Business Analyst

Job Posting Organization:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian organization that provides aid and support to those affected by conflict and disaster. Established in 1933, the IRC operates in over 40 countries and has a workforce of more than 14,000 employees. The organization is dedicated to helping people survive, recover, and rebuild their lives, focusing on health, education, economic wellbeing, and safety. The IRC's mission is to restore dignity and hope to millions by providing essential services and advocating for the rights of those in need.

Job Overview:
The IT-Data team at the IRC is seeking a Business Analyst (BA) to play a crucial role in the Data Transformation Working Group. This position is pivotal in identifying and standardizing key business definitions that will be formalized and deployed into the Enterprise Data Catalog. The BA will ensure that these definitions serve as a single source of truth, which is essential for supporting AI initiatives. By providing consistent and well-governed terminology, the BA will help improve data quality and accuracy, thereby enhancing the ability to explain AI outcomes. This role requires the individual to act as a translator between business stakeholders and technical teams, ensuring that business terms, data definitions, and governance requirements are accurately reflected in Databricks data models and analytics platforms. The BA will engage with various stakeholders to gather insights on business objectives, processes, and pain points, and will be responsible for capturing, analyzing, and documenting comprehensive business and functional requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Business Analyst will have a wide range of responsibilities, including engaging with stakeholders to gather insights on business objectives, processes, and pain points. They will capture, analyze, and document comprehensive business and functional requirements, securing formal approvals as necessary. The BA will perform gap analysis to compare current processes with client needs and system capabilities, documenting current-state processes and designing future-state processes resulting from data transformation initiatives. They will support project planning, scope definition, and requirement prioritization, participating in solution design discussions to provide business input and ensure requirements are met. The BA will map business requirements to technical capabilities, identify system constraints and dependencies, and propose new process improvement opportunities. They will maintain accurate and up-to-date system documentation, support the deployment and ongoing management of the Enterprise Data Catalog, and translate business definitions into technical metadata for tables, columns, schemas, and datasets in Databricks/Unity Catalog. Additionally, the BA will link business terms to data assets, dashboards, reports, and other data products, acting as a liaison between business users and data engineers to translate requirements into technical specifications. They will work with data owners and stewards to validate data classification and ensure correct application in Databricks/data catalog, assist in mapping and documenting source systems, data pipelines, data products, and datasets, and participate in testing and validation of delivered solutions to ensure requirements are met.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Management, or a related field. They should have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience as a Business Analyst, providing high-quality and advanced analytics for a complex, large not-for-profit organization or equivalent analytics experience in the private sector. A proven track record in leveraging leading-edge digital tools, providing advanced analytical reports, and proactively working to promote data-driven strategic insights is essential. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required, along with the ability to effectively engage with diverse stakeholders. Knowledge of process improvement tools like Visio is also necessary, and experience in the non-profit and international humanitarian aid sectors is a plus.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Management, or a related field. This foundational education is crucial for understanding the technical aspects of data management and analysis, as well as the operational needs of the organization.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of professional experience as a Business Analyst. This experience should include providing high-quality and advanced analytics for a complex, large not-for-profit organization or equivalent analytics experience in the private sector. Candidates should demonstrate a proven track record in leveraging digital tools and providing advanced analytical reports.

Languages:
While the job description does not specify mandatory languages, proficiency in English is likely essential given the international nature of the organization and the need to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders. Additional language skills may be beneficial, particularly in regions where the IRC operates.

Additional Notes:
The working environment is a standard office setting, with the ability to travel as required. The Business Analyst will collaborate closely with team members based in the United States and must maintain a minimum of 3 hours of overlapping work time with the New York time zone. This position may involve a full-time commitment, and the organization is likely to offer competitive compensation and benefits, although specific details are not provided in the job description.