Senior Business Analyst

Ithemba Recruitment; Durban; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Ithemba Recruitment is seeking a Senior Business Analyst in Durban to analyse, document and update business requirements for product processes, procedures and systems. You will liaise with stakeholders to ensure solutions align with business strategy and drive value.

You will manage projects, document requirements, use cases and test plans, collaborate with developers and QA, and actively seek process improvements while balancing cost, risk and schedule constraints.

Qualifications

• Relevant Degree/Diploma.
• Min 5 years of experience in business analysis or a related field.
• Experience on large-scale projects and handling day-to-day operational requests.
• Experience documenting and implementing complex projects aligned with business vision.
• Strong project management and relationship-building skills.
• Understanding of indices, fundamentals and analytical data.
• Knowledge of data analysis and interpretation.
• Proficiency with SQL and Microsoft Excel.
• Experience with development and interpretation of reports.
• Familiarity with design tools such as Visio and Firstmap.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate up-to-date expertise in Information Systems and advise on best practices.
• Support and align efforts to meet customer and business needs.
• Manage customer relationships and keep stakeholders updated on project results.
• Lead or participate in multiple projects with documented scope and milestones.
• Escalate appropriately and manage customer and supplier relationships.
• Analyze and design complex business and systems processes for quality improvement.
• Support implementation of business solutions by engaging with stakeholders.
• Produce project analysis documentation (BRD, scope matrix, use cases, UAT plan).
• Collaborate with developers to implement requirements and support QA.
• Identify improvement opportunities and document requirements clearly.
• Assess process inefficiencies and ensure data reliability.
• Develop project schedules, track milestones and provide timely reporting.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration to enhance delivery and innovation.
• Identify and reduce wastage and risks across operations.

Skills

SQL

Microsoft Excel

Stakeholder management

Project management

Requirements gathering

Education

Relevant Degree/Diploma

Tools

Visio

Firstmap

Job description

About the job Senior Business Analyst

Purpose:

Analyse, document and update business requirements for product processes, procedures and systems.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Demonstrate up-to-date expertise in Information Systems and apply this to the development, execution and improvement of action plans by providing advice and guidance to others in the application of information and best practices.
• Support and align efforts to meet customer and business needs.
• Manage customer relationships and expectations by developing a communication process to keep others up-to-date on project results
• Lead or participate in multiple projects by completing and updating project documentation; managing project scope; adjusting schedules when necessary; determining daily priorities; ensuring efficient and on-time delivery of project tasks and milestones;
• following proper escalation paths and managing customer and supplier relationships.
• Identify, create and facilitate process design changes by conducting business and systems process analysis and design at a complex level; focusing on quality improvement and data management; ensuring data is reliable and valid; developing process improvements or re-engineering and recommending elimination; integrating new systems and processes with existing ones; and partnering with internal and external customers to ensure systems provided meet the long-term business strategies.
• Provide and support the implementation of business solutions by building relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders; identifying business needs; determining and carrying out necessary processes and practices; monitoring progress and results; recognising and capitalising on improvement opportunities; and adapting to competing demands, organisational changes and new responsibilities.
• Provide project-level analysis producing required project analysis documentation (business requirements, scope matrix, use cases, sequence diagrams, future state proposals, UAT plan).
• Collaborate closely with developers to implement the requirements and provide necessary guidance to testers during the QA process.
• Identify improvement opportunities (proactive and reactive).
• Elicit and clearly document business and systems requirements.
• Assess business process and system inefficiencies.
• Demonstrated fluency in business processes and process differentiation.
• Ability to analyse and synthesise business requirements, including recognising patterns and conceptualising processes.
• Understand and negotiate the needs and expectations of multiple stakeholders.
• Create and maintain issue logs, meeting minutes, meeting schedules, project summaries and updates.
• Create and maintain project schedules by developing project plans and specifications, estimating time and resources, monitoring milestone completion, tracking all phases of the project lifecycle, providing timely reporting of issues that impact project progress, coordinating actions and resolving conflicts.
• Focus on providing optimal services and improving service delivery processes to meet or exceed customer expectations
• Build working relationships across teams and functional lines to enhance work delivery, collaboration and innovation
• Prevent wastage and identify process improvements to contain and reduce costs
• Improve efficiencies by reviewing assigned business processes to identify and address operational, financial and technological risks

Qualifications and experience:

• Relevant Degree/Diploma.
• Min 5 years of experience in business analysis or a related field.
• Must have experience working on large-scale projects as well as handling day-to-day operational requests from the business.
• Experience in documenting and implementing complex and/ or multiple projects/ initiatives in line with business vision and strategy
• Strong project management, ability to successfully manage multiple tasks at any given point, as well as strong relationship-building and communication skills.
• Understanding of Indices, fundamentals and analytical data, returns level data etc.
• Knowledge of data analysis and interpretation
• Must have proficiency with SQL and Microsoft Excel.
• Experience with development and interpretation of reports
• Strong knowledge and use of design process tools (e.g. Visio, Firstmap)