Business Analyst, Associate

Boise State University • Boise, ID

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Work alongside personnel in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to maximize the effective use of enterprise applications, financial aid systems, data, and technology. The Business Analyst, Associate supports and analyzes systems including Oracle Student Financial Aid Cloud (SFA Cloud), PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, U.S. Department of Education systems, and other internal and external applications supporting financial aid and scholarship operations.

The Business Analyst, Associate serves as a technical and functional resource for the Financial Aid and Scholarships office by investigating system and data issues, analyzing business processes, developing and evaluating solutions, supporting system changes and implementations, conducting testing, creating documentation, and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and the student experience.

The Business Analyst, Associate acts as a liaison between technical and functional staff in Financial Aid and Scholarships, Boise State's Office of Information Technology, Oracle, other vendors, and functional partners across the University. The position translates business needs and regulatory requirements into functional and technical solutions and communicates complex system and data concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Please note: this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and or relevant experience
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated curiosity and the ability to investigate issues, identify root causes, evaluate alternatives, and develop practical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to approach unfamiliar problems methodically, ask questions, research available information, and learn new systems, technologies, processes, and subject matter.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently on assigned responsibilities, manage multiple priorities, and remain organized in a complex and deadline-driven environment.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing technology, priorities, processes, and regulatory requirements; exercise sound judgment when evaluating issues and determining when additional expertise or escalation is needed.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and understand complex enterprise applications, integrations, business processes, and technical concepts.
• Working knowledge of technical and data-analysis tools, with the ability and willingness to develop proficiency in tools such as SQL, spreadsheets, reporting applications, APIs, or scripting languages.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain system and technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to collaborate with functional staff, technical staff, leadership, vendors, and external partners and to document processes, system functionality, testing, and solutions.
• Ability to understand and apply policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and business rules to systems and processes.

Nice To Haves

• SQL and Oracle databases
• Excel or similar data-analysis tools
• APIs, integrations, or scripting
• Enterprise applications or student information systems
• Software testing or quality assurance; process improvement
• Higher education, financial aid, or other regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Support the administration and ongoing operation of Oracle Student Financial Aid Cloud (SFA Cloud), PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, and related financial aid functionality, including investigating functional, technical, and data-related issues.
• Create and utilize queries, reports, and other data-analysis methods to investigate business problems, validate data, identify trends, and support the evaluation of solutions.
• Analyze system functionality, configuration, business rules, integrations, and data to investigate issues, determine potential causes, and recommend appropriate solutions or escalation paths.
• Participate in the implementation, testing, and evaluation of new functionality, defects, patches, fixes, upgrades, regulatory releases, and other system changes, coordinating assigned activities with affected stakeholders.
• Assist leadership, team leads, OIT, vendors, and functional partners with gathering information, documenting requirements, evaluating solutions, and supporting system and process changes.
• Support process improvement efforts by gathering information, analyzing current processes, identifying potential opportunities, and assisting with implementation of approved improvements.
• Provide functional support and communicate the status of assigned projects, system issues, testing activities, open tickets, and resolutions to staff and leadership.
• Assist with oversight, administration, troubleshooting, testing, and integration of systems supporting Financial Aid and Scholarships, including ELM, Perceptive Content, COD, NSLDS, SAIG, Blackbaud, and other internal and external applications.
• Analyze data flows, interfaces, file processing, and system integrations to identify and resolve issues and support accurate and timely information exchange.
• Coordinate with OIT, vendors, federal partners, and functional stakeholders to investigate and resolve issues that require additional technical or external support.
• Research and interpret federal, state, and University policies, regulations, business rules, and requirements affecting financial aid systems and processes.
• Assist with evaluating regulatory and institutional changes to determine their potential impact on systems, configurations, processes, reporting, and data.
• Assist leadership and subject matter experts with translating business and regulatory requirements into functional requirements, testing activities, documentation, and system changes.
• Provide training and serve as a technical and functional resource to Financial Aid and Scholarships staff within established areas of knowledge and responsibility.
• Develop and maintain procedures, user guides, system documentation, process documentation, testing documentation, and other resources for end users and technical partners.
• Document system behavior, troubleshooting steps, known issues, and solutions to support consistent knowledge and effective system use across the team.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• 12 paid holidays AND the University is closed between Christmas and New Year's (requires use of 3 vacation days)
• Between 12-24 annual paid vacation days for full-time Professional and Classified staff depending on position type and years of service
• 10.76% University contribution to your ORP retirement fund (Professional and Faculty employees)
• 11.96% University contribution to your PERSI retirement fund (Classified employees)
• Excellent medical, dental and other health-related insurance coverages
• Tuition fee waiver benefits for employees, spouses and their dependents

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level