Department: Dean of the Graduate School
Category: Information Technology
Full-Time / Part-Time: Full-Time

Overview

The Graduate School has identified an ongoing need for a Business and Systems Analyst with Process Consulting skills. This hybrid role will be responsible for analyzing, designing and implementing solutions to address the process, data and technology integration challenges of the Graduate School.

The Business and Systems Analyst will report to the Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration. Depending on overall staffing for the office, the position may also include supervisory responsibility for the office's technology support manager.

Functional scope of support will include all facets of the Graduate School:  Admissions, Academic Affairs, Financial Support, Student Life programs and efforts to promote Diversity and Inclusion as well as Professional Development for graduate students. The guiding principle of the function is to deliver quality solutions that will enhance the student experience while also reducing administrative complexity and minimizing manual effort. Wherever possible university standard technology will be employed in order to minimize the unique technology footprint of the Graduate School and simplify ongoing maintenance, upgrades and support.

The core technology solutions of the Graduate School comprise a network of applications both custom-developed and vendor-delivered. Some applications are wholly owned and managed by the Graduate School. Other applications are owned and managed by other Princeton University offices; for these applications this role will need to work collaboratively with the system owner to define the specific functional needs of the Graduate School, document the end-to-end business processes and ensure that appropriate changes are implemented. A key focus of this role is not only to ensure the support and evolution of the Graduate School suite of tools, but equally importantly to understand the flow of data and rules-based logic which exists in the integration between tools.

Review of applicants will begin on July 15, 2020, and will continue until a candidate is found.

Responsibilities

Maintain, manage and evolve systems and interfaces between systems which support the Graduate School

• Primary responsibility for maintaining Graduate School ‘owned’ applications including: The Graduate School Data Mart / Student Analytics, External Opportunities System, OnBase document retention system, GFS – Graduate Financial System, gFTS – Graduate Fellowship Tracking System.
• Develop a detailed working knowledge of how specific Graduate School data elements are defined, utilized and interfaced between systems
• Prepare test scenarios, execute test scripts as required to ensure that new processes and technology perform as requested.
• Conduct functional testing and implement technical upgrades of applications and BI solutions.

Report-Writing and Analytics

• Write queries and reports in the creation of new data visualizations (Cognos, Tableau). Grow the functional capabilities of analytic dashboards and other self-service tools for departments and cabinet-level offices both individually and by leveraging broader university resources.
• Assist in the design and development of new subject areas to grow the Graduate School data mart
• Interpret database schemas and entity-relationship diagrams to inform data relationships for report writing

Business Process Design and Documentation

• Document functional specifications in such a way as to facilitate the creation of technical specifications for coding
• Translate business requirements into clear data, technology and process terms.  Leverage proven techniques – stakeholder interviews, process flow diagrams and technology insights to capture and confirm requirements.
• Define functional requirements and assess options for the potential replacement of Labor Accounting (a custom built application which is the primary transaction system for Graduate Student funding) with F&T and OIT

Project management and collaboration

• Work collaboratively with the office of the Registrar,Finance & Treasury and HR to ensure ongoing integration to / from systems that they support on behalf of the Grad School.
• Partner with the project sponsor and any associated technology offices (OIT, F&T IT, HR IT) to identify, prioritize and sequence work.
• Manage project progress using traditional practices: weekly team meetings (more often if required), assignment and tracking of action-items with clear ownership and due dates, escalation of issues, etc.
• Produce clear and detailed project documentation.   Maintain all documentation in an approved repository.
• Produce an estimated implementation schedule, spending plan, and business case to secure funding for the chosen solution.

Other Duties as Required

• Work collaboratively with Graduate School staff to maintain ~50 targeted list-serves, web sites, etc.
• Represent the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School on committees, planning exercises, and other duties as assigned. Participate in annual events and programs that require the support of all members of the dean’s staff, including Orientation, Hooding, and Commencement.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Five years relevant work experience, preferably including 2 or more years of large-scale ERP systems design and/or development such as PeopleSoft or Workday.
• Ability to extract business requirements from interview and session notes, clearly identifying technology opportunities from process steps.
• Ability to read, create, interpret, and understand database schemas, flowcharts, requirements, specifications, user guides, sequences of operation, and other technical data; ability to understand and analyze the complexities of software applications.
• Data analytics experience with strong technical skills (Cognos Analytics 11.x, JavaScript, Oracle, SQL Server, Tableau), including the ability to read/write basic SQL statements.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to conduct research, analyze data and use software tools effectively to develop financial and conceptual models
• Experience with packaged software implementations, including testing, writing end-user documentation, and training end users.
• Good working knowledge of software and the related infrastructure in a production environment including user-interface development, databases, networks, security, interfaces, and troubleshooting techniques.
• Understanding of IT system concepts and ability to communicate with technical staff.  Specifically: Data warehousing design / development, ERP design, configuration and customization, Enterprise financial system flow – Budgeting, Billing, AR, GL reconciliation
• A demonstrated knowledge and understanding of project management principles and methodologies and successful implementation of IT projects in a complex organization
• Collaborative work style, team-player orientation. Able to interact effectively with multiple levels/personalities, ability to learn and adapt quickly.  Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• When provided access to personal, proprietary and/or otherwise confidential data, maintains such data in the strictest confidence and follows procedures to ensure the privacy, security and proper use of data.
• Ability to balance attention to detail while maintaining focus on the big picture
• Exceptional proficiency with MS Office: Excel, PowerPoint, Word
• Strong organizational skills; able to work on numerous initiatives in parallel and be able to determine appropriate priorities; must be able to make independent interpretations and make appropriate decisions that are in the best interest of the organization and that are consistent with the objectives of senior management.
• Process visualization – able to construct a ‘storyboard’ or visual interpretation of a business scenario to assist in understanding or analysis.
• Energetic self-starter

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience working in higher education
• Current Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. EEO IS THE LAW.