Your New Job: Shaping Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Future

This year, the Puerto Rico Government and the Financial Oversight and Management Board are implementing a co-leadership model to develop a consensual budget for Puerto Rico in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget, OMB. The goal of this new model is to begin the transfer of knowledge, processes, and responsibilities for fiscal and budget matters to the government.

Part of that transfer is a workforce reform plan developed by the OMB and the Oversight Board that is focused on key fiscal areas such as budgeting, planning, and federal funds management. In recent weeks, OMB posted several attractive positions to find the right people who will have the opportunity to help shape the way for Puerto Rico’s Government and the Island’s future.

Why are these new OMB postings important? 

In previous years, the Government provided data that informed revenue projections, and the Oversight Board determined the parameters of the Government’s expenses consistent with the Fiscal Plan for Puerto Rico. In the severe fiscal crisis, this was important and necessary to achieve fiscal responsibility as mandated under PROMESA. But given Puerto Rico’s current stability and the Oversight Board’s determination to provide a path for its own exit, the Government is taking on this responsibility again.

Making sure OMB is sufficiently staffed is a key element of this transition. The OMB professionals are key to sustainable fiscal stability that will keep Puerto Rico from falling back into crisis and to achieving the goals of PROMESA. That is why the agency is now hiring professionals with expertise in specific budget reform areas. The Oversight Board’s 2025 Annual Report had also outlined capacity building as an area of focus in budgeting and planning and the new positions will strengthen OMB’s service delivery to generate consecutive balanced budgets under modified-accrual accounting and help the Government to regain access to capital markets.

Hiring for Puerto Rico’s long-term fiscal stability

OMB is hiring specialized professionals in economic analysis, financial planning, management of federal funds, and capital and debt management, with the ability to advise the strategic decision-making of the Government of Puerto Rico. The first 10 professionals OMB is searching for to lead the budgeting processes for Puerto Rico would fill one of the following vacancies:

1. Confidential Assistant Director – Federal Funds
2. Confidential Assistant Director – Capital and Debt Planning 
3. Confidential Assistant Director – Financial Plan and Expenses
4. Confidential Assistant Director – Economic Forecasting and Revenue
5. Confidential Technical Advisor – Financial Planning
6. Confidential Technical Advisor – In Statistics and Data
7. Confidential Technical Advisor – Federal Funds
8. ‍Confidential Technical Advisor – Capital and Debt Planning
9. Confidential Technical Advisor – Economic Income Forecast
10. Senior Data Scientist

These OMB jobs were recently posted on Empleos.pr.gov and include a variety of roles and responsibilities, ranging from technical to executive leadership positions. Filling these will strengthen OMB’s ability to plan, coordinate, supervise and evaluate budget and fiscal activities throughout Government agencies.

Innovative Capacity Building at OMB

The Government and the Oversight Board worked together to identify the needs at OMB to then determine which positions would be essential to creating the ideal workforce for the agency. Through the Civil Service Reform framework the Oversight Board and the Government have been implementing in several agencies, job descriptions were developed balancing accountability with flexibility, and a hiring plan leveraging technology and strategic sourcing was put in place. This approach is intended to:

• Create a more organized and more flexible hiring process
• Follow an open market process for civil service positions
• Expedite recruitment of the appropriate candidates to establish a highly qualified workforce
• Ensure the candidates with the required skills for the role are hired

This new fiscal unit will be working with the existing teams at OMB and with the Oversight Board to create new processes, models and systems that need to be built from the ground up.

Joining OMB’s workforce is a strategic investment in Puerto Rico’s fiscal future

Given their unique “start-up” characteristic and job functions, nine out of the ten are trust positions, as appointed positions are called in Puerto Rico.  However, once those key foundational elements have been established within OMB and there is greater clarity around agency responsibilities in the future, the trust positions will convert to career-track positions to ensure the continuity of the fiscal accountability needed in this agency. The professionals hired today will help shape this process and define OMB’s future, and, of course, have the opportunity to apply to continue their work as part of the future career workforce. 

Laying the Foundation for Permanent Budget Reforms

These new positions will help define and implement Puerto Rico’s broader budget reform for a post-fiscal crisis Puerto Rico, and prepare the Government for the Oversight Board’s departure. Having the opportunity to build new processes, models and systems, this group will lay the foundation that will define the Island’s budget process for years to come. 

Candidates stepping into these roles will gain hands-on experience in government budgeting, public finance, and debt management. They will have the potential to build a complete understanding of fiscal governance in Puerto Rico, and at the same time, contribute to true, lasting change on the Island. OMB will also provide access to professional development opportunities, including:

• Mentorship from peers within their field in other U.S. jurisdictions
• Collaboration with different fiscal planning institutions and teams, including the Oversight Board’s Fiscal Transformation Team
• Specialized training to help institutionalize budget reforms and fiscally responsible practices

What is the Office of Management and Budget for Puerto Rico?

OMB advises the Puerto Rico governor, Legislative Assembly, and government agencies on fiscal matters, budgets, administration of funds, and more. OMB is responsible for submitting the governor’s General Fund budget proposal, ensuring that the execution and administration of the budget is legally and fiscally sound, and evaluating the activities of public agencies in terms of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. Additional responsibilities include validating the availability of funds for legislative measures and incorporating new approaches into budgetary and administrative processes.

OMB is the main government agency responsible for budget development, budget management, and the financial plan for the Puerto Rico Government. OMB also coordinates the collaboration with multiple other agencies and government entities involved in Puerto Rico’s budget process.