Business Analyst

Job DetailsJob Summary:

• Responsible for investigating business systems, identifying options for improving business systems and bridging the needs of the business with the use of IT. Act as a consultant and review all documents on project teams. In addition to the Business Analyst and Business Analyst II roles, use deep practical experience and experience with a variety of complex projects to work independently as well as mentors others on large projects and take full responsibility for project work. Accountable for large scope projects that often involve multiple business functions and business units. The project work often involves a high level of business risk thus requiring a resource that uses sound independent judgment.

• As a rule act as a liaison among stakeholders on large (8000 hrs effort) size projects that may have a budget up to $500,000. These projects that impact multiple business units and functions and are time critical to the organization; project s may also involve vendor relationships that must be coordinated by the business analyst.
• Develop business analysis plan approach, estimates and communication plan for each assignment.
• Define the organization's goals in relationship to overall companies business objectives; use collaboration and investigative work to identify accurate requirements.
• Analyze Current State Processes and Systems using a variety of techniques like Dataflow Diagrams, Functional Decomposition, Interviews and Analysis of Metrics and Key Performance Indicators.
• Act as the subject matter expert and mentor other less experienced Business Analysts in using different elicitation and documentation techniques; perform mentoring on all Business Analysis activities when needed.
• Work closely with Business Partners/Product Owners at all levels in the organization to: proactively define business requirements, complete backlog grooming, define acceptance criteria, and collaborate with other stakeholders related to requirements.
• Facilitate structured process improvement events (example - Value Stream Mapping).
• Use a variety of techniques like User Stories, Use Cases, and Diagrams in requirements documentation.
• Manage project scope and risks by recommending and negotiating solutions and effectively communicating with the Project Manager in a timely manner; make recommendations for product enhancements.
• Define the future state related to projects for both internal and external Stakeholders and advocate on behalf of all stakeholders.
• Participate in projects utilizing external consultants and being cognizant of the need for different communication styles and processes.
• Facilitate creation and documentation of abstract models depicting enterprise capability maturity, organizational structure and services.
• Identify project risks and coordinate with the project team and stakeholders to mitigate effectively.
• Choose appropriate requirements facilitation approach based on the project and stakeholders, i.e. Brainstorming, Workshops, Focus Groups and Interviews.
• Clearly define Business, Stakeholder, Solution (Functional & Non-Functional) and Transition requirements.
• See projects through to implementation and follow-up with stakeholders to confirm objectives were met.
• Manage the issue log and oversee the successful escalation and assignment of issues related to business requirements delivery.
• Act as a partner with technical development staff and Quality Assurance to confirm understanding related to requirements; collaborate with other project members during technical design and test planning to insure overall coverage and understanding.
• Act as a liaison between Business Users and IT to ensure constant communication cycle with these parties throughout the life of the project. Embrace, adapt and lead through change, fostering effective partnerships and driving effective collaboration with peers and vendor resources.
• Ensure that appropriate documentation is kept current and meets all internal controls requirements related to content and approval.
• Proactively manage change throughout the lifecycle of the project by communicating with project team, evaluating impact, updating documentation and negotiating alternatives.
• Maintain a positive, professional, attitude among team members; remain flexible and adjust to multiple tasks and circumstances; develop business analysis standards, review and edit standard operating procedures.
• Support career development; seek industry, technology, and job related educational opportunities; increase knowledge of insurance industry and business processes by the use of training or reading material and presenting information to peers and manager; enhance and continuously upgrade technology skills and apply to daily work; seek best practices in areas of analysis and technology; improve efficiency and quality in projects and in the business analysis discipline.
• Commitment to embrace shared values (Respect, Accountability, Integrity, and Openness)
• As stated within the Company Attendance and Punctuality policy, regular attendance is required and expected in order to meet the business service levels and workflow demands.

• Carrier or Distributor experience working with one or all of following vendor applications: Firelight(Insurance Technologies), Affirm(Ipipeline) and Annuity Net(Ebix)
• Experience with VTXML, XML and experience with executing Product and form updates within these vendor platforms.
• Annuity Product knowledge
• Bachelor's Degree Business or related field from a four-year accredited university; consideration will be given to past Business Analysis experience, certifications, and Financial Services background required
• 7-10 years previous appropriate work experience required
• Minimum 2 years' Experience facilitating formal process improvement activities preferred
• Previous Business Analysis experience or leadership experience in the financial services industry preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including strong questioning and listening skills and the ability to look beyond obvious answers to understand the impact across the organization
• Ability to quickly obtain the knowledge of systems, the business and related technology processes and apply knowledge to current project work.
• Ability to deal with complex situations holistically
• Confidence in problem solving, decision making
• Ability to work on large scale strategic initiatives that cross business units, sometimes serving as the key Business Analyst on a team of many analysts
• Proven problem solving, decision making, and process thinking skills
• Strong analytical skills, and the desire and ability to research and formulate appropriate analytical technology or resolve problem situations
• Ability to independently perform data mining and apply analysis techniques to assigned projects
• Proven teamwork skills and ability to interact well with others; ability to work with and communicate to a variety of personalities and locations
• Self-motivated, and ability to work independently and effectively under deadline pressures
• Organized and detail oriented
• Ability to understand and utilize concepts and techniques such as work simplification, workflow and process analysis, etc
• Proficient use of the Microsoft suite of products and other Business Analysis Tools as necessary
• Ability to lead teams and resolve conflicts in problem solving and decision making using emotional intelligence to move the project forward
• Ability and willingness to change in support of the best possible results for the organization
• Ability to diagram with appropriate tools for the situation and present to the project team and stakeholders
• Robust knowledge of the skills, techniques and competencies outlined by the IIBA is preferred
• Ability to work with a variety of people at all levels in the organization
• Criminal background check required.