Systems Analyst (Senior) at Discovery Limited

Key Purpose

• The main responsibility of the Business Systems Analyst (BSA) is to infuse technological solutions to business-related problems to align IT development with business strategy, including client needs.
• This role plays a major role in building exciting new solutions that increase Vitality members' engagement in our world-class wellness program. You will be an effective advocate of the market facing team in the systems development lifecycle and will interface with several teams, Actuaries, Product Specialists, development teams locally and abroad (different time zones), testing teams, executives and most importantly the client to implement initiatives that support and drive engagement in the Vitality wellness program. System Analyst (technical acumen) will be advantageous, a 70 / 30 split (70% technical – ability to engage with developers, architects, DBAs etc. on a technical layer and 30% business analysis acumen to engage with business, client and partners etc.).

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to Analysis, Documentation & Design Skills

Interaction with People:

• Lead requirements-gathering sessions and workshops, brainstorming sessions and status meetings with business stakeholders
• Interact with technical team members such as solution architects, developers and system analysts
• Work with the Experience Design and design team on requirements for new customer journeys, giving input on business requirements. 
• Interface with offshore development teams in different time zones
• Work with external partners regarding data integration efforts
• Communicate relevant information regarding project impacts to business stakeholders
• Provide mentorship regarding best practices for documentation, story structure, and analysis processes for other Analysts
• Interact with business stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

Documentation:

• Document business requirements in the form of BRDs, use cases, user stories and business rules
• Create as-built specifications for consumption by business and operations stakeholders
• Create educational and reference content for internal departments and functions
• Create specifications for technical system functionality
• Document business requirements for data integration purposes
• Complete documentation for “Definition of Done” under the business analyst tasks

Process:

• Lead agile ceremonies as part of the SDLC
• Produce estimates for proposed work to inform enhancement costs
• Perform risk analysis on proposed development initiatives
• Identify and drive process or other solutions to improve business results, product performance and client satisfaction
• Employ critical thinking and problem-solving skills during analysis to inform creative solutions

Facilitation Skills

• Conduct Functional Specification walkthroughs with developers.
• Facilitate client-walkthrough JAD sessions, and sign-off of Functional Specifications with business owners to ensure Business Requirements have been met.

Technical Skills

Technology:

• Understand mobile interface and application technologies for iOS and Android
• Understand data exchange formats (XML, CSV) and protocols (FTP, HTTP)
• Understand browser-based technologies, e.g., HTML, HTML forms, CSS and JavaScript
• Understand UML Process Design and data modelling techniques.

Good understanding of UML, specifically:

• Use Case Diagrams & Narratives
• Sequence Diagrams
• Activity Diagrams
• Entity Relationship Diagrams

Project & Management Skills

• Plan delivery with the Development Manager and Scrum Master.
• Co-ordinate activities within the development team, and with other departments.
• Engage with external 3rd-parties (e.g. device manufacturers, product vendors) and internal teams for the delivery of projects, as well as for regular touch-bases.
• Formulate Work Breakdown Structures (including sizing) for projects and Change Requests.
• Drive projects from ideation to completion and ensure successful delivery of these projects.
• Provide regular feedback to Manager with regards to QC’s and Unit testing progress.
• Monitor roll-out and go-live and attend to any support issues and enhancements identified by business post go-live.

Testing Skills

• Creation, review, maintenance and execution of test cases, scenarios, and results.
• Functional Testing of delivered functionality against gathered business requirements and test cases and scenarios.
• Non-functional testing including security, usability, performance, and reliability testing as per team best practices and standards.
• Defect management and regression testing (where applicable), including providing input into the generation of automated test scenarios.

Support & Troubleshooting Skills

• Escalation and management of issues identified during a project / BAU.
• Production log analysis & management including root cause analysis.
• Problem resolution and troubleshooting.
• Identify options for potential solutions and assess them for both technical and business suitability.
• Work closely with developers, testers, and a variety of end-users to ensure technical compatibility and user satisfaction.

Progression Skills

• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.

Personal Attributes and Skills

Behavioral Skills:

• Stress Management
• Time management and prioritization
• Learning orientation
• Innovation
• Bias for action
• Teamwork and co-operation
• Critical thinking
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Navigate ambiguity and complexity

Technical Skills:

• BPMN 2.0

UML Modelling

• Data modelling (minimum being able to understand these. Intermediate and Senior Systems Analysts must be able to model data)
• Use Cases
• High standards for delivery
• Requirements definition
• User Story definition
• Web-services exposure
• Agile project delivery
• Structured and analytical problem solver
• Process Mapping
• Coaching and mentor to junior teammates
• Understanding of JIRA and Agile principles

Advantageous:

• Experience with Sparx Enterprise Architect, Rational Rose, or similar.
• Experience in Software Development.
• Experience with API’s.

Other:

• Overtime may be required from time to time

Education and Experience

Required:

• NQF Level 5: Certified in a 3-year National Diploma, BSc Computer Science, or BCom Information Systems (or similar).
• Advanced UML or BPMN course would be advantageous.
• Business Analyst Certification, Diploma, or Advanced BA Qualification is advantageous.

Experience:

• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in Technical Systems Analysis and Integration.
• Experience in Data Analysis.
• Experience in Agile (breaking down Epics into smaller User Stories, estimating, and writing User Stories).