Business Analyst - Finance Change

Morgan Stanley•Baltimore, MD

About The Position

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. We advise, originate, trade, manage and distribute capital for governments, institutions and individuals. As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in integrity, excellence and strong team ethic. We provide you a superior foundation for building a professional career where you can learn, achieve and grow. Department Profile This role sits within the Centralized Finance Change team and reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Our team is composed of strong techno-functional who collaborate globally across Finance, Technology, and other divisions, taking full ownership of system and product transformation initiatives. We foster a vibrant and diverse environment, with teams engaged in a wide range of functional and technological deliveries. Our culture emphasizes innovation, inclusion, community engagement, and continuous knowledge sharing. The Role We are seeking a Business Analyst with 4+ years of experience to lead the delivery of complex projects and advance data governance initiatives in Finance. The candidate needs to be able to collaborate with cross-functional teams across IT, Finance, and Risk, operating in a dynamic, fast-paced, and high-visibility environment. The candidate is expected to: - Possess strong analytical and communication skills to support initiatives aimed at improving the quality, timeliness, and centralization of data, while also delivering capabilities to enhance financial and regulatory reporting processes. - Document current-state processes and define business requirements, including target-state process design. - Perform and leverage in-depth data analysis to define business requirements and ensure alignment with technology implementation. - Manage and participate in complex cross-functional projects from initiation through execution, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and timely delivery. - Create user stories with acceptance criteria and strategize on UAT planning and test scenarios with all stakeholders - IT, users, and project - Possess advanced analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to grasp complexities and make sound decisions under pressure and resolve issues efficiently. - Develop a strong understanding of financial products and existing reporting frameworks. - Collaborate with key stakeholders, Technology and Change team to design solutions, prioritize and resolve issues. - Support the testing phase, including defining the testing approach, creating test plans and cases, and tracking testing metrics with all stakeholders. - Advance data governance objectives within the Finance division by updating the data dictionary, data quality controls, and supporting feed governance and data lineage tracking. - Ensure a seamless transition from project execution to business-as-usual (BAU) operations. The candidate should be able to demonstrate the following key skills & competencies: - Over 4 years of experience as a Business Analyst, delivering insights and driving process improvements across cross-functional teams. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills; adept at engaging stakeholders at all organizational levels. - Highly organized with strong attention to detail and a process-oriented mindset. - Proactive self-starter with effective time management skills and a collaborative team approach. - Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with experience in data quality assessments, root cause analysis, and data reconciliation. - Familiar with process design and strategic thinking to support business transformation initiatives. - Strong proficiency in Microsoft Visio and Excel. The following skills & experience are a plus: - Exposure to financial instruments including Fixed Income, Equities, and Derivatives. - Experience in data quality management within financial services or capital markets. - Knowledge of financial statements and regulatory reporting frameworks is an added advantage. - Background in Data Governance or Data Lineage initiatives. - Experience working in Agile teams and an understanding of Agile practices and tools such as Rally, JIRA, Alteryx, and Power BI is desirable. What you can expect from Morgan Stanley: We have a track record of innovation and passion for unlocking new opportunities, we help our clients raise, manage and allocate capital. We do this by offering a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and asset management services. All that we do at Morgan Stanley is driven by our five core values: do the right thing, put clients first, lead with exceptional ideas, commit to diversity and inclusion, and give back. These aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day, ensuring we do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees around the world. And at the core of our success are the people who drive it - relentless collaborators and creative thinkers who are fueled by diverse thinking and experiences. Wherever you are in our 1,200 global offices, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest in an environment where you are empowered to achieve your full potential. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY: At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work. To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser.

Requirements

Over 4 years of experience as a Business Analyst, delivering insights and driving process improvements across cross-functional teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; adept at engaging stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Highly organized with strong attention to detail and a process-oriented mindset.
Proactive self-starter with effective time management skills and a collaborative team approach.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with experience in data quality assessments, root cause analysis, and data reconciliation.
Familiar with process design and strategic thinking to support business transformation initiatives.
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Visio and Excel.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to financial instruments including Fixed Income, Equities, and Derivatives.
Experience in data quality management within financial services or capital markets.
Knowledge of financial statements and regulatory reporting frameworks is an added advantage.
Background in Data Governance or Data Lineage initiatives.
Experience working in Agile teams and an understanding of Agile practices and tools such as Rally, JIRA, Alteryx, and Power BI is desirable.

Responsibilities

Possess strong analytical and communication skills to support initiatives aimed at improving the quality, timeliness, and centralization of data, while also delivering capabilities to enhance financial and regulatory reporting processes.
Document current-state processes and define business requirements, including target-state process design.
Perform and leverage in-depth data analysis to define business requirements and ensure alignment with technology implementation.
Manage and participate in complex cross-functional projects from initiation through execution, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and timely delivery.
Create user stories with acceptance criteria and strategize on UAT planning and test scenarios with all stakeholders - IT, users, and project
Possess advanced analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to grasp complexities and make sound decisions under pressure and resolve issues efficiently.
Develop a strong understanding of financial products and existing reporting frameworks.
Collaborate with key stakeholders, Technology and Change team to design solutions, prioritize and resolve issues.
Support the testing phase, including defining the testing approach, creating test plans and cases, and tracking testing metrics with all stakeholders.
Advance data governance objectives within the Finance division by updating the data dictionary, data quality controls, and supporting feed governance and data lineage tracking.
Ensure a seamless transition from project execution to business-as-usual (BAU) operations.

Benefits

Medical
Prescription Drug
Dental
Vision
Health Savings Account
Dependent Day Care Savings Account
Life Insurance
Disability and Other Insurance Plans
Paid Time Off (including Sick Leave consistent with state and local law, Parental Leave and 20 Vacation Days annually)
10 Paid Holidays
401(k)
Short/Long Term Disability
other special perks reserved for our employees