Business Systems Analyst

JOB PURPOSE 
Reporting to the Associate Director, Analytics & Reproting, the Business Systems Analyst is responsible to design and develop reports to extract data from the administrative system using various reporting tools, based on end-user requirements and specifications. Validate and verify accuracy of reports, ensuring that reports are presentation-ready. Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve system related issues. Participate in the analysis of business reporting needs and the implementation of data hygiene strategies in the Division of Development and Alumni Affairs.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Prepare and maintain inventory of existing standard certified reports from various sources (such as COGNOS). Document report specifications including input, output, filters, conditions and styles. 

• Work with end-users within the division to ascertain desired report contents, determine report parameters and perform required analysis to ensure accurate extraction of data from the enterprise data repository to meet the business needs of the end-users. 

• Write ad-hoc reports based on approved user requests using a variety of reporting tools, including COGNOS. Analyze business needs and track ad-hoc report usage to assess and recommend report development priorities for the division. Design, develop, validate, and verify new standard reports.  

• Troubleshoot and facilitate problem resolution for the division's administrative database(s), often in partnership with colleagues from the university's Computing & Information Technology (C&IT) division. 

• Assist with analyzing data sets to identify data integrity issues based on business rules, university policy and best practices for data governance. Identify syntactical and semantic data errors. Recommend solutions to management, and work with colleagues to improve data input and integrity. Participate in regularly scheduled data integrity task force meetings. 

• Assist in the implementation of system upgrades, including testing and validation. Perform regular data maintenance updates and assist in the acquisition and verification of new data and subsequent uploads.  

• Adhere to confidentiality and data usage policy for the division. 

• Special projects and related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

Education: Bachelor's degree 
Additional Education Information: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in information technology, computer science or related field. 

Experience: Experienced 
Additional Experience Information: Minimum of 2 years experience working with relational data and database management systems, preferably in a higher education advancement or nonprofit fundraising environment. 

SQL programming experience required. 

Experience writing reports utilizing COGNOS, or similar reporting tools.

Professional understanding of, or interest in, Development and Alumni Affairs best practices and general operations. 

Positive and collaborative professional philosophy, recognizing that this position is integral to the achievement of the goals and objectives of Development and Alumni Affairs. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES REQUIRED 
COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orally and in writing. Strong interpersonal skills are a must. Experience communicating with professionals from varying industries. 

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and plan work activities while meeting respective deadlines. Strong organizational and time-management skills. 

ANALYTICAL AND PRESENTATION SKILLS: Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complex information effectively in professionally prepared documents or presentations. Must possess a demonstrated attention to detail in order to achieve a high degree of accuracy. 

TECHNICAL SKILLS: Proficient in the use of complex administrative systems software, preferrably in the higher education or nonprofit environment. Proficient with Microsoft Office suite. Demonstrated ability to translate user requirements into technical specifications and systems. 

LEARNING AGILITY: Independent and innovative self-starter who displays an ability to learn quickly and easily adapts to changing situations. Experience researching topics to gain knowledge and understanding when information gaps exist. 

TEAMWORK: Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues within the division and other units to gain full understanding of the project and desired outcome. Ability to produce high quality and consistent results with assistance of team members. Provide support to teammates when tackling complex projects. 

This position requires a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. The incumbent must be willing to work extended hours as needed.