Business Analyst (BA)

Job Posting Organization:
CIMMYT is a cutting-edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. Established with the mission to improve the quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops, CIMMYT focuses on applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South. The organization builds strong partnerships to enhance the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. As a core CGIAR Research Center, CIMMYT is part of a global research partnership aimed at achieving a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing nutrition" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food and nutrition security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security, and improving natural resources. The organization operates in multiple countries, contributing significantly to agricultural research and development.

Job Overview:
The Business Analyst (BA) plays a crucial role in representing the interests of specific functional areas such as Finance, HR, Procurement, Legal, or the Programmatic Chapter throughout the corporate IT applications life cycle. The BA is responsible for gathering and analyzing business needs, translating them into IT requirements, and ensuring alignment with functional strategies and goals. Acting as a liaison between business stakeholders and KMIT teams, the BA ensures clear communication and mutual understanding of objectives, timelines, and constraints. The role involves prioritizing requirements, balancing business value with IT feasibility and costs, and managing interdependencies between cross-functional business processes and IT systems. The BA defines the scope of projects, manages scope creep, and adapts to changing needs. Additionally, the BA leads testing of new applications and change requests to ensure that solutions meet business expectations and resolve arising issues. Throughout the process, the BA maintains documentation, manages stakeholder relationships, and ensures the successful delivery of IT solutions aligned with business goals. The BA is essential in ensuring IT projects deliver value and align with business priorities, requiring a high level of professionalism, knowledge of corporate and departmental strategies, and respect from colleagues and consultant partners.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Business Analyst will be responsible for the following key duties and responsibilities:

• Requirement Analysis and Documentation: Align user IT strategy and actions with the overall department strategy, ensuring a clear understanding of the principal's (Department Head's) objectives and priorities. Secure the appropriate level of delegation to represent the department when articulating IT requirements and priorities. Translate business needs into clear, actionable technical requirements for KMIT, documenting and presenting them according to KMIT procedures. Prepare benefit statements for business cases related to functionality and/or change requests for applications when necessary. Serve as the focal point with KMIT to consolidate and prioritize improvement or Change Requests, as well as reporting and assigning the severity of Incident Reports. Act as a bridge between business and IT teams, clarifying questions and concerns. Facilitate workshops, interviews, and meetings to gather input from stakeholders within the department, ensuring their needs are well-represented and harmonized. Collaborate with other BAs for cross-departmental applications to harmonize requirements, resolve interdependencies, and negotiate KMIT priorities, especially for business process modeling that spans multiple departments. Evaluate current business processes and recommend improvements or opportunities for automation. Brief and prepare the principal for Steering Committee sessions; the principal may decide on the BA's participation as a backbencher. Develop user manuals, process guides, and training materials for end users, and coordinate training programs for department users. Lead testing teams to assess new functionality or changes to applications introduced by KMIT. Assist in the creation of test cases or acceptance criteria for user testing. Coordinate and support user acceptance testing (UAT) to validate that solutions meet business needs and recommend the sign-off of the department principal.

Required Qualifications:
The ideal candidate for the Business Analyst position should possess the following qualifications: A finance education background is essential. A minimum of 5 years of experience in understanding IT systems, databases, and the software development life cycle is required. Proficiency with tools such as Microsoft Excel, Visio, Jira, or similar for process mapping and requirement tracking is necessary. Professional certifications such as CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) and PMI-PBA (Project Management Institute - Professional in Business Analysis) are highly desirable. Experience working in cross-functional teams, particularly bridging business and IT functions, is crucial. Familiarity with enterprise systems such as ERP (e.g., SAP, Oracle), HRIS, or financial software is also required.

Educational Background:
Candidates should have a strong educational background in finance or a related field, which is essential for understanding the financial aspects of the business processes they will be analyzing. A degree in finance, business administration, or a related discipline is preferred, along with any relevant certifications that enhance their qualifications for the role.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in business analysis, particularly in understanding IT systems and their applications within a corporate environment. Candidates should have a proven track record of working effectively in cross-functional teams and managing projects that involve both business and IT stakeholders.

Languages:
Proficiency in English is mandatory for this position, as it is essential for communication with international teams and stakeholders. Knowledge of Spanish is a plus, as it may facilitate better interaction within the local context and with local stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
CIMMYT offers an attractive remuneration package that includes a year-end bonus equivalent to 40 days of salary, a vacation premium of 56%, life and medical insurance, supermarket coupons, a savings fund, and social benefits as per Mexican Labor Law (IMSS, SAR / Infonavit). The position is full-time and may involve working with international teams, providing opportunities for professional development and growth within the organization.