Business Systems Analyst, Information Technology (MF)

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation seeks a Business Systems Analyst in Information Technology to translate business needs into actionable software requirements.

The role focuses on collaboration with project teams, stakeholders, and vendors to design, implement, and improve technology solutions across Slate, Salesforce, and related systems. The BSA will manage backlogs, serve as Product Owner, document workflows, run meetings, and support data management, testing, and training.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• A minimum of five years of professional IT experience; plus, three years of Business Systems Analysis and Project Management or coordination experience.
• Broad IT domain experience in two or more IT areas (Application Development, SaaS Application Implementation, Architecture, Project Management, or Quality Assurance).
• Previous Agile framework experience acting as a Product Owner.
• Knowledge of a CRM (Slate strongly preferred, Salesforce) application and its capabilities including data management, query and report building, mailings, and form creation.
• Previous project experience with Business Intelligence report design, Cloud/SaaS environment, and website design and development.
• Knowledge of project management principles and methodology.
• Professional and effective written and oral communication skills.
• Able to effectively converse with, listen to, and collaborate with all levels of users to understand their environment and the impact of system changes.

Responsibilities

• Define the business needs that will drive the product features roadmap.
• Manage and prioritize user stories in the product backlog.
• Promote and follow the Foundation’s Governance process to achieve strategic objectives.
• Provide project management/coordination and change management for small to medium-sized projects.
• Act as a Product Owner for products and/or services in various stages of the life cycle.
• Perform data management analysis for clean-up, migration, and report building.
• Manage ongoing relationship with project team members and key stakeholders.
• Coordinate product delivery by participating in design reviews and walk-throughs.
• Engage with subject matter experts to incorporate usability and user interface needs.
• Work with vendors to define statements of work, manage relationships, and monitor vendor deliverables.
• Understand and mitigate obstacles to achieving business results.
• Create and execute test scripts to validate new system functionality or enhancements.
• Create and update training materials including user guides and lead training delivery.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Business analysis

Project management

Agile Product Owner

Stakeholder communication

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Slate CRM

Salesforce

Job description

Business Systems Analyst, Information Technology (MF)

Posted on August 04, 2020

About Us

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including over-incarceration , global climate change , nuclear risk , and significantly increasing financial capital for the social sector . In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program , the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy, as well as the strength and vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago .

MacArthur is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. Organizations supported by the Foundation work in about 50 countries. In addition to Chicago, MacArthur has offices in India , Mexico , and Nigeria .

About the Position

The Information Technology team is responsible for supplying and supporting all technology and systems used by the Foundation. The core team’s capabilities include project management, application development and support, cyber security, and end user support. The team works with suppliers, consultants, and software vendors to provide a global set of solutions for the Foundation.
The Business Systems Analyst (BSA) builds trust and forms positive, productive relationships with project team members and all stakeholders. His/her work will include gaining an understanding of the business needs and processes through observation and discussion with key team members; once identified the BSA will translate these requirements into use cases, stories, workflows, specifications and designs from which applications and solutions are configured and/or developed. The BSA acts as a liaison for end users and ensures that their needs are documented and appropriately provides coaching for various projects and service implementations, including a client’s role and responsibilities within the Agile methodology. The BSA will run various project meetings; produces status reports, and documents risks, issues, and action items. The BSA also acts as a Product Owner for various assigned products and will lead the Continuous Improvements process to support products and services (for example, Slate, Salesforce, TheLoop, Reporting) for specific teams (for example, Fellows, Communications, People & Culture). He/She coordinates activities with the Manager of the PMO, vendor project manager, support lead, training lead, and technical lead on communication, training, and launch planning to ensure a positive user experience and successful adoption of new services. The BSA must be able to effectively communicate and partner with staff at all levels of the organization including managing directors and team leads to meet functional needs with technology solutions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Works with assigned team members to define the business needs that will drive the product features roadmap
• Manages and prioritizes user stories in the product backlog to ensure that high-value features are delivered
• Promotes and follows the Foundation’s Governance process to achieve strategic objectives
• Provides project management/coordination and change management for small to medium-sized projects including the creation of work plans, communication and change management plans, detailed project documentation, running project meetings, creating status reports, and tracking risks, issues, and action items
• Acts as a Product Owner for products and/or services in various stages of the life cycle
• Perform data management analysis for clean-up, migration, and report building to support business needs
• Manages ongoing relationship with project team members and key stakeholders to elicit feedback and provide transparency into IT delivery
• Coordinates product delivery by participating in design reviews and walk-throughs to communicate systems designs and validate proposed solutions
• Engages with subject matter experts to incorporate usability and user interface needs when designing systems
• Works with vendors to define statements of work, manages relationships, and monitors vendor deliverables to ensure quality and a positive business outcome
• Understands and recognizes obstacles to achieving business results and ensures that the appropriate mitigating actions are being taken to resolve any impediments
• Creates and executes test scripts to validate new system functionality or enhancements
• Creates and updates training materials including user guides, workflows, and self-service training; leads training delivery
• Performs other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field
• A minimum of five years of professional IT experience; plus, three years of Business Systems Analysis and Project Management or coordination experience
• Broad IT domain experience in two or more of the following IT areas: Application Development, SaaS Application Implementation, Architecture, Project Management, or Quality Assurance
• Previous Agile framework experience acting as a Product Owner
• Knowledge of a CRM (Slate strongly preferred, Salesforce) application and its capabilities including data management, query and report building, mailings, and form creation
• Previous project experience with Business Intelligence report design, Cloud/SaaS environment, and website design and development
• Knowledge of project management principles and methodology
• Professional and effective written and oral communication skills
• Able to effectively converse with, listen to, and collaborate with all levels of users to understand their environment and the impact of system changes
• Self-starter with initiative who can manage multiple tasks, work independently, and adapt and respond quickly to opportunities for increased and more effective services
• Able to apply principles, practices, and procedures and complete moderately complex assignments with knowledge of Business Systems Analysis
• Understanding of policy and the application of policies to Information Technology activities

Term & Location:

The position is for a three-year term. The position is currently remote but, in the future, will require commuting to the Chicago office.