format_list_bulleted Topic Overview

Budget Officers

Approximately 300 budget officers and financial analysts across 30 budget units collaborate with the University Budget Office (UBO) through the annual budget process to prepare and manage the University Budget Plan and detailed, department-level Booked Budgets. This page describes the role of budget officers at the university and provides resources specific to budget officers.

Budget officers in schools and departments are responsible for coordinating all budget activities within their respective organizations in collaboration with the UBO as specified in Administrative Guide Policy 3.1.2: University Funds, Section 5. Budget officers are typically senior finance leaders in their organizations.

The size of operating budgets, roles and responsibilities for managing the budget, and budgetary procedures may vary by budget unit. Most budget officers have one or more budget analysts who directly or indirectly report to them. The directory of Budget Unit Financial Officers lists budget officers and associated budget analysts.

The UBO directs the annual budget process and maintains the Cardinal Planning & Budgeting (CPB) system. CPB integrates salary and non-salary expense budgeting with all the various funding sources in a live, multi-user, database-driven system that automatically interfaces with other administrative applications within the Stanford environment. CPB allows access to accurate and timely information in support of budget planning and decision-making.

Learn about CPB system authority and access, training, how-to instructions, reporting solutions, status updates and other helpful resources.

The UBO meets with budget officers throughout the year in alignment with the university budget cycle. These meetings are typically held quarterly, and they are used to communicate the university’s financial context, explain budgeting processes and calendars and provide budgeting system updates. Refer to the Budgeting Calendar for the upcoming meeting schedule.

Additionally, the UBO hosts quarterly Budgeting and Planning Community of Practice (CoP) meetings. CoP meetings include UBO and budget unit presentations on special interest topics, plus Q&A sessions and networking.

The following resources are accessible only to budget officers in a network maintained by the UBO:

  • Planning Assumptions, which communicate global parameters such as salary programs, cost-rise adjustments, benefits rates and endowment payout metrics  
  • Pooled Object Code Hierarchy, used by CPB for expenditure types and object codes; this hierarchy includes all expenditure and object codes from Oracle, as well as “B” codes used specifically for budgeting
  • Budget Presentations (Google Folder - accessible only to budget officers in UBO Dean’s Office workgroup)
Last Updated: Sep 30, 2024