Business Analyst Associate

Department: WCAS IT Solutions
Salary/Grade: ITS/77

Job Summary:

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, at the heart of Northwestern University, seeks an analytical and collaborative Business Analyst Associate that has strong customer service orientation, excellent writing skills, and the initiative to broaden and deepen technical and consultative skills. The Associate Analyst supports Weinberg College IT Solutions (WITS), a unit that provides high-impact solutions facilitating research, enhancing teaching and learning, and improving administration and business process. The new role will contribute to the design, implementation, support/maintenance, and enhancement of College and University enterprise, vendor and in-house developed applications; document functional requirements; analyze and communicate business needs; translate functional into technical requirements; validate solutions and troubleshoot technical problems; support process improvement; and support the rest of the team with project management.

This is a full-time position that is eligible for remote work, more information will be discussed during the interview. The target hiring range for this position will be between $65,120 - $81,400 per year. The salary offered will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Stakeholder Engagement and Requirements Gathering: Partners with and supports other analysts, end users and peers, and College leadership to document and analyze functional requirements, identify gaps and alternative approaches to meet requirements; works with functional users and technical staff to determine best approaches for projects and for system design and configuration.
• Business Process Analysis and Improvement: Collaborates with faculty, staff, and administrators to identify needs; conducts interviews and writes surveys to gather requirements for new systems or processes; translates diverse academic and administrative perspectives into clear, actionable requirements; identifies simple use cases.
• System Support: Collaborates with other technical and administrative staff to analyze and resolve basic production issues in a timely manner; enters basic software configurations to meet user needs.
• Project Support and Change Management: Collaborates with stakeholders and IT staff to implement project plans; ensures all project deliverables are completed and that approved solutions are implemented in a timely and accurate fashion; assists in planning and scope definition; documents functional specifications, test cases, and acceptance criteria; supports user acceptance testing (UAT); facilitates training and adoption of new systems among non-technical faculty and staff.
• Communication: Communicates, in writing and other modes, to both large and small audiences clear and non-technical messages about technical enhancements or changes; creates training materials; ensures a shared understanding among IT staff and end users; acts as "translator" between technical and non-technical staff and faculty.
• Data Analysis and Reporting: Assists other analysts and Dean's Office staff with data governance and data literacy initiatives; contributes to data-informed decision making in the College.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as computer science, information technology, or the liberal arts; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines
• Strong customer service orientation
• Ability to develop highly collaborative working relationships
• Analytical and problem-solving experience
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Proficiency with learning new technologies quickly
• Experience preferred in information technology within higher education or a similar environment

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Familiarity with Microsoft SharePoint or Entra (Active Directory)
• Ability to prepare business requirements and write training documentation for a wide range of users
• Familiarity with Cascade or WordPress
• Familiarity with Smartsheet, Microsoft Power Automate, or other workflow/automation tools
• Familiarity with html and/or content management systems (CMS)
• Familiarity with any of the following: Python, R, Shell, SQL

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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