Business Operations Analyst

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

12h

About The Position

The Business Operations Analyst supports business operations across APL’s Business, Construction, and Facilities Department as part of the Finance Strategy & Operations team in the Data Analytics Section. The role coordinates the department’s use of Oracle E-Business Suite and related business applications, working with stakeholders to understand and document business needs, support system and process changes, coordinate testing and communications, and maintain procedures and reference materials. The analyst develops expertise in Procurement and Accounting processes and data, performs analysis and reconciliation, and contributes to cross-functional initiatives that improve service, efficiency, data quality, and decision-making. The position involves learning complex business processes, coordinating work across stakeholders, and using data and business applications to address operational problems, with opportunities to deepen expertise in enterprise applications, business analysis, and process improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
At least two years of relevant professional experience in business systems, business analysis, data analysis, finance, accounting, procurement, operations, or a related area.
Experience supporting a complex business application or data-dependent business process, including assessing issues, coordinating resolution, documenting processes, or supporting system and process changes.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, including investigating discrepancies, evaluating information from multiple sources, and identifying potential root causes.
Experience gathering, clarifying, and documenting business, system, data, or reporting requirements and supporting related testing, implementation, or process-change activities.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel, and experience analyzing, validating, and reconciling data with a strong emphasis on accuracy and consistency.
Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills, with comfort working with business users, technical teams, analysts, and organizational leadership.
Detail-oriented and well organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain effective documentation, and follow issues and assignments through resolution.
US citizenship or permanent resident status, as required to access APL’s facilities and networks, subject to applicable laws.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting Oracle E-Business Suite or another ERP system from the business or functional side, particularly within Procurement, Accounting, Projects, Contracts, or related financial modules.
Experience with business systems analysis activities such as triaging application issues, gathering requirements, coordinating enhancements, developing test scenarios, supporting user acceptance testing, or preparing user documentation and training.
Knowledge of Procurement, Accounting, financial management, or related business processes, including how business rules and transactions affect downstream data, reporting, and decision-making.
Experience using SQL and data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau to analyze, reconcile, validate, or present data.
Experience with data definitions, data lineage, data quality, data governance, process mapping, process improvement, or workflow automation.
Familiarity with internal controls, audit requirements, government contracting, or another regulated financial or operational environment.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary day-to-day business liaison for APL’s Oracle E-Business Suite, assessing and triaging reported issues, routing them to appropriate business or technical teams, and coordinating follow-up through resolution.
Gather, clarify, analyze, and document business, system, data, and reporting requirements for application enhancements, analytics efforts, and process-improvement initiatives.
Develop working expertise in Procurement and Accounting processes, data, business definitions, and relevant ERP data structures, helping stakeholders improve data consistency, traceability, and effective use.
Analyze, validate, and reconcile ERP and operational data to identify discrepancies, investigate root causes, and support accurate reporting, reliable business processes, and informed decision-making.
Partner with Procurement, Contracts, Accounting, Finance, and IT to connect business processes, systems, and data and support cohesive organizational solutions.
Develop and maintain process documentation, data definitions, user communications, and training resources to promote consistent system use and effective operational coverage.
Identify opportunities to streamline, standardize, automate, or redesign recurring business and system processes.
Contribute to data requests, ad hoc analysis, special projects, and cross-functional initiatives.