Lead Business Analyst -- W2 ONLY

Title: Lead Business Analyst

Location: Hybrid schedule at Reston, VA (Local candidates): two days per week onsite)

Terms of Employment

• W2 Contract-to-Hire, 12 Months

• This is a Hybrid schedule at Reston, VA (local candidates), requiring two days onsite per week.

Overview

Our client is seeking a Lead Business Analyst who thrives in high-stakes environments and excels at transforming ambiguity into execution. You aren’t just a requirement gatherer; you are a strategic partner who bridges the gap between complex technical systems and tangible business value.

As a hands-on leader, you will own the lifecycle of clarity—from deconstructing "big picture" problems to refining the granular details that empower our Engineering and Product teams to build with precision.

Responsibilities

• Rapidly translate complex, ambiguous business challenges into clear, actionable functional and non-functional requirements.

• Drive the end-to-end lifecycle of the product backlog, including strategic prioritization, continuous refinement, and meticulous management within a SAFe/Agile framework.

• Act as a bilingual translator between business stakeholders and technical teams. You will work directly with engineers and data scientists to navigate complex system architectures and data flows.

• Collaborate closely with Product Management to define vision and with Engineering to ensure technical feasibility, always maintaining a sharp focus on business ROI and risk mitigation.

• Anticipate downstream dependencies and potential blockers before they arise. You don't wait for direction; you drive the momentum of the work.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a related field plus 8 years of progressive analytical experience (Business/Systems Analysis or Testing).Without a degree must have a total of 12 years of relevant professional experience.

• Health care experience is required

• Proven track record of high-level analytical thinking and the ability to "unstick" stalled projects through clarity and logic.

• Deep, practical experience in SAFe or Agile environments, specifically in leading ceremonies and managing high-velocity backlogs.

• Comfort level with complex systems, data structures, and technical documentation—you should be able to hold your own in a room full of developers.

• A "go-getter" mentality with the confidence to take initiative, challenge assumptions, and push projects toward the finish line.

• Exceptional ability to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and vice versa.

• High-level verbal/written skills with the ability to facilitate stakeholder meetings and provide mentorship/training to others.

• Strong organizational and time-management abilities.

• Expert using Microsoft Office suite.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Master's Degree MBA

• Demonstrated ability to have led the delivery of high quality, effective deliverables on-time and be a significant contributor to the development of cost-effective solutions.

• Expert understanding of business analysis core competencies

• Prior business analysis coaching and mentoring experience.

• AI product experience