a fresh perspective to stay ahead and thrive in an unpredictable world. Our client is supporting the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program by integrating programmatic planning with performance-based financial execution.

The role of Budget Analyst on this program combines the strategic foresight of a Program Analyst with the evaluative rigor of a Performance Analyst to ensure that sustainment activities are both well-planned and effectively executed. The ideal candidate will serve as a critical link between front-end planning and back-end performance, ensuring alignment between customer requirements, contractual obligations, and financial outcomes.

In this role, you will combine your foundational/solid Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) experience with cross-functional collaboration and mentorship from senior team members to support execution by analyzing, tracking, and coordinating sustainment contract financial execution data. This mentorship model is designed to drive 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 responsible for:

·        The accurate capture of sustainment requirements in Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs).

·        Evaluating 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.

·        Supporting programming and planning activities by validating that pre-acquisition efforts reflect customer-specific sustainment requirements. 

·        Coordinating with stakeholders to ensure that sustainment documentation supports mission readiness and operational effectiveness.

·        Tracking, analyzing, and evaluating the execution of intra-governmental and commercial sustainment contracts, with a focus on financial performance and compliance with planned objectives.

·        Conducting variance analysis to identify and report deviations from expected performance and budgetary targets.

·        Collaborating with program analysts to perform root cause analysis and develop corrective actions for underperforming areas.

·        Acting as a “portfolio manager” for Below the Line (BTL) expenditures, ensuring each contract contributes effectively to the overall sustainment strategy. Supporting management of the USAF Operations & Maintenance (O&M) funding portfolio (including ACC, ANG, and AFRC components) and Centralized Asset Management (CAM) processes and procedures.

·        Providing input to the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) and Program Objective Memorandum (POM) cycles.

Your background will include:

·        Bachelor’s degree in business or a relevant field.

·        Three (3) + years of relevant experience, e.g., Budget or Program Analysis.

·        Proficiency in Office 365 – including self-sufficiency in MS Excel with formula writing and pivot tables.

·        Foundational knowledge of PPBE process in a federal environment (as CTR, CIV, or MIL).

·        Strong analytical and mathematical ability.

·        Skilled in asking clear, insightful questions with attention to detail and strong written and verbal communication skills.

·        Direct experience in sustainment or logistics support for advanced defense systems is preferred.

·        Certifications or formal training in PPBE, financial management, program analysis, and/or performance analysis would be beneficial.

·        Veterans and military dependents are strongly encouraged to apply, as their experiences and knowledge align with project delivery.  

Compensation for the Budget Analyst is based on experience and qualifications. It is expected to be in the range between $90,000 and $110,000.

If you match the requirements for this opportunity and believe you have the experience and talent to succeed in the role, we need to hear from you!

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.