Business Analyst

Department: MCC Information Technology
Salary/Grade: ITS/79

Job Summary:

McCormick IT seeks an intermediate-level Business Analyst with strong project management skills to support the planning, execution, and oversight of IT initiatives across the School of Engineering. This hybrid role combines traditional business analysis responsibilities (requirements gathering, process documentation, stakeholder engagement) with project management responsibilities (leading infrastructure and support projects, maintaining the IT portfolio, and supporting project planning and delivery processes).

Working closely with the Senior Business Analyst and IT leadership, and reporting to the Senior Director of IT, this role will manage project intake processes, coordinate cross-team initiatives, and ensure timely and effective delivery of IT services and solutions. The successful candidate will bring both analytical and organizational skills, and the ability to lead projects, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and support strategic IT planning.

Specific Responsibilities:

Portfolio & Project Management

• Lead and maintain the IT team's portfolio of active and planned projects, ensuring visibility and alignment across application development, infrastructure, and support teams.
• Act as project manager for key initiatives, particularly those related to infrastructure and support, including developing timelines, coordinating resources, managing risks, and tracking deliverables.
• Monitor and report on project status, escalating issues and recommending solutions as needed.
• Support adoption and ongoing use of project and portfolio management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Jira, SharePoint).

Business Analysis & Documentation

• Partner with stakeholders to gather, analyze, and document functional and technical requirements.
• Develop user stories, process maps, workflows, and supporting documentation to guide solution design and implementation.
• Support testing and validation of IT systems, drafting test plans, executing test cases, and documenting results.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of business processes, identifying opportunities for efficiency and better alignment with institutional goals.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Coordinate intake and discovery sessions with departments, faculty, and IT staff to identify needs and assess project scope.
• Serve as a point of contact for infrastructure and support teams, building strong relationships and facilitating communication across technical and non-technical groups.
• Develop and distribute project communications (status reports, dashboards, updates) to stakeholders and leadership.

Collaboration with Senior Business Analyst

• Provide backup and support to the Senior BA for project planning, portfolio tracking, and stakeholder engagement.
• Cross-train on established BA processes and frameworks to ensure continuity of operations.
• Collaborate closely to ensure consistent methods, shared best practices, and balanced workload coverage across the IT organization.

Strategic Planning

• Partners with senior analysts, end users and peers to document and analyze functional requirements, identify gaps and alternative approaches to meet requirements, and ensure all deliverables completed (adhering to approved methodology and documentation standards).
• Partners with functional users and technical and reporting staff to determine best approaches, ensuring that approved solutions are implemented in a timely and correct fashion.

Administration

• Drafts accurate documentation of process, procedure, and system/application configuration.
• Formulates and executes test scripts, implementation project plans, rolls out communications and training materials.
• Outlines medium complexity use cases.

Development

• Formulates test scripts and performs detailed testing for moderate to complex use cases to ensure that the implemented software functions correctly.
• Participates in and may facilitate iterative feedback processes among users, developers, and analysts to ensure software functionality aligns with requirements. Draws on prior implementation experience to engage in discussions.

Performance

• Assists in software evaluation and enters moderate to complex configurations to meet user needs.
• Collects feedback from users on application performance and escalates moderate to complex critical performance issues with technical resources and management.
• Collaborates with technical, reporting and application resources to analyze and resolve moderate to complex production issues in a timely manner. Provides input into possible solutions based on prior system knowledge and basic analytical skills.

Supervises

• Provides work direction and/or supervise staff such as subordinates, contractors, vendors, students, etc.
• Manages basic projects or work packets ensuring timelines, deliverables and expectations are met.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as computer science, information technology, or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 2 years functional/business/system analysis or other relevant experience required.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Bachelor's degree in business, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 2-4 years of experience in business analysis, project coordination, or IT project management.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects with competing priorities.
• Experience with project management and portfolio tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Jira, Microsoft 365).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Experience in higher education or a similarly complex environment.
• Direct experience managing IT infrastructure or support-related projects.
• Knowledge of Agile, Scrum, or iterative project management methodologies.
• Familiarity with IT service management principles (e.g., ITIL).

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Analytical Thinking: Ability to gather and evaluate requirements, identify gaps, and translate into actionable solutions.
• Project Leadership: Skilled in planning, organizing, and managing projects to successful completion.
• Collaboration & Communication: Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to build rapport and facilitate discussions across diverse teams.
• Data Driven Decision Making: Ability to analyze information and make strategic decisions and recommendations.
• Adaptability: Comfortable working in a hybrid role that blends BA and PM functions, with flexibility to shift between detail-oriented analysis and high-level project oversight.
• Customer Service Orientation: Responsive and solutions-focused, with a commitment to supporting the school's mission through effective IT services.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $81,000-$99,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.