Business Analyst

Role Clarification & Key Performance Areas

The Information & Communication Services (ICS) department of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is seeking to appoint a qualified Business Analyst on a permanent basis to perform a lead role in analysing business needs and translating them into effective technology solutions in support of strategic and operational initiatives.

The successful candidate will elicit, document and validate business requirements; analyse and improve business processes; serve as the link between stakeholders and technical teams; provide management with regular updates and reports; maintain trusting relationships; and identify and manage risks and issues affecting solution delivery.

Reporting to the Manager: IC Project Management Office, the duties and responsibilities of the Business Analyst shall include the following:

• Proactively seeks to understand and translate the organisation’s direction, structure and strategy when completing applicable artefacts (e.g. Business Cases, FRS)
• Planning the business case approach with associated activities and timelines
• Conduct feasibility studies, from a technological and organizational perspective, and document the findings
• Document ‘as is’ and ‘to be’ processes and describe the changes required to migrate to the ‘to be’ capability/state
• Elicit business requirements using a wide variety of methods such as interviews, document analysis, requirements workshops and workflow analysis
• Critically evaluate and analyse information gathered from multiple sources to ensure user requests provided address underlying business needs and provide optimal benefit for UWC
• Plan and execute for a range of business analyst activities required for a project (e.g. Business Requirements Specifications, Functional Requirements Specifications or any activity deemed necessary as part of the Project Management lifecycle methodology)
• Develop requirements specifications according to standard templates, using appropriate business language relevant to the Institution/Business environment
• Work with the Project Manager to break down BA tasks and prioritise in accordance with the project plan
• Clearly articulate the high-level functional, non-functional and transitional requirements to the development team, operational team or Subject Matter Experts
• Facilitate and lead requirements gathering sessions. Apply appropriate techniques to particular situations in order to win over stakeholder commitment and support
• Identify opportunities for business process optimisation and re-engineering
• Act as the link between business units, technology teams and support teams to ensure the solution delivered meets all business needs
• Develop functional test plans and perform functional testing
• Develop user acceptance test packs and facilitate user acceptance sessions to the required outcomes
• Produce documentation to support delivery of system training and conduct training sessions as required

Disclaimer

The above is intended to describe the general nature and level of work a Business Analyst performs. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of staff in this role. All staff may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

Minimum Requirements

• Degree in Information Systems or Computer Science or an NQF 7 equivalent qualification with at least 5 years relevant IT Business Analysis experience
• A recognised industry related Business Analysis certification
• Demonstrable exposure and understanding of the BABOK Framework

Advantageous Requirements

• Exposure to, or Knowledge of projects in the Higher Education sector would be advantageous

Desired Knowledge, Skills And Competencies

• Excellent Communication and Writing Skills
• Project Management exposure and general knowledge of project management lifecycles
• Good technical writing skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent organisational skills
• Strong critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills, including a thorough understanding of how to interpret business needs and translate them into application and operational requirements
• Strong interpersonal, consensus building and influencing skills and the ability to interact with diverse stakeholder groups from executives, senior managers, administrative and academic staff, to technical teams and suppliers
• Good time management skills and the ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Experienced in analysing complex issues and facilitating appropriate solutions
• Demonstrated ability to work both unsupervised and collaboratively within a team to deliver results within agreed deadlines
• Demonstrates Emotional Intelligence and adaptability
• Acts as a positive change agent within the IC department and the broader UWC community
• Delivers engaging, informative, well-organized presentations
• Delivers high-quality, well-constructed, professional documentation and reporting
• Skilled at communicating difficult/sensitive information tactfully

Contact

For any queries, please contact the Human Resources Department at +27 21 959 4063/3642/9362/9708/3160/3756 or email: e-recruitment@uwc.ac.za.

DISCLAIMER

By applying for the position, you consent to the University sharing your application, including curriculum vitae, with University stakeholders to process the application. In line with the University’s commitment to diversifying its workforce, preference will be given to suitably qualified applicants in line with our Employment Equity Targets. The official retirement age at UWC is 65 years. The University reserves the right to not make an appointment, make an appointment at a different level, seek additional candidates and may conduct competency assessments.

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