Business Analyst - II or Senior

SPP is about more than power. We’re about the power of relationships. Our employees have the opportunity to work together to ensure electricity is delivered reliably and affordably to the millions of people living in our service territory. We have been voted one of Arkansas’ Best Places to work by Arkansas Business and we are looking for a member of our team who is passionate about our mission to keep the lights on!

We have a core ideology here at SPP that we stand by: Do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way.

We believe in supporting our employees through a fantastic benefits package:

• Competitive and transparent pay with bonus opportunities
• Excellent insurance package including three great medical plans to choose from, employer-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
• Relocation bonus (if applicable)
• Hybrid working environment for positions that are eligible
• Fantastic contributions to your retirement through a 401(k) savings plan with employer-match benefits and a pension (defined benefit plan) fully funded by SPP

PLEASE NOTE: SPP is not able to sponsor employment visas or student-work authorizations (STEM OPT) for this position. Please ensure you are eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship prior to applying.

COMPENSATION INFORMATION The salary range(s) represents our good faith estimate for the role at this time. While we strive to provide competitive and transparent compensation, there may be circumstances where an offer is above or outside of the listed range. We are open to discussing salary expectations with qualified candidates considering factors such as the candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, experience and geographic location will all be considered during the hiring process.

Business Analyst II Salary Range: $70,320 – $87,895 Senior Business Analyst Salary Range: $87,950 – $112,190

Overview

Business Analyst II plans, analyzes, gathers, records, and manages requirements throughout the project lifecycle. Requirements are a key deliverable of SPP's project management lifecycle, and generally include functional and non-functional requirements that support SPP's business goals, governing entities, technical architecture, system design/development, and system testing. Business Analyst II provides input to functional design and follows the system design effort through system testing to ensure that system design/delivery satisfies requirements. Business Analyst II is responsible for test planning and preparation, including developing test cases/test plans, test approach, and test execution. Additionally, the Business Analyst II drives test automation efforts. Business Analyst II leads test stages such as system integration, regression, non-functional, and user acceptance testing. Business Analyst II provides overall test management including defect management and delivery of testing status and metrics. Business Analyst II may also support project activities such as data mapping exercises, coding of macros or scripts to support testing, system integration testing, technical and end-user documentation, etc., as needed. Business Analyst II scope includes projects/tasks assigned by the Supervisor or Manager. Business Analyst II will generally focus on a specific functional area and its related set of applications as a primary area of responsibility, and may also be assigned to other functional areas and/or ad hoc projects to meet business needs. Projects generally include creating and assisting with key deliverables among many departments within SPP, vendors, and consultants throughout all stages of the project management life cycle. The position requires extensive communication with employees at all levels of the organization, and is expected to work with minimal supervision, exercising good judgment in managing multiple tasks and priorities. The position may be asked to support SPP member committees and working groups, and may represent SPP and its member companies at NERC committees and working groups.

Senior Business Analyst plans, analyzes, gathers, records, and manages requirements throughout the project lifecycle. Requirements are a key deliverable of SPP's project management lifecycle and generally include functional and non-functional requirements that support SPP's business goals, governing entities, technical architecture, system design/development, and system testing. Senior Business Analyst provides input to functional design and follows the system design effort through system testing to ensure that system design/delivery satisfies requirements. Senior Business Analyst is responsible for test planning and preparation, including developing test cases/test plans, test approach, and test execution. Additionally, the Senior Business Analyst drives test automation efforts. Senior Business Analyst leads test stages such as system integration, regression, non-functional, and user acceptance testing. Senior Business Analyst provides overall test management including defect management and delivery of testing status and metrics. Senior Business Analyst may also support project activities such as data mapping exercises, coding of macros or scripts to support testing, system integration testing, technical and end-user documentation, etc., as needed. Additional responsibilities may include defining and improving requirements practice and test management processes, educating team members, providing team leadership, and project status reporting for the BA team. Senior Business Analyst scope includes projects/tasks assigned by the Supervisor or Manager. Senior Business Analyst will generally focus on a specific functional area and its related set of applications as a primary area of responsibility and may also be assigned to other functional areas and/or ad hoc projects to meet business needs. Projects generally include creating and assisting with key deliverables among many departments within SPP, vendors, and consultants throughout all stages of the project management life cycle. The position requires extensive communication with employees at all levels of the organization, and is expected to work with minimal supervision, exercising good judgment in managing multiple tasks and priorities. Senior Business Analyst provides support to the Supervisor or Manager by assisting with team leadership duties, day-to-day task assignments, status tracking, and resource management. The position may be asked to support SPP member committees and working groups and may represent SPP and its member companies at NERC committees and working groups.

Core Responsibilities

Common Core Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to gather requirements and establish test cases/test plans.
• Provide analysis of customer, business, and technical needs to articulate and develop business goals, functional requirements, non-functional requirements, etc., using SPP’s established requirements methodology. Present requirements in a manner that is appropriate to the project.
• Apply requirements approval, management, and traceability throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring scope change control.
• Ensure established requirements methodology and testing strategy are effective, understood, and followed by the team as well as stakeholders.
• Identify, recommend, and implement changes and enhancements to processes and documentation to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the business and systems/applications of their assigned primary functional area.
• Possess and apply technical skills applicable to requirements and testing.
• Develop, document, and execute test cases/test plans, test approaches, test execution, defect management, test status, and test metrics using SPP’s established testing strategy and defect management process.
• Accountable for all aspects of system testing (e.g., resource planning, test approach documentation, test cases/test plans, test management, defect management, test status/metrics, test exit). Help drive test automation.
• Execute system integration testing, as well as executing tests for other test stages as applicable (e.g., site acceptance, functional integration/user acceptance, non-functional).
• Understand and utilize IT practices/methodologies.
• Exercise planning and problem-solving skills with ability to exercise mature judgment.
• Establish effective working relationships with stakeholders and team.

Business Analyst II – Unique Responsibilities

• None beyond the common responsibilities listed above. (All BA II responsibilities were present in Senior BA.)

Senior Business Analyst – Unique Responsibilities

• Demonstrate ability to manage/prioritize multiple assignments/initiatives, while meeting delivery dates.
• Help drive test automation (as part of elevated leadership expectations).
• Understand and utilize IT practices/methodologies.
• Exercise planning and problem-solving skills with ability to exercise mature judgment, assisting junior staff with planning and problem solving.
• Support complex projects/implementations that impact multiple systems, interfaces, and departments.
• Provide guidance, direction, feedback, and coaching to ensure team effectiveness.
• Assist supervisor of team with day-to-day task assignments, status tracking, and issue resolution.

Qualifications

Universal Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or relevant/related job experience.

Business Analyst II

• 2 years of SDLC experience, including requirements and software testing experience (in excess of degree requirement above) and/or relevant/related experience.

Senior Business Analyst

• 6 years of SDLC experience, including requirements and/or software testing experience (in excess of degree requirement) and/or relevant/related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Competent with requirements/test management products.
• Applicable knowledge and experience with developing SQL queries, macros.
• Basic understanding of standard programming languages such as C, C++, Visual Basic, Java, etc.
• Experience with SDLC products/tools.

Business Analyst II

• Two (2) years of Wholesale Utility industry business knowledge.

Senior Business Analyst

• Five (5) years leading requirements/testing, software development, and/or system implementation efforts.
• Five (5) years of Wholesale Utility industry business knowledge.

Other Requirements

• Working knowledge/experience in various requirements approaches and software testing methodologies.
• Thorough knowledge of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Experience articulating requirements in a consumable manner.
• Logical and efficient, with attention to detail.
• Strong prioritization and organizational skills.
• Competent with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint).
• Proficient in both written and oral communication.
• Strong facilitation skills.
• Effective negotiation skills.
• Understanding of and compliance with SPP Policies and Procedures.

Senior Business Analyst

• Demonstration of people leadership and process leadership.

Expected Hours of Work

Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Travel Requirement

This position requires minimal travel (approximately 0–15%).

Southwest Power Pool is an equal opportunity employer that makes employment decisions without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, disability status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Further, Southwest Power Pool makes good faith efforts to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans and qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact us at HR@spp.org and let us know the nature of your request. We will only respond to messages left that involve a request for a reasonable accommodation in the application process.

At SPP we believe in a culture of belonging. Learn more here: Culture of Belonging – Southwest Power Pool.