Business Analyst (Retail Stores)

Business Analyst (Retail Stores)

Permanent

Cape Town

Purpose of the Job

This is an exciting opportunity for you to join our dynamic team of Business Analysts. You will be part of delivering business and technology solutions across the Group and do it by working on the best of breed of technologies.

The role facilitates effective and competitive business processes by eliciting, analysing, validating and documenting business organisational and/or operational requirements, providing alternatives and making recommendations. This role plays an instrumental role in the delivery teams to ensure that solutions are delivered according to the business requirements

Job Objectives    

Information Seeking & Analysis

• Understand and analyse the current business environment.
• Operate confidently within business strategy, current trends and developments in the retail industry.
• Improve and maintain the systems and operational processes within a specific domain.
• Optimize current and potential integrated systems and E2E business processes.
• Analyse and understand the customers (Internal and external) that are impacted, through the use of user journeys, research and/or spending time in the various operational areas.
• Analyse and document user requirements and assess the business implication of these to the business process involved.
• Collaborate with user stakeholders in satisfying these requirements.
• Propose and document process improvements where appropriate and provide alternatives / options.
• Assess risks, costs and potential benefits of alternative business process designs.
• Develop business rules and monitor the implementation of these rules in the development of the various application systems.
• Devises, initiates and drives effective small to meduim change initiatives in own area or department.

• Taking ownership to maintain knowledge within a specific area and sharing of that knowledge across the team. This includes interviews, presentations and workshop facilitations with both business & IT.
• Work closely with Architects, Designers and Business stakeholders to design and implement solutions.
• Research & Advise on alternatives presented by the technical designers and answer detailed questions regarding the business design.
• Confidently engage the most appropriate business representatives to obtain input and agreement on alternatives (related to best practise in the industry) that are presented.
• Plan, arrange and control meetings, workshops and relations with the user during the investigations, design and development of business processes and solutions.
• Advise stakeholders (within IT and Business) to consider solutions which will work best for the business.
• Motivate stakeholders to change practises and consider other alternatives.
• Coaching and mentoring of Junior BA team members.

• To build and optimize trusting relationships with business users and IT stakeholders by delivering what was promised and providing comprehensive knowledge and support.
• Foster a partnership between business stakeholders, IT disciplines and the delivery teams. o Collaborating with all disciplines to drive out value adding solutions, and ensuring quick and efficient delivery.
• Accurately communicating the business requirements to IT to ensure that business needs are effectively and efficiently addressed. Keep Business Users informed of any changes (also accommodate changes in requirements as they are progressively elaborated).
• Drive and oversee solution assessment and validation. o Identify cultural, business and organisational constraints affecting options for change.
• To train business users, rendering support and facilitating sessions for end-users.
• Continuously support the business environment, while maintaining an understanding of enterprise business initiatives and objectives, the various line portfolios, current trends and developments in the technology field.
• Assist with and provide timeous feedback on ad-hoc queries from business stakeholders.
• Thinking partner and troubleshooter for business problems.

• Strong commitment to project objectives and delivering high quality work.
• Take responsibility for the timelines within the project plan, of the business analysis effort related to a project.
• Plan and organise own work and deliver on promises.
• Focus personal efforts on achieving results aligned to organisation objectives.

Qualifications:

• Degree or Diploma with 3 to 5 years related experience.
• Business Analysis certification at Practitioner level (ECBA, CCBA), FTI certification or similar
• Experience working within all aspects of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Good process modelling skills
• Excellent communication, both written and verbal
• Effective relationship management and collaboration skills
• Good planning and time management skills 3+ years’ experience in Retail store processes and practices
• Business understanding of the broader retail industry - desirable
• SAP experience - desirable

Knowledge and Skills:

• Research, document and prepare business cases. Review and advise on various business cases which will align with the business strategies of the organisation (including feasibility and business benefits).
• Actively investigate and recommend opportunities to optimize the business'' offering and add value to our customers through the solutions we provide.
• Confidently provide solutions and ensure an understanding of scope by business user.
• Implement feasible techniques to elicit and analyse business problems and translate them into business requirements.
• Evaluate technical solutions and business processes against business requirements.
• Facilitate and co-ordinate User Acceptance Testing - extract feedback and learnings and input back into relevant IT solution teams.
• Analyse and document project risks - recommend risk mitigation strategies.
• Actively participate in the development of the BA practice within the organisation.
• Contribute to improving ways of work for the BA community - commit to coaching (others) and being coached (self).
• Encourages immediate work colleagues to think of themselves as a team.
• Recognises others’ limitations and offers appropriate support, especially during difficult working periods.
• Demonstrates an awareness of own strengths and limitations.
• Keeps own skills and knowledge up to date as needed.
• Shares skills and relevant knowledge with others and provides guidance on how to complete tasks.
• Demonstrates a good understanding of the work of other parts of the organisation in direct contact with own area.