Business Analyst

The Business Analyst provides solutions to new business unit ideas, trends, and concepts using the latest technological solutions. The Business Analyst will perform a variety of critical tasks to support the day-to-day operations of Advancement at the University of New Hampshire, helping to shape the development of one of the nation’s best public universities.

Job Duties

Analysis and Decision Support:

• Participate in the identification of appropriate vendor supplied software solutions to meet institutional needs, and in the implementation of maintenance releases and modifications to existing application software.
• Gather requirements through meetings, workshops, surveys, and conversations with end-users to acquire information in the analysis of problems to synthesize reporting, business process, and customization/enhancement needs.
• Perform additional research in support of final decisions by maintaining familiarity with industry standards, best-practices, and fostering and utilizing a network of peers nationally in other Advancement organizations.
• Analyze and evaluate business needs in order to create high-quality functional specifications to be used by development teams when developing solutions.
• Use in-depth knowledge of both the information systems available, and business processes and practices when determining constraints, limitations and criteria to be followed in implementing recommended solutions.
• Develop detailed output mock-ups and process flow diagrams to capture current and future state business processes to be used in specifications for reports and other technical solutions.
• Ensure that end-users’ needs are articulated as fully and concisely as possible and that the development team and end-users are on the same page regarding requests. Assist in and lead all aspects of implementation of determined solutions.
  
  

Project Management

• Provide leadership to projects and project teams as assigned, such as developing project plans and specifications, coordinating project team efforts ensuring timely delivery of properly functioning application software, developing and maintaining project management information and documentation, participating in the design and development of support structures, involving human resources as well as technical solutions, that ensure the on-going successful operation of application systems for University Advancement.
  
  

Documentation, Training, And End-user Support

• Organize and/or present short courses and training sessions, including training to key users in application system functionality.
• Develop documentation, such as documentation for the implementation of new or modified application software and business processes.
• Assist in maintaining comprehensive policy and procedure documentation for Advancement as it relates to the use of all business systems implemented in the division.
• Act as an ad-hoc resource for user questions and smaller scale system challenges.
  
  

Quality Assurance

• Develop test plans for Advancement Information Systems products such as new reports, data feeds, customizations, enhancements, and newly implemented modules and software products to verify that they function as specified.
• Develop test plans for system upgrades and patches to verify that data integrity remains intact and that system performance is not negatively affected. Investigate potential bugs to determine and document the cause and possible solutions.
  
  

Innovation/Implementation

• Identify best methods to improve the quality of our systems.
• Benchmark the use of new methods at other institutions and investigate the pros and cons of implementing them within University Advancement.
• Assist with project planning and coordination when it is determined that it is best to proceed with a new technology or technique (e.g. bar-coding; document imaging; automated NCOA (national change of address) processes; zip-code vendors and automation; phonathon automation; online giving improvement, etc).
• Advise on appropriate prioritization of queued projects.
  
  

Qualifications

• Associate degree and 2 years as a business/systems analyst, or Bachelor’s degree and 4 years’ experience, or combination education/experience equal to 5 years.
• Experience with donor and information management system/database is highly desirable. Familiarity with requirements gathering/documentation techniques, testing and quality assurance practices.
• Familiarity with relational databases; expertly skilled in Microsoft Office suite.
• Excellent customer service and analytical skills and the ability to think strategically.
• Experience in writing scopes of work, specifications, and representing the functional needs of end-users on technical projects.
• Ability to translate between technical and non-technical staff.
• Will need to quickly and independently learn UNH-specific policies, procedures, and terminology, including fundraising/development/alumni relations vocabulary and business practices.
• Familiarity with Advancement/Development and Alumni Relations practices, strategies, and industry standards is strongly preferred.
• High attention to detail.
  
  

Applicant Required Documents

• Resume/CV Cover Letter
• Contact for 3 Professional References
  
  

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.