Protect our Homeland, Ascend with Us!Ascension LLC is seeking a Financial & Economic Analyst / Data Analyst to support the City of Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council by delivering objective, data-driven fiscal, economic, and quantitative analyses that inform legislative and policy decisions.

This dual-role position is ideal for a candidate who combines strong analytical rigor with the ability to translate complex financial and economic data into clear, decision-ready insights for elected officials and senior leadership. The individual will play a critical role in evaluating the fiscal impacts of proposed ordinances, policy initiatives, and programmatic decisions, ensuring Council deliberations are supported by credible, transparent, and well-documented analysis.

The Financial & Economic Analyst / Data Analyst will work closely with Ascension’s Project Manager / Senior Policy Lead and Policy Analyst to integrate quantitative findings into Council memoranda, briefing materials, and presentations. This role is essential to achieving the City’s goal of informed, accountable, and data-supported legislative decision-making.

Candidates should be comfortable working in a dynamic, task-order-driven environment, responding to evolving Council priorities, and exercising independent judgment with minimal supervision.

Summary of the Contractor Role

The Financial & Economic Analyst / Data Analyst provides independent fiscal analysis, economic impact assessment, and quantitative data support for legislative research and Council advisory services. The role supports the City’s need for timely and impartial evaluation of budgetary, economic, and operational implications associated with proposed legislation, policies, and initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented, analytical professional who is highly organized, intellectually curious, and capable of managing multiple analytical requests concurrently. They are self-driven, comfortable working with incomplete or evolving datasets, and skilled at validating assumptions, documenting methodologies, and presenting findings in a clear and defensible manner.

This role supports:

• Fiscal impact analyses for proposed ordinances or policy changes
• Cost-benefit and scenario modeling
• Economic trend analysis relevant to municipal decision-making
• Data validation, synthesis, and visualization
• Development of reproducible analytical tools and models

The analyst is expected to leverage tools such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and other data-analysis platforms to produce transparent, auditable outputs suitable for public-sector use.

Position Responsibilities and Anticipated Activities

The Financial & Economic Analyst / Data Analyst will:

Support Council meetings and work sessions, as needed, by preparing financial summaries or briefing materials
Conduct fiscal impact analyses to assess budgetary implications of proposed legislation, programs, or policy alternatives
Develop cost-benefit, break-even, and scenario-based financial models to evaluate policy options
Analyze economic, demographic, and programmatic data to identify trends and potential impacts on the City
Validate and reconcile data from multiple sources to ensure accuracy and reliability prior to analysis
Document assumptions, methodologies, and limitations to support transparency and auditability
Develop quantitative exhibits, tables, and charts to support Council briefing materials
Create and maintain Excel- or Power BI-based analytical tools that enable repeatable analysis
Collaborate with policy and project management staff to integrate quantitative findings into written reports and presentations
Respond to ad-hoc analytical requests from Council leadership within compressed timeframes