Business Systems Analyst

Overview

Term: 9 months

The Registrar’s Office (RO) is involved in all aspects of academic life, including marketing for undergraduate student recruitment and admissions, enrolment, examinations, development and application of academic policies, and convocation. This position supports the systems-based processes for these activities and drives continuous improvement through systems development projects.

The Business Systems Analyst (Analyst) provides functional business analysis and project leadership in systems development related to student information systems and integrations of the University, while supporting major, more complex business processes. There are several critical aspects of support including provision of accurate and timely data to support the Registrar’s Office units and staff and faculty to facilitate and enhance decision-making, strategic planning, and communications. This role is forward looking and is regularly assessing the current and future technology needs of RO stakeholders in order to meet and exceed their expectations.

Responsibilities

Functional Knowledge and Leadership in Business Analysis and Development

• Provides business analysis for new problems or changing processes (may be introduced by legislative or policy changes)
• Works closely with stakeholder groups (faculty, staff, students) to understand and interpret diverse requirements for new developments and/or improvements to existing processes; stakeholder needs are often conflicting requiring careful facilitation and negotiation
• Identifies and/or verifies user needs; creates user stories and test scenarios for large development projects, interpreting requirements, fit/gap analysis
• Undertakes research of new tools and functionality to support registrarial activities across the campus, including student self-service; engaged with implementation of these tools (setup/configuration, development, analysis and forecasting, testing, training, document findings)
• Functional project subject matter expert role in systems, working in partnership with IST and other departments on development projects, appreciation for various project management methodologies such as eg. waterfall, agile, etc
• Functional leadership for system upgrades, enhancements, and fixes—research, identification of test scenarios, and quality assurance—and assuring that stakeholder needs are met

Expertise, Guidance and Leadership in Complex Processes and Operations

• Source of expertise and technical support on student information systems and related or integrated systems
• Liaises with stakeholders from various departments, user groups and downstream partners across campus such as Faculties, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, Centre for Extended Learning, IAP, Finance, Cooperative Education, Housing, and many others, as well as Registrar’s Office staff
• Responsible for configuring/setup of and facilitation of complex processes that frequently require manual adjustments, including validation change management, and optimization of large processes
• Accountable for system configuration, maintenance, and functional setup
• Responsible for understanding the implications of security as related to developments
• Identifies errors, trouble-shoots, and problem-solves related to processes and functionality within the system

Client Relationships and Support

• Builds and maintains effective working relationships with stakeholders within the RO and across campus, often acting as a liaison between functional and technical requirements
• Monitors relevant business processes and stakeholder use of systems to identify opportunities for business process improvements
• Develops and maintains technical and business procedures and documentation; ensuring adherence and necessary adjustments due to policy changes (eg. Internal, external (eg. Ministry))
• Plans and delivers training workshops to both internal and campus wide staff
• Responsible for monitoring accuracy of system coding and business processes of existing practices
• Participates in various working groups and project teams, frequently including IST, GSPA, CEL, and Finance, as a partner in service excellence; in this context, seeks opportunities for shared services, collaboration, efficiency, and support

Data Analysis, Interfaces and Reporting

• Understand protocol and governance around data and releasing data
• Delivers approved ad hoc data as requested (e.g., research requests from faculty, Office of Research, external parties)
• Accountable for accuracy and integrity of data interfaces with internal and external systems, including functional analysis, maintenance, and support (e.g. LEARN, Waterloo Works, document management system, OUAC, government student aid)
• Liaise with various stakeholders related to portfolio data and process accuracy (e.g., Registrar, Associate Registrars, Faculties, Associate Deans, high school guidance counsellors, OUAC and Ministry staff)
• Solid understanding of relational database structure and definitions and understanding of changes required due to policy

The Analyst may be assigned a primary portfolio from among the following major processes and groups and will gain knowledge and expertise in other areas to support business needs and cross-functional projects and initiatives:

Records

• Accountable for activities, setup, guidance and coding related to complex business processes (eg. academic progression)
• Serve as resource and guidance for records functionality (eg. Course enrollment, term activation etc) in partnership with operations, scheduling and records staff within the Registrar’s Office
• Support and maintenance of transcript design and formatting
• Responsible for systems security roles, defining security access protocols for students, staff, faculty, and alumni
• Other areas of support include course catalog, academic progression, grading, electronic grade submission and milestone maintenance

Admissions

• Accountable for applicant data loads to and from the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC); includes ensuring data integrity as well as troubleshooting and related projects
• Support and monitor admission coding activities and procedures
• Develop and maintain the logic for admission decision evaluations including Ontario Secondary School average calculations, and English Language Requirement evaluations
• Accountable for setup, maintenance, and support of admission business processes for special admit categories (e.g., Deferred Admission, University Co-operative Education Program)
• Accountable for retention of admissions records, matriculation to student records and rescinding of offers
• Maintain communication pieces for decision letters including offer letters, refusals, admission conditions, comments, checklists
• Manage the scheduling, production, and distribution of blast email communications to applicants

Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA)

• Accountable for the accuracy of financial aid reports and integrations
• Responsible for accurate set up and disbursement of funds through financial aid authorization and disbursement processes
• Create student budgets, maintain set up tables and complex budget formulas that will ensure accurate budgets are built for all undergraduate and graduate students
• Design, test and implement a set of institutionally defined rules to efficiently award scholarships and financial aid to students
• Analyze and disseminate or develop automations for complex government reports to inform business systems and related government activities
• Responsible for ensuring accurate data and set up criteria are in place within student information and Ministry systems
• Maintain process for monitoring student funding eligibility and changes to need assessments
• Analyze and interpret the University’s tuition structure and the Ministry Tuition Fee Framework for the creation and maintenance of cost code tables, cost sheets, and program information

Other

• May be called on to volunteer support for exams, convocation and other Registrarial events
• Performs other duties and assists with special projects as assigned

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree required, or a suitable combination of education and systems experience in a post-secondary environment
• Completion of courses in Business Analysis or a related discipline, or the Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) certification would be an asset
• 5 years of progressively responsible business systems analysis experience including demonstrated experience with an enterprise student information system and technology projects
• 2 years student information system experience including configuration and setup of processes, quality assurance and testing of new functionality
• Extensive experience in working with queries and relational database tools
• Significant experience in interpreting requirements, fit/gap analysis, data modeling, and documentation
• Demonstrated strong analytical and problem-solving skills are essential
• Innovative, with strong continuous improvement and project management skills
• Proven ability to understand complex situations, tasks or problems, often with multiple stakeholder groups, analyze them using a systematic approach and identify patterns and connections between situations that are not inherently obvious
• Proficient with an enterprise student information system (Peoplesoft, Infosilem, Cyon) would be an asset
• Proficient with understanding relational databases and structures and use of query and other database tools
• A continuous improvement mindset and an exceptional customer service focus are critical for success along with exceptionally strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills
• Proven ability to adapt and work effectively within a variety of situations including changes in job demands, changing or competing priorities, or multiple stakeholder groups
• Demonstrated ability to maintain strong working relationships, to engage and influence stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills are required to understand technical details and complex business requirements, solve problems, facilitate workshops/training, and negotiate with stakeholders to create solutions that meet overall campus needs
• Demonstrated ability to complete tasks on schedule
• Good understanding of security/privacy related to information systems
• Good understanding of principles for secure software development life cycle
• Lifelong learner with growth mindset, able to identify learning needs, goals and resources for learning and research
• Good understanding of university policy and operations
• Good understanding of relevant legislative and compliance requirements (e.g., FIPPA, AODA)
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills
• Proficient with MS Office Suite/Office 365 i.e. MS Word, Excel (advanced skills eg. macros, lookups), PowerPoint, as well as Cloud related technologies

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.