Sr. Business Analyst - Data & Analytics (Peoria, IL)

About Us 

We’re not like other insurance companies. From our specialty products to our business model, our culture to our results — we’re different. Different is who we are, and how we work, interact, deliver and succeed together. Creating a different and better insurance experience doesn’t just happen. It takes focus and a shared passion for going beyond the expected to forge relationships and deliver care that makes a difference. This approach rises from and is supported by our talented, ethical and smart team of employee owners united around a single purpose: to work alongside our customers and partners when they need us, in unexpected ways, with exceptional results. Apply today to make a difference with us. 

RLI is a Glassdoor Best Places to Work company with a strong, successful background. For decades, our financial track record has been stellar — a testament to our culture and validation of our reputation as an excellent underwriting company.

Position Purpose 

Under occasional supervision, the Senior Business Analyst acts as a critical member of the Data Product Management team and partners with the Data Product Owner, Technology Delivery teams, and business stakeholders across multiple initiatives.

The role studies business operations and support demand to identify opportunities to improve workflows through modern data capabilities and translates those opportunities into actionable requirements. 

The Business Analyst helps users transition and adopt modern data and analytics capabilities, including the transition from legacy solutions toward modern, governed data products and semantic views including Snowflake, Row Zero and other modern self-service technologies. 

This role also monitors and administers the Data & Analytics support queue.

The Business Analyst looks beyond the immediate question or incident to understand the underlying business need, identify recurring patterns and root causes, and recommend opportunities for product improvements, reusable enablement, data quality improvements, or modernization. 

The Business Analyst provides the analysis, evidence, requirements, and readiness recommendations needed to inform data product strategy, backlog prioritization, and product outcomes.  

Principal Duties & Responsibilities 

• Partner with the Data Product Owner to propel future-state data and analytics at RLI - providing analysis, requirements, and readiness recommendations needed to inform solution definition and priorities. 

• Engage users to understand their business objectives, workflows, and underlying data needs - not simply the report or technical solution initially requested. 

• Translate business needs and processes into actionable solutions that include user stories, acceptance criteria, report specifications, metric definitions, and other delivery artifacts. 

• Support backlog grooming by analyzing business value, user impact, dependencies, risks, and readiness. 

• Coordinate the analysis and progression of assigned Data & Analytics support requests, maintaining clear communication and escalating operational or technical issues as appropriate. 

• Categorize and analyze support demand to identify recurring needs, root causes, data quality concerns, and opportunities for enablement, product improvements, or technology modernization. 

• Create reusable knowledge articles and decision guides based on common support needs and emerging usage patterns. 

• Maintain an inventory of legacy reports, BusinessObjects universes, extracts, spreadsheets, and manual processes being considered for modernization, including their users, purpose, criticality, dependencies, and downstream activities. 

• Support release adoption through communications, user documentation, training materials, and business champions when appropriate. 

• Establish and monitor relevant measures—including support demand, manual effort, adoption, legacy tool usage, data quality issues, and user satisfaction—to evaluate whether solutions achieve their intended outcomes. 

• Contribute to continuous improvement of discovery, support triage, requirements, validation, documentation, adoption, and modernization practices. 

Education & Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in business, information systems, analytics, computer science, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 

• Typically requires four or more years of relevant experience as a Business Analyst, Data Analyst, BI Analyst, application or data support analyst, or in a similar customer-facing technical role. 

• Experience gathering requirements and translating business needs for technical delivery teams. 

• Experience supporting users of reporting, analytics, data, or enterprise technology solutions. 

• Experience working with Agile delivery teams and backlog management tools is preferred. 

• Property and casualty insurance experience is a plus. 

Knowledge, Skills & Competencies 

• Strong analytical, problem solving, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to understand business needs, workflows, and desired outcomes. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with business partners, technical teams, subject -matter experts, and leadership. 

• Working knowledge of business analysis practices, including requirements definition, acceptance criteria, process mapping, and user acceptance testing. 

• Strong conceptual understanding of data warehousing, business intelligence, data integration, semantic models, and data governance. 

• Familiarity with Snowflake and SQL and the ability to use data to investigate business questions, validate results, and support decision-making. 

• Experience with Row Zero, Power BI, BusinessObjects, or similar data and business intelligence technologies preferred. The ability to learn and apply new technologies is essential. 

• Customer-focused and collaborative, with the ability to build trust and support process change, while balancing immediate needs with long-term objectives. 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and communicate progress, risks, and issues clearly. 

• Adaptable, organized, and committed to continuous improvement. 

 

Compensation Overview

The base salary range for the position is listed below. Please note that the base salary is only one component of our robust total rewards package at RLI. The salary offered will take into account a number of factors including, but not limited to, geographic location, experience, scope & responsibilities of the role, qualifications/credentials, talent availability & specialization, as well as business needs. The below range may be modified in the future.

Base Pay Range

$96,264.00 - $137,657.00

Total Rewards

At RLI, we're all owners. We hire the best and the brightest employees and allow them to share in the company's success through our Total Rewards. With the Employee Stock Ownership plan at its core, the Total Rewards program includes all compensation, benefits and perks that come with being an RLI employee.

Financial Incentives

• Annual bonus plans

• Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)

• 401(k) — automatic 3% company contribution

• Annual 401k and ESOP profit-sharing contributions (Up to 15% of eligible earnings)

Work & Life

• Paid time off (PTO) and holidays

• Paid volunteer time off (VTO) to support our communities

• Parental and family care leave

• Flexible & hybrid work arrangements

• Fitness center discounts and free virtual fitness platform

• Employee assistance program

Health & Wellness

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits

• Flexible spending and health savings accounts

• 2x base salary for group life and AD&D insurance

• Voluntary life, critical illness, & accident insurance for purchase

• Short-term and long-term disability benefits

Personal & Professional Growth

RLI encourages its employees to pursue professional development work in insurance and job-related areas. We make a commitment to employees to provide educational opportunities that help them enhance their skills and further their career advancement. RLI fosters a true learning culture and encourages professional growth through insurance courses, in-house training and other educational programs. RLI covers the cost for most programs and employees typically earn a bonus upon successful completion of approved courses and certifications. Our personal and professional growth benefits include:

• Training & certification opportunities

• Tuition reimbursement

• Education bonuses

Diversity & Inclusion

Our goal is to attract, develop and retain the best employee talent from diverse backgrounds while promoting an environment where all viewpoints are valued and individuals feel respected, are treated fairly, and have an opportunity to excel in their chosen careers. We actively support, and participate in, initiatives led by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association that aim to increase diversity in the insurance industry. Cultivating an exceptional and diverse workforce to deliver excellent customer service reinforces our culture and is a key to achieving superior business results.

RLI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.