Temporary Temporary Business Systems Analyst
Job Description
We are seeking a temporary and experienced Business Systems Analyst to work on the Application Development team. This role will involve collaborating with engineers and end-users in many departments at the Foundation to understand and support our business processes. This person will apply business analysis, project management, technical testing, and documentation skills in driving all aspects of the application development life cycle, from initial requirement gathering and business analysis, to implementation, leading user acceptance testing, training, and support.
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Foundation) is a family foundation that is guided by the enduring business philosophy and personal values of Lucile and David Packard, who helped found one of the world’s leading technology companies. Their approach to business and community participation has guided our philanthropy for more than 50 years. Today, their children and grandchildren continue to help guide the work of the Foundation. The Foundation makes grants at the local, state, national, and international level towards the issues their founders cared about most—improving the lives of children; enabling the creative pursuit of science; advancing reproductive health; conserving and restoring the earth’s natural systems; and supporting and strengthening an array of local nonprofit organizations. For 2016, the Foundation expects to make grantmaking awards of over $300M. David and Lucile Packard passed onto the Foundation the following core set of values: integrity, respect for all people, belief in individual leadership, commitment to effectiveness, and the capacity to think big.
Temporary Business Systems Analyst
The Business Systems Analyst is primarily responsible for supporting business applications, both commercial and custom-built, used by Foundation staff and external users. This support includes participation in business process definition and enhancement, implementation of new technologies, validation of new functionality and bug fixes, and support for day-to-day work activities. A strong technical foundation is required, including the ability to use SQL in support of analysis and validation activities.
Responsibilities
• Provide support of business and financial applications used by the Foundation, including gathering system requirements, supporting business process re-design activities, managing projects, performing tests at various levels, writing documentation, and providing day-to-day business application support
• Respond to customer problems and/or requests within the assigned areas of responsibility; determine appropriate actions to meet user needs and resolve issues in a timely manner
• Troubleshoot issues reported by end-users and provide documentation of symptoms and replication steps for the development team
• Work with implementation partners, vendors, and internal IT resources to ensure quality products and deliver services in a timely and cost effective manner
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Apply IT knowledge and business analysis to determine the most appropriate solutions to meet user needs
• Ensure user needs are met and application performance is within service level agreement targets
• Other duties as assigned
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Highly motivated, self-starter with the ability to use sound judgment in all aspects of the work
• Strong interpersonal, communication (both written and oral), and time management skills
• Exceptional project planning and organizational skills with a strong customer service orientation
• Hands-on experience with SQL language, and the capability to write basic SQL queries to extract information from databases
• Hands-on experience with enterprise reporting tools such as Business Objects, Crystal Reports, and/or SQL Server Reporting Services
• Experience with supporting and managing enterprise applications such as CRM, Dynamics GP, etc.
• Able to work with multiple project and work streams concurrently, with the ability to deliver work products on time and within budget
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint, Visio)
• Knowledge or experience with programming is a plus
• Able to grasp concepts quickly; aptitude and interest in technical concepts is essential
• Able to undertake detailed data analysis and data tracing in order to deliver, with high degree of accuracy, assessments, recommendations, and/or corrections as appropriate
• Demonstrated skills in working well and flexibly as a team member and leader in varied activities and projects
• Ability to interact with all in a professional, courteous, and tactful manner
• Ability to build relationships that eases work internally with other departments
• Good working knowledge of relational databases and application framework
• General knowledge of related areas of information technology
Education and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or equivalent education and work experience. Minimum of four years of work experience in a business analysis/project management role.
Physical Demands
Candidate must have the ability to communicate via voice telephone, read and understand written communication, and generate written communication manually and using a computer. Candidate must also have the ability to sit at a desk for 2-3 hours at a time, lift and move documents, and supplies not to exceed 25 lbs., and bend to file and retrieve documents.
Salary and Location
Position is temporary, full-time, and nonexempt. The role will be payrolled through an outside company. Hourly rate will be commensurate with related work experience. The position is located in downtown Los Altos, CA.
Duration
It is expected that the temporary assignment will be for nine months beginning preferably in early November.