IT Business Systems Analyst - Store Systems
Charlotte, NC, United States
Ref#: 1084523
Date published: 23-Mar-2015
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The Business Systems Analyst (BSA) works as the liaison between IT and an assigned business area(s). The role of the BSA is to build, demonstrate, and maintain a detailed knowledge of the business functions, processes and controls in place in the assigned business area. The BSA must maintain a familiarity with current business issues, objectives, and strategies of the assigned area and recognize issues and opportunities to optimally apply technology to enhance existing or build new business capabilities.
The BSA works closely with business users and the IT Manager to identify, prioritize, and complete systems projects for the assigned area. The BSA completes assigned projects of moderate to high complexity following assigned roles and documentation tasks from the Belk IT Operating Model and Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC )including project definition / request; business cost and benefits preparation, requirements definition, review of design documents, user test planning and review, defect tracking, pilot, rollout, and project closure tasks. The BSA applies the SDLC in a logical and reasonable manner identifying opportunities for tailoring the process to the specific project needs and obtaining approval for this tailoring with IT management and service providers.
The BSA provides input to portfolio management and project management and planning activities. This is done by providing estimates for BSA and user related tasks, assisting in documenting business or IT benefits, documenting project requests in IT standard tools/ practices, and providing input as to relative priority and benefits of project requests.
The BSA role is one that requires an ability to work independently and build and maintain strong working relationships with Belk IT service providers, and business users. The BSA must be sensitive to the business and contractual relationships that Belk IT has with these organizations. The BSA role requires tact, diplomacy and strong written and verbal communication skills to address audiences from entry level to executive employees. BSA’s must demonstrate critical thinking skills, sound judgment, and an ability to influence others over whom there is no direct authority.
- Business Research – Conduct research and analysis of the assigned business area and functions both within Belk and across the retail industry. Understand all facets of and serve as an SME for business operations and industry practices in assigned areas.
- Planning – Carry out detailed research within Belk and throughout the industry as a basis for strategic and tactical systems planning.
- Project Identification – Identify opportunities to address the systems aspects of issues, objectives and strategies in the assigned business area. Work with the IT director to organize these opportunities into logical manageable IT projects/ tasks.
- Project Planning/ Request – Translate abstract business requests into tangible manageable IT projects with estimates, benefits and project approaches. Estimates and re-estimates Belk project effort as project scope and degree of knowledge/ certainty changes as outlined in the Belk IT Operating Model.
- SDLC/Governance - Comply with and demonstrate a sound knowledge of Belk’s systems development methodology for assigned projects and tasks. Appropriately tailor SDLC based on IT guidelines for project size and complexity. Strong adherence to Belk governance and portfolio management practices is required.
- Systems Requirements Definition – Gather and analyzes business, security, performance, and control needs from business and IT subject matter experts and translates them into proper system requirement specifications. Formally document and prioritize requirements to provide a basis for cost-benefit/feasibility studies and future development. Assure user approval with requirements included for development project activity. Handle any required PCR’s.
- System Design - Work with solution delivery providers to ensure requirements are correctly mapped through all stages of the SDLC. Reviews and advises on system application and technical design.
- Testing - Establish strategy for critical function and User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Performs critical function testing and facilitates the UAT planning and testing process with business users and IT service providers. Ensures test conditions for new requirements are created, tested, and incorporated into regression testing plans for future work. Ensures a coordinated testing defect capture, tracking, and resolution process with IT service providers and business users.
- Piloting/Implementation Planning – Coordinate UAT sign-off, pilot planning and implementation with IT service providers and business partners. Provides support for initial pilot installation.
- Project Management Input – Provide updates and feedback to IT Manager on progress on Belk tasks for inclusion in status reporting and project management efforts.
- Cost / Benefit/Feasibility Studies – Carry out detailed analysis and research and produce formal reports for management.
- Consultant - Provide consulting on assigned areas and systems to business and IT. On a management exception basis provides third level production support for assigned systems.
· College or university degree in Information Systems, Business Management, Computer Science or related field strongly preferred.
· 3-5 years experience with systems development methodologies, definition, systems design and systems testing
· Experience with Retail Store IT projects serving as a business analyst or related role.
· 2 years experience in a structured project management environment with a demonstrated appreciation for disciplined project management
· Knowledge of design tools including Visio
· Exceptional verbal, written and communication skills.
· Experience with relational databases and knowledge of SQL
· Ability to think on both broad and detailed levels
· Ability to work in a highly collaborative environment
· Experience with user-centered design methodologies
· Strong presentation skills
· High tolerance for ambiguity matched with desire to organize it
· Experience in Retail Store Systems, specifically Point of Sale and Payment solutions
· Experience in Associate Mobility, Web and Kiosk Retail Applications, and Digital Media solutions is highly desirable.
· Computer skills:
Ø Experience with Microsoft Project, automated portfolio and project tracking tools, and automated testing tools.
Ø Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint) and system documentation tools required.
Ø Experience as a developer preferred.
For reasonable accommodation information for an ADAAA qualified disability please see Belk Associate Handbook for policy and procedures.
