We are AIIP:  Gail Joiner

In your bio, you describe yourself as a Business Planning and Financial Management Analyst. In two sentences, what does such an analyst do?

This type of analyst provides guidance and research on the financial activities in which businesses and individuals engage. The analyst designs and monitors accounting, budget execution, financial management reports, studies and evaluations, and sets up systems and procedures to ensure financial integrity, timeliness, accuracy, and validity.

In what kinds of situations do clients decide they need a Business Planning and Financial Management Analyst?

Many clients call on us to provide services such as:

• Reviewing and analyzing proposed staffing and budget levels for divisions and offices throughout the organization and then preparing related briefings, including appropriate recommendations, for senior management officials.
• Developing policy guidance and procedural instructions and providing direction and guidance on the development of required plans and budget and staffing requests; preparing and submitting reports on budget utilization and operational performance; and setting out requirements for accounting for their operational costs.
• Analyzing differences between budgets and actual expenditures and preparing reports of results for senior management to explain the causes of the variances and project the impacts on, and sufficiency of, annual budgets.
• Leading or participating in complex workload analysis and work measurement studies and presenting results and recommendations to senior management officials.

What does a Business Planning and Financial Management Analyst need to succeed?

To be successful in the profession of Business Planning and Financial Management, an analyst must have specialized experience with:

• performing financial studies/analyses of cost management programs
• developing or analyzing staffing and budget requirements
• monitoring the execution of annual operating budgets or the budgets for a portfolio of projects
• performing staffing and operational analysis used for reporting results and recommendations to senior management and stakeholders
• interpreting regulations, policies, and operating instructions applicable to financial management systems operations  
• providing accounting and financial operations support to management.

Gail Joiner, the founder of Joiner Consulting, is a Business Planning and Financial Management Analyst that provides guidance and research on financial activities for businesses and individuals. “A success story should explain the challenges that led the customer to make a change, describe the solution, and then focus on the benefits.”