Business Systems Analyst

Nova 401(k) Associates; Houston (TX); Remote; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, disability, and life–

401(k) plan with employer match

Paid time off

Job summary

Nova 401(k) Associates is seeking a fully remote, seasoned Business Systems Analyst (Product Manager) with deep retirement plan services experience to bridge business stakeholders and developers driving automation initiatives.

The role focuses on translating domain knowledge into clear requirements, robust testing, and automation that improves retirement plan service delivery across plan administration, compliance, and client services.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of 401(k) plan administration experience.
• 3+ years as a business analyst, preferably supporting automation, RPA, or software development initiatives.
• Strong working knowledge of retirement plan types (401(k), 403(b), defined benefit, etc.), ERISA requirements, and recordkeeping operations.
• Strong understanding of business process analysis and workflow mapping methodologies (e.g., BPMN).
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments; familiarity with Jira, Confluence, or Azure DevOps.

Responsibilities

• Partner with business stakeholders to gather, document, and prioritize requirements for automation and process improvement initiatives.
• Translate retirement industry business needs into detailed functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria for the development team.
• Serve as the primary contact for developers to clarify requirements and validate solutions meet specifications.
• Map current-state and design future-state workflows to identify automation opportunities.
• Apply knowledge of retirement plan recordkeeping and ERISA to identify inefficiencies and automation candidates.
• Create and maintain process documentation, workflow diagrams, and requirements traceability matrices.
• Facilitate communication between technical teams, operations, compliance, and stakeholders on scope and timelines.
• Prioritize the automation backlog based on impact, feasibility, risk, and ROI.
• Monitor deployed automations post-launch and collect feedback for enhancements.
• Support change management with training materials and end-user communications.
• Plan and monitor high-impact projects.

Skills

Retirement industry domain knowledge

Business analysis

Requirements gathering

Testing and automation

Education

BA/BS in a relevant field

BA/CCBA/CBAP or retirement credentials (a plus)

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Azure DevOps

Job description

Nova 401(k) Associates is looking for a fully remote, experienced Business Systems Analyst (Product Manager) with a deep background in the retirement plan services industry to join our Automation Department. This role serves as the critical bridge between business stakeholders - which includes plan administration, compliance, and client services - and the developers building new automation solutions. The ideal candidate brings a minimum of 10 years of retirement industry experience and translates domain expertise into clear requirements, robust testing, and automation that meaningfully improves how retirement plan services are delivered.

About Nova

Nova 401(k) Associates is a vibrant and growing national third party, non-producing administration firm. We have a nationally recognized sales team allowing us to grow continuously and provide career advancement opportunities for our professionals.

What Nova Offers You

This position supports a great work-life balance with a 37.5-hour work week, generous PTO, and overtime pay. We also financially support professional designations and offer regular, recurring professional training. We offer a competitive compensation package including medical insurance, dental insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and an HSA.

Job Responsibilities:

• Partner with business stakeholders (Directors for plan administration, compliance, client services) to gather, document, and prioritize requirements for automation and process improvement initiatives
• Translate complex retirement industry business needs (e.g., contribution processing, distributions, plan compliance testing, participant transactions, etc.) into detailed functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria for the development team
• Serve as the primary point of contact for developers to clarify requirements, answer questions, and validate that the built solutions meet specifications
• Map current-state ("as-is") operational processes and design future-state ("to-be") workflows to identify automation opportunities
• Apply deep knowledge of retirement plan recordkeeping, ERISA-driven processes, and industry regulatory requirements to identify inefficiencies, risk points, and candidates for automation
• Create and maintain process documentation, workflow diagrams, and requirements traceability matrices
• Facilitate communication between technical teams, operations, compliance, and business stakeholders, ensuring alignment on scope, timelines, and expectations
• Assist in prioritizing the automation backlog based on business impact, feasibility, regulatory risk, and ROI
• Monitor deployed automations post-launch, gathering feedback from operations and clients, and identifying opportunities for enhancement
• Support change management efforts, including training materials and communication for end users impacted by new automations
• Plan and monitor special or high-impact projects

Qualifications:

• 10+ years of 401(k) plan administration experience
• 3+ years of experience as a business analyst, preferably supporting automation, RPA, or software development initiatives
• Strong working knowledge of retirement plan types (401(k), 403(b), defined benefit, etc.), ERISA requirements, and recordkeeping operations
• Strong understanding of business process analysis and workflow mapping methodologies (e.g., BPMN)
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments; familiarity with tools like Jira, Confluence, or Azure DevOps
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences and vice versa
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound judgment around fiduciary and compliance considerations
• Basic understanding of data structures, APIs, or SQL is a plus
• Jira, Pension PRO, ASC, DGEM, recordkeeping platforms or plan administration systems experience is a plus
• Familiarity with process mining or automation discovery tools
• Certification in Business Analysis (CBAP, CCBA), Agile (CSM, PSM), or retirement industry credentials (QKA, QPA, CEBS) is a plus

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base Salary $100,000 - $140,000
• Medical, dental, disability, and life insurance
• Paid time off
• 401(k) plan with employer match

Work Location/Hours:

• Work from home
• Must work from USA and be authorized to work for any US employer
• We will supply all necessary computer equipment
• You may choose a start time between 7:30 am and 8:30 am