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Job Description
Marketing Statement
Ride BART to a satisfying career that lets you both: 1) make a difference to Bay Area residents, and 2) enjoy excellent pay, benefits, and employment stability. BART is looking for people who like to be challenged, work in a fast-paced environment, and have a passion for connecting riders to work, school and other places they need to go. BART offers a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, and the CalPERS retirement program.
Job Summary
Pay Rate
AFSCME Pay Band G
Annual Salary Range $132,605.65 (Minimum) - $172,387.34 (Maximum)
The negotiable salary offer will be between $132,605.65 - $157,542.06/annually commensurate with experience and education.
Reports To
Senior Manager of Rolling Stock & Shops Operations Administration
DEFINITION
Under general supervision, performs the most technical and complex tasks relative to assigned area of responsibility; may supervise, assign, and review the work of staff responsible for providing professional level support on budget development and administration, financial analysis and project control work; ensures work quality and adherence to established policies and procedures; and performs related duties as assigned.
CLASS CHARACTERISTICS
This is the highest level within the Financial Analyst series. Positions at this master level perform the most complex duties assigned to the series and may be responsible for participating in supervising, assigning and reviewing the work of subordinate staff. Incumbents may also be responsible for overseeing the work of outside contractors or assisting higher-level managerial staff in planning and evaluating the quantity and quality of work performed by subordinate staff. Master level classes such as this are an extension of the advanced journey level class representing the highest non-supervisory principal tier or specialized advanced journey level. Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and can be filled by advancement from the advanced journey level, or when filled from the outside, by incumbents with prior full journey level experience. This class is distinguished from the Senior Financial Analyst in that it performs the most complex duties assigned to the series and may be responsible for assisting management with supervisory duties.
Current Assignment
First review of applications will be on December 20, 2024
The Principal Financial Analyst plays a pivotal role in advancing the Department’s strategic financial objectives.
The successful candidate will perform in-depth and complex analyses, developing comprehensive financial and operational models to support a department comprising over 800 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) across more than 50 distinct job classifications, many of which are union represented.
The Principal Financial Analyst will lead efforts in cost optimization for maintenance activities, leveraging advanced Excel and other data analysis tools such as SQL, Python and R for data extraction, manipulation, and in-depth analysis. The developed models will ensure that Rolling Stock and Shops (RS&S) aligns staffing and material resources with operational demands, service level agreements, railcar availability, efficiency, reliability metrics, collective bargaining parameters, and other key variables. This alignment is crucial for the efficient and effective use of support staff and maintenance shop resources.
In addition to these core responsibilities, the Principal Financial Analyst will undertake ad hoc costing and analysis tasks, including but not limited to staffing forecasts, cost-benefit analysis, labor costings, operating and capital budgeting, and trend analysis. The role also involves data modeling activities, such as labor hour tracking, non-labor and parts analysis, and labor studies. The PFA will complete analysis projects and deliver strategic and operational scenarios to management, facilitating informed decision-making and implementation.
The Principal Financial Analyst will also generate reports and operations-based financial results, providing managers with critical insights to drive decision-making and evaluate the effectiveness of current programs and metrics. Additionally, may act as the subject matter expert in data analytics, business intelligence, and operational reporting for RS&S management and other District departments.
The Principal Financial Analyst will have a proven track record in supporting operations through resource forecasting, predictive analytics, and the development and monitoring of key performance indicators within an operational context. This individual will have demonstrated effective communication across various staff levels and will have a natural curiosity, a strong interest in collaborating with a wide range of people, and a commitment to spending time in a maintenance facility to gain a deeper understanding of railcar maintenance operations. The ideal candidate will embrace a continuous improvement mindset and be dedicated to the ongoing development of professional and technical skills.
Key Skills and Experience:- Extensive experience in conducting complex financial analyses and developing robust financial and data models.
- Proficiency in extracting, manipulating, analyzing, and integrating large datasets.
- Familiarity with Oracle-based financial, budgetary, and human resource systems or equivalent ERP systems.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to frame issues and structure data for thorough analysis.
- Capacity to comprehend complex issues and work collaboratively towards effective solutions.
- Excellent research, reading comprehension, and professional writing abilities.
- Ability and enthusiasm for working in a fast-paced, dynamic, and evolving environment.
- Comfort with managing ambiguity and adapting to changing circumstances.
Examples of Duties
Establishes schedules and methods for providing financial analysis services; identifies resource needs; reviews needs with appropriate management staff; allocates resources accordingly.
Participates in the development of policies and procedures; monitors work activities to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures; makes recommendations for changes and improvements to existing standards and procedures.
Recommends and assists in the implementation of goals and objectives; implements approved policies and procedures.
Conducts complex financial and management studies to evaluate District system performance and operating efficiency; prepares and presents study findings and recommendations; implements recommendations and provides assistance to District departments in assessing performance against stated objectives.
Performs the most technical and complex tasks of the work unit including specialized analyses and studies related to the District's budgeting, financial control and management analysis functions.
Provides financial oversight on assigned projects; identifies funding sources; projects cash flow requirements; maintains budgetary records for proposed projects; compiles actual project costs; performs financial, statistical and comparative analysis of actual and budgeted costs.
Participates in the preparation and administration of District-wide budgets; compiles and analyzes budget data; coordinates activities within other divisions and departments.
Analyzes contract provisions and change orders related to approved cost of work and budget allocations; analyzes and reports cost variances; ensures that cost control methods are implemented and applied to program objectives.
Develops and recommends improvements to computerized financial management system.
Participates in the selection of assigned staff; provides or coordinates staff training; works with employees to correct deficiencies; implements discipline procedures.
Prepares analytical and statistical reports on operations and activities.
Attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of financial analysis and program management.
May plan, prioritize, assign, supervise, review and participate in the work of staff responsible for complex financial, statistical and project control analysis in assigned area.
Minimum Qualifications
Education :
A Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, economics or a closely related field from an accredited college or university.
Experience :
Four (4) years of (full-time equivalent) verifiable professional budgetary, financial or management analysis experience.
Substitution :
Additional professional experience as outlined above may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis. A college degree is preferred.
Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge of :- Operations, services and activities of a comprehensive budget and financial control program.
- Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation.
- Principles of financial and operational analysis.
- Financial, statistical and comparative analysis techniques and formulas.
- Principles and practices of project budget development, administration and control.
- Advanced principles and practices of accounting.
- Principles and practices of financial project management and scheduling.
- Methods and techniques for assessing performance against established objectives.
- Current office procedures, methods and equipment including computers.
- Applicable computer software applications.
- Related Federal, State and local laws, codes and regulations.
- Selecting, supervising, training and evaluating staff.
- Performing complex financial, statistical, comparative and management analyses.
- Establishing and implementing procedures for budget and project control.
- Identifying funding sources for proposed and current projects.
- Performing accurate complex financial calculations.
- Developing, organizing and maintaining accurate financial records.
- Interpreting complex computerized records and reports.
- Interpreting complex contract provisions and change orders.
- Interpreting and explaining District policies and procedures.
- Preparing clear and concise financial and administrative reports.
- Operating office equipment including computers and supporting word processing and spreadsheet applications.
- Communicating clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
- Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
Selection Process
This position is represented by American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Applications will be screened to ensure that minimum qualifications are met. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will then be referred to the hiring department for the completion of further selection processes.
The selection process for this position may include a skills/performance demonstration, a written examination, and/or an individual or panel interview.
The successful candidate must have an employment history demonstrating reliability and dependability; provide copies of certificates, diplomas or other documents as required by law, including those establishing his/her right to work in the U. S.; pass a pre-employment medical examination which includes a drug and alcohol screen, and which is specific to the essential job functions and requirements. Pre-employment processing will also include a background check. (Does not apply to current full-time District employees unless specific job requires additional evaluations)
The selection process for this position will be in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
Application Process
External applicants may only apply online, at www.bart.gov/jobs. Applicants needing assistance with the online application process may receive additional information by calling (510) 464-6112.
Current employees are strongly encouraged to apply online, either at www.bart.gov/jobs, or on WebBART. Current employees may also apply using a BART paper application by delivering the completed form to the Human Resources Department, or by mailing it to P. O. Box 12688, Oakland, CA 94604-2688.
All applicants are asked to complete the application in full, indicating dates of employment, all positions held, hours worked, and a full description of duties. Online applicants are invited to electronically attach a resume to the application form to provide supplemental information but should not consider the resume as a substitute for the application form itself.
Applications must be complete by the closing date and time listed on the job announcement.
Other Information
Please be prepared to present documentation in support of any required licenses, degrees, or certifications upon request.
Please note that any job announcement may be canceled at any time.
Note
When you have successfully applied for this position you will receive an auto reply e-mail acknowledging that your application was received for this position. Please retain a copy of the e-mail for your records. If you receive an auto reply that does not specifically reference this position, please email Employment Help at employment@bart.gov for assistance.
To verify submission of your application, click on the 'My Career Tools' link at the top of the 'Careers Home Page' after submitting your application to view the list of applications you have submitted (including application date and status). If you have further questions, please email the Employment Help at employment@bart.gov, between the hours of 8:15am - 5:00pm, Monday- Friday
Equal Employment Opportunity GroupBox1
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and above), religion, national origin (including language use restrictions), disability (mental and physical, including HIV and AIDS), ancestry, marital status, military status, veteran status, medical condition (cancer/genetic characteristics and information), or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.
The BART Human Resources Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate persons with disabilities or for religious reasons. Please advise the Human Resources Department of any special needs in advance of the examination by emailing at least 5 days before your examination date at employment@bart.gov .
Qualified veterans may be eligible to obtain additional veteran's credit in the selection process for this recruitment (effective Jan. 1, 2013). To obtain the credit, veterans must attach to the application a DD214 discharge document or proof of disability and complete/submit the Veteran's Preference Application no later than the closing date of the posting. For more information about this credit please go to the Veteran's Preference Policy and Application link at www.bart.gov/jobs .
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) prides itself in offering best in class benefits packages to employees of the District. Currently, the following benefits may be available to employees in this job classification.
Highlights- Medical Coverage (or $350/month if opted out)
- Dental Coverage
- Vision Insurance (Basic and Enhanced Plans Available)
- Retirement Plan through the CA Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
- 2% @ 55 (Classic Members)
- 2% @ 62 (PEPRA Members)
- Reciprocity available for existing members of many other public retirement systems (see BART website and/or CalPERS website for details)
- 6.65% employer contribution up to annual maximum of $1,868.65
Closing Date/Time: Continuous -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
Show moreThe BART story began in 1946. It began not by governmental fiat, but as a concept gradually evolving at informal gatherings of business and civic leaders on both sides of the San Francisco Bay. Facing a heavy post-war migration to the area and its consequent automobile boom, these people discussed ways of easing the mounting congestion that was clogging the bridges spanning the Bay. In 1947, a joint Army-Navy review Board concluded that another connecting link between San Francisco and Oakland would be needed in the years ahead to prevent intolerable congestion on the Bay Bridge. The link? An underwater tube devoted exclusively to high-speed electric trains.
Since 1911, visionaries had periodically brought up this Jules Verne concept. But now, pressure for a traffic solution increased with the population. In 1951, the State Legislature created the 26-member San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission, comprised of representatives from each of the nine counties which touch the Bay. The Commission's charge was to study the Bay Area's long range transportation needs in the context of environmental problems and then recommend the best solution.
The Commission advised, in its final report in 1957, that any transportation plan must be coordinated with the area's total plan for future development. Since no development plan existed, the Commission prepared one itself. The result of their thoroughness is a master plan which did much to bring about coordinated planning in the Bay Area, and which was adopted a decade later by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
The BART Concept is Born
The Commission's least-cost solution to traffic tie-ups was to recommend forming a five-county rapid transit district, whose mandate would be to build and operate a high-speed rapid rail network linking major commercial centers with suburban sub-centers.The Commission stated that, "If the Bay Area is to be preserved as a fine place to live and work, a regional rapid transit system is essential to prevent total dependence on automobiles and freeways."
Thus was born the environmental concept underlying BART. Acting on the Commission's recommendations, in 1957, the Legislature formed the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, comprising the five counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo. At this time, the District was granted a taxing power of five cents per $100 of assessed valuation. It also had authority to levy property taxes to support a general obligation bond issue, if approved by District voters. The State Legislature lowered the requirement for voter approval from 66 percent to 60 percent.
Between 1957 and 1962, engineering plans were developed for a system that would usher in a new era in rapid transit. Electric trains would run on grade-separated right-of-ways, reaching maximum speeds of 75-80 mph, averaging perhaps 45 mph, including station stops. Advanced transit cars, with sophisticated suspensions, braking and propulsion systems, and luxurious interiors, would be strong competition to "King Car " in the Bay Area. Stations would be pleasant, conveniently located, and striking architectural enhancements to their respective on-line communities.
BART employees in the 1970s.
Hundreds of meetings were held in the District communities to encourage local citizen participation in the development of routes and station locations. By midsummer, 1961, the final plan was submitted to the supervisors of the five District counties for approval. San Mateo County Supervisors were cool to the plan. Citing the high costs of a new system-plus adequate existing service from Southern Pacific commuter trains - they voted to withdraw their county from the District in December 1961.
With the District-wide tax base thus weakened by the withdrawal of San Mateo County, Marin County was forced to withdraw in early 1962 because its marginal tax base could not adequately absorb its share of BART's projected cost. Another important factor in Marin's withdrawal was an engineering controversy over the feasibility of carrying trains across the Golden Gate Bridge.
BART had started with a 16-member governing Board of Directors apportioned on county population size: four from Alameda and San Francisco Counties, three from Contra Costa and San Mateo, and two from Marin. When the District was reduced to three counties, the Board was reduced to 11 members: four from San Francisco and Alameda, and three from Contra Costa. Subsequently, in 1965, the District's enabling legislation was changed to apportion the BART Board with four Directors from each county, thus giving Contra Costa its fourth member on a 12-person Board. Two directors from each county, hence forth, were appointed by the County Board of Supervisors. The other two directors were appointed by committees of mayors of each county (with the exception of the City and County of San Francisco, whose sole mayor made these appointments).
The five-county plan was quickly revised to a three-county plan emphasizing rapid transit between San Francisco and the East Bay cities and suburbs of Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The new plan, elaborately detailed and presented as the "BART Composite Report, " was approved by supervisors of the three counties in July 1962, and placed on the ballot for the following November general election.
The plan required approval of 60 percent of the District's voters. It narrowly passed with a 61.2 percent vote District-wide, much to the surprise of many political experts who were confident it would fail. Indeed, one influential executive was reported to have said: "If I'd known the damn thing would have passed, I'd never have supported it. "
The voters approved a $792 million bond issue to finance a 71.5 mile high-speed transit system, consisting of 33 stations serving 17 communities in the three counties. The proposal also included another needed transit project: rebuilding 3.5 miles of the San Francisco Municipal Railway. The new line would link muni streetcar lines directly with BART and Market Street stations, and four new Muni stations would be built.
The additional cost of the transbay tube -- estimated at $133 million -- was to come from bonds issued by the California Toll Bridge Authority and secured by future Bay Area Bridge revenues. The additional cost of rolling stock, estimated at $71 million, was to be funded primarily from bonds issued against future operating revenues. Thus, the total cost of the system, as of 1962, was projected at $996 million. It would be the largest single public works project ever undertaken in the U.S. by the local citizenry.
After the election, engineers immediately started work on the final system designs, only to be halted by a taxpayer's suit filed against the District a month later. The validity of the bond election, and the legality of the District itself, were challenged. While the court ruled in favor of the District on both counts, six months of litigation cost $12 million in construction delays. This would be the first of many delays from litigation and time-consuming negotiations involving 166 separate agreements reached with on-line cities, counties, and other special districts. The democratic processes of building a new transit system would prove to be major cost factors that, however necessary, were not foreseen.
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