Department: Alumni Relations & Development
Salary/Grade: ITS/76

Job Summary:

The associate business analyst generates and maintains reports and collaborates with members of the team and our clients across Alumni Relations and Development to drive various projects and data initiatives forward. Identifies data needs, documents the requirements, creates back-end queries, tests the code, quality checks the results, and delivers the final product. Monitors the request in-take and completes various ad-hoc or recurring data requests.

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Collaborates with analysts, end users, and peers to develop workflows and best practices to ensure that user requirements are gathered, analyzed, all gaps are documented, and all deliverables completed (adhering to approved methodology and documentation standards).
• Assists in all stages of the project, starting from the initial planning stages.
• Works with various stakeholders to identify business relevant data and serves as an in-house data consultant

Administration

• Responds to inquiries by monitoring the ticketing system
• Creates and maintains requirements/code/process/support documentation.
• Participates in team/project meetings.
• Prioritizes assigned tasks

Development

• Develops reports.
• Gathers functional and business requirements and rapidly translates information into a working set of dashboards and management reports
• Utilizes SQL as a backend querying tool to help build reports and analyze trends and patters found in complex data sets
• Develops data visualizations in Tableau based on analysis and interpretation of data using SQL and Excel
• Performs thorough QA on reports and identifies and troubleshoots data discrepancies/quality issues that need further review

Performance

• Applies critical thinking and objective analysis to data sets, identify data trends, highlight anomalies, and provides constructive data-informed insights to teams
• Works closely with other analysts/developers on the team to understand business needs and ARD reporting standards

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• Please see information highlighted below.
  • Enterprise Applications
    • Cognos BI
    • Ellucian/SunGard Advance
    • OnBase
  • Infrastructure
    • Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Outlook)
    • Oracle and Oracle RAC
    • SQL
    • Windows Operating System
  • Programming Languages and Frameworks
    • PL/SQL
  • Analytical
    • Critical thinking
    • Data mining
    • Data modeling
    • Decision making
    • Judgment
    • Problem solving
    • Troubleshooting
  • Project
    • Agile environment
    • Collaboration and teamwork
    • Organizational skills
    • Planning

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

• Motivated self-starter, displays initiative and able to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting and problem-solving experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Time management and priority setting skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with data cleansing
• Experience with Python, Tableau, GitHub
• Experience with predictive analytics/data science

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Intermediate SQL and Excel skills

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 requires all staff and faculty to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.