Chief Budget Justification
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Posted: April 10, 2026 (0 days ago)
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Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Other Agencies and Independent Organizations
Location
McLean, Virginia
Salary
$169,279 - $197,200
per year
Type
Full-Time
More Finance & Accounting jobs →Closes
Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900
Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves leading the creation and defense of the national intelligence budget, working closely with top officials to analyze finances, forecast needs, and ensure funds are used efficiently for intelligence programs.
It requires guiding a team through complex budgeting processes while advising on financial decisions that balance priorities like costs, laws, and national interests.
A good fit would be someone with deep experience in government finance who thrives in high-stakes, advisory roles and has a strong sense of public service.
The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) leads the development, negotiation, and presentation of the National Intelligence Program (NIP) budget on behalf of the Director of National Intelligence to the President and the Congress.
The CFO's three main responsibilities include resource management (budget analysis, formulation, justification, and execution), performance planning and evaluation, and financial management improvement.
FREE RESPONSE ESSAY QUESTIONS All applicants must answer the following four short, free response essay questions. The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question.
By submitting your responses to the following questions, you certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]).
How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government?
Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness?
Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?
Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements?
Provide one or two specific examples and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.
Mandatory Requirements: Expert ability to plan, prepare, justify, administer, analyze, forecast, and monitor budget/financial information to ensure cost-effective support of organizations and programs, including conducting budget/financial data analysis and assessing financial conditions by applying financial principles, policies, methods, techniques, and systems.
Superior ability to serve as expert and consultant to top agency management officials and customers, in context of operation requirements bases on financial analysis and recommends possible courses of action.
Problems are frequently stubborn due to such matters as conflicting funding priorities, economic interests, public interests, constitutional protections, or equivalent concerns.
Superior ability to make decisions and recommendations addressing undefined issues that require much consideration and extensive analysis of the immediate and long-range implications of any action.
Decisions regarding what needs to be done require extensive probing and analysis.
Expert knowledge of Federal/IC budget and financial management laws, regulations, and guidance (e.g., OMB circulars, appropriations law concepts, PPBE, reprogramming rules, congressional budget justification requirements) sufficient to lead enterprise-wide efforts.
Expert representational, oral, and written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, logical, and concise products.
Expert ability to develop consensus recommendations and to solicit input from colleagues and peers; superior ability to remain open-minded and change opinions on the basis of new information and requirements.
Education: Bachelor's Degree or equivalent relevant work experience or equivalent relevant work experience with a minimum of 24 hours of Finance, Accounting or other relevant courses.
(this was previously a required qualification and think that it should remain, otherwise, looks like the bar has moved; education provides credibility; ensures depth, etc.) Desired Requirements: Demonstrated experience leading time-sensitive development of congressional budget justification narrative and exhibit materials, including briefing senior leadership and responding to OMB and congressional inquiries.
Major Duties:
Lead a team of professional staff in the planning, preparation, justification, administration, analysis, forecasting, and monitoring of budget/financial information to ensure cost-effective support of ODNI organizations and programs; oversee budget/financial data analysis and the assessment of financial conditions by applying financial principles, policies, methods, techniques, and systems.
Lead the collection, research, and analysis of comprehensive and substantive financial information that includes budget, accounting, and financial reporting information to develop budget testimony, briefings, and talking points for senior DNI leadership and develop IC guidance on the preparation of resource requests and realignments or reprogramming to the DNI and Congress.
May involve supporting major re-allocation of staffing, funds, or other resources.
Develop and present options, tradeoffs, and risk-informed recommendations to senior leadership regarding program resourcing, affordability, and execution impacts across multiple ODNI elements.
Oversee and manage the financial implications of strategic and capital/lifecycle/infrastructure planning, investment control, policy enforcement, and management throughout the financial life cycles (i.e., planning, programming, budgeting, execution, and evaluation) within or between IC organizations.
Monitor and evaluate the progress and outcomes of operational performance plans and identify potential threats or opportunities.
Liaise with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) leadership, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congressional oversight committees on financial management issues; participate in and, as required, oversee IC-wide financial management working groups, committees, and meetings.
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