Sphera, the former Operational Excellence and Risk Management business of IHS Inc. (“Company”) is a leading global provider of enterprise software and services that enable companies to manage and optimize their environmental, health, safety and sustainability (“EHS&S”) processes. Amongst a wide variety of use cases, the software allows customers to standardize and automate processes such as incident reporting, to monitor emissions and ensure regulatory compliance and to track chemical inventory throughout a manufacturing cycle. The company was recently spun off by IHS and acquired by Genstar Capital, essentially positioning it as a $100MM start up.

Title:Information Technology (IT) Business Analyst (BA)

Summary:

• The IT Business Analyst is responsible for identifying areas where changes are needed in business plans and then monitoring the impact of such changes in increasing profit of the firm. The IT Business Analyst researches and documents requirements and works in collaboration with the IT department to deliver requirements. Business analysts are the professionals who can bring about positive change in the technology, functionality, and operating features for the enterprise software.

• IT Business Analysts understand business process management and business requirements of the customers and translate them to specific software requirements. Business Analysts make sure that the recommended solution meets the customer’s need yet competitive. Document and analyze the required information and data. Understand the technical designs as well as the specifications. Evaluate the information gathered through workshops and surveys, business process description and task analysis. Effectively communicate with internal teams and external clients to deliver functional requirements like GUI, screen and interface designs.

• IT Business Analysts must have very strong technical skills coupled with business intelligence and a deep understanding of customer's needs so that they can be transformed into application and operational requirements. Act as an interface between business units, technology teams and support teams.

Specific Job Duties:

• Evaluate the data collected through task analysis, business process, surveys and workshops. Provide suggestions to the development team during the development stage of product to meet the client’s business needs. Prepare accurate and detailed requirement specifications documents, user interface guides, and functional specification documents.

• Communicate effectively with external clients and internal teams to deliver product’s functional requirements like screen, interface, and GUI designs. Document the acquired results of analysis and workflows as well as obtaining sign-off from the appropriate client.

• Design and execute the test scripts and test scenarios. Coordinate with the groups of business unit who test, validate, evaluate new applications and functions, and determine issues in services and software. Manage any change requests related to the working project plans daily to meet the agreed deadlines.

• Present, demonstrate, and provide training of functionality to internal and external customers.

Required Education:

• Bachelors in Computer Science, Business related, Environmental Sciences with a technical background/experience, or equivalent experience.

• Project Management Certification is a plus.

Required Experience:

• 3+ years experience as a business analyst or equivalent experience.

• At least 1 year in a technical role which requires technical thinking and converting technical aspects into requirements.

• Must be able to effectively communicate technical information to both technical and non-technical personnel.

• Experience in AGILE environment with constantly changing goals, timelines and resources.

• Advanced skills in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Power Point, and Excel.

• Solid mathematical aptitude and effective project management skills.

• Ability to analyze and document complex business processes.

• Ability to make effective decisions under pressure.

• Ability to think analytically and should be a problem solver.

• Ability to gather and interpret relevant data and information.

Other skills:

• Knowledge of Department of Defense procedures and processes is a plus.

• Knowledge of Environmental and Logistics Processes is a plus.

• Demonstrated ability to listen to inform and to understand conversation to detect what information teams may be hesitant to talk about or do not fully understand.

• Demonstrated ability to use Analytical skills, to critically evaluate all information gathered, resolve conflicts, clearly define loosely given information, distinguish user requests from the true needs of a user, and provide solution ideas from requirements.

• Demonstrated writing skills, to relay and communicate information effectively to customers, less technical teams, marketing, managers, and also technical staff.

• Ability to stay organized and also to work with the vast array of information gathered during elaborations, and the ability to analyze all data to adjust scopes with rapidly changing information.

• Demonstrated ability that shows interpersonal skills, these skills are vital to help adjust priorities and to resolve conflicts among project teams, as well as customers and other teams.

• Ability to build relationships as well as positive rapport with customers and team members.

• Demonstrated ability to display interpretative skills to translate user requirements into agile user stories and acceptance criteria, to also inform teams and management of the scope of each project based off of each user stories and the collected acceptance criteria.

• Demonstrated understand and proficiencies in Microsoft Office suite including OneNote and Visio.

• Technical understanding JSF, Java, SQL a definite plus.

• Highly analytic with the ability to view projects at both strategic and tactical levels.

• Integrity of the highest standard.

• Ability to take initiative and accountability for results.

• High-level of adaptability and self-motivation.

• Proven ability to learn new technologies.

• Demonstrated ability to consult with each team to ensure proper implementation as well as user expectance is achieved through product life cycle.

• Demonstrated ability to create highly innovative and creative to solutions to complex problems.

• Interviewing as well as surveying skills. This individual will need to talk with individuals and groups about their needs to understand the scope of essential requirements and information.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to spend at least 75% of work time sitting and using standard desktop computing equipment.

• Must be able to hear and speak clearly enough to participate in highly interactive, fast paced conversations.

• Must be able to work in an open office environment with moderate noise levels and frequent interruptions.

• Must be able to work in a smoke-free workplace.

• Must be able to work during normal business hours and occasional overtime to meet deadlines.

At Sphera, we are working together to help our customers keep their people safe, their products sustainable and their operations productive.  The best people don't want a job, they want to change the world and themselves.  The best want to challenge the status quo.  The best want to grow themselves and their careers.  Come check out what Sphera has to offer and how that matches up with your career goals.                                                                                                                           

Sphera is an equal opportunity employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status and other legally protected characteristics.