The University of Southern California (USC) is currently seeking a Business Analyst – Academic Technologies to join our Application Services team within the Information Technology Services (ITS) department. The Business Analyst for Academic Technologies (AT) supports the University's ongoing critical academic operations, including admissions, advisement, financial aid, orientation, course registration, grading, student billing and other academic progress and support services. This position also contributes to redesigning several core student applications.

THE TEAM

The ITS vision aligns strategy, business, and services; affirms ITS cultural values; empowers cross-functional teamwork; embraces world-class best practices; and promotes innovation, excellence, agility, and efficiency. To achieve this vision, ITS is committed to providing a modern technology infrastructure that is resilient and delivers the performance necessary to meet the demands of a growing customer base, training in the latest technologies for its highly productive and motivated workforce, outstanding customer experience, and technology services that are aligned with the university’s mission to provide exceptional learning opportunities for students. ITS is creating a workplace where employees can develop cutting-edge skills, take pride in the services they provide, and have access to the roles and career paths that align to their abilities and potential.

We are looking for top talent to join us on our journey.

ITS CULTURE

USC’s ITS organization represents a diverse and talented team, committed to supporting a collaborative culture and delivering secure and innovative IT services, core to the mission of USC. ITS values accountability, excellence, and commitment to exceptional customer experience. ITS strives for a supportive and inclusive culture that encourages employees to do their best work every day and where individuals are recognized and celebrated for their contributions.

ABOUT USC

USC is the leading private research university in Los Angeles—a global center for arts, technology, and international business. With more than 47,500 students, we are located primarily in Los Angeles but also in various US and global satellite locations. As the largest private employer in Los Angeles, responsible for $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region, we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills across a variety of academic and professional schools and administrative units. As a USC employee and member of the Trojan Family—the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who make USC a great place to work—you will enjoy excellent benefits, including a variety of well-being programs designed to help individuals achieve work-life balance.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The candidate for the position of Business Analyst (AT) must meet the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as business administration, information technology, computer information systems, etc. or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Experience Two years of experience in one of the following fields: information technology, product design, or business analysis.
• Proven record of delivering end-to-end, user-centered products, considering stakeholder requirements, user research, market analysis, data, customer feedback, and technical constraints or opportunities.
• Experience leading requirement-gathering interviews or sessions. Proven experience utilizing analytics tools to measure results of user-centered products, documenting success, presenting opportunities, and supporting decision-making.
• Experience developing test strategies and plans, using widely accepted test methodologies or frameworks and proven analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to facilitate collaboration across a broad audience of stakeholders and drive consensus in alignment with university policies, processes, and procedures. Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools and applications.
• Experience operating with Lean and Agile methodologies, and familiarity with computer programming concepts, including software development lifecycles.
• Proven time management and prioritization skills to make efficient, logical decisions in a rapidly changing environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience presenting technical topics in a business-oriented fashion to non-technical audiences.
• Proven experience establishing strong working relationships with a wide range of team members and clients, utilizing clear and effective functional documentation skills.
• Ability to provide strategy and recommendations on design and development methodologies, and leverage lessons learned from past experiences to drive continuous improvement of application and business process solutions.

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate for the position of Business Analyst (AT) meets the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field such as business administration, information technology, computer information systems etc.

• Experience in IT, business administration, higher education, or related fields.
• Four or more years of experience in one of the following fields: information technology, product design, or business analysis.
• Experience in higher education

THE WORK YOU WILL DO

The Business Analyst (AT) leads planning, design, and conception of functionality for university applications. Owns requirements, conceptualizes designs, and influences future-state business processes in support of core organizational functions for the university. Leads collaborative efforts across a broad range of business partners and stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff. Effectively documents current and future-state processes, tests the effectiveness of developed solutions, and enables the adoption of new business processes through training support and documentation.

Job Accountabilities:

The Business Analyst (AT):

• Leads planning, design, and conception of university applications’ functionality. Owns requirements, conceptualizes designs, and influences future-state business processes in support of core organizational functions for the university. Communicates and presents recommended improvements and solutions to business processes and decision-making rationale. Delivers engaging experiences that balance customer needs, business goals, and technical realities by working collaboratively across the organization, with fellow analysts and others (e.g., user experience researchers, product managers, designers, developers).
• Develops Human Centered Design (HCD) processes and approaches to deliver a broad range of sustainable solutions. Engages in standard business analysis methodology, outlining problems, opportunities, and solutions, and identifies process-improvement efforts across the organization.
• Builds and delivers design solutions that meet customer needs and expectations. Leads user research efforts to gain understanding of customer and stakeholder pain points, challenges, and needs.
• Maintains currency on emerging technologies and approaches, leveraging the latest industry knowledge to drive innovation and continuous improvement for the organization. Seek opportunities for innovation and maximizing system functionality by continually developing skills, knowledge, and abilities.
• Delivers high-quality project analysis documentation (e.g. business requirements, scope matrices, use cases, future state proposals, user acceptance technology [UAT] plans). Actively mitigates risk by owning tasks, resources, and changes. Enables the release management process by anticipating risks and providing strategic recommendations for releases.
• Leads collaborative engagement efforts with a broad range of business partners and stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff, to solve issues productively and comprehensively. Utilizes leading practices to effectively anticipate, prioritize, analyze, and articulate problems, evaluate and document problem alternatives, manage constraints, and suggest interim and long-term solutions.
• Aids the cultivation of an inclusive environment and a culture of trust and transparency, sharing information broadly, openly, and deliberately. Builds and maintains collaborative relationships with diverse groups of peers, team members, and leadership. Actively embodies ITS values and behaviors (e.g., accountability, ethics, best-in-class customer service).
• Collaborates with team members and management, implementing effective solutions to support the Product Strategy and Design department’s vision. Maintains currency with technology, standards, and best practices. Supports process improvement efforts within the team and across the ITS organization.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Come join the USC ITS team and work as a trusted partner in shaping an environment of innovation and excellence. Apply today!

The annual base salary range for this position is $94,035.55 - $103,224.00 When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS The candidate for the position of Business Analyst (AT) must meet the following qualifications: Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 2 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Proven record of delivering end-to-end, user-centered products, considering stakeholder requirements, user research, market analysis, data, customer feedback, and technical constraints or opportunities. Experience conducting or facilitating requirement-gathering interviews or sessions. Experience utilizing analytics tools to measure results of user- centered products, documenting success, presenting opportunities, and supporting decision-making. Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools and applications, an understanding of Lean and Agile methodologies, and familiarity with computer programming concepts. Experience developing test strategies and plans, using widely accepted test methodologies or frameworks and proven analytical and problem-solving skills. Experience working with functional groups, utilizing time management and prioritization skills to make efficient, logical decisions in a rapidly-changing environment. Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience presenting technical topics in a business-oriented fashion to non-technical audiences. Proven experience establishing strong working relationships with a wide range of team members and clients, utilizing clear and effective functional documentation skills.