HR Business Intelligence Analyst II / Business Applications Analyst II

MSU Careers Details•East Lansing, MI

1d•Remote

About The Position

Michigan State University is seeking a skilled HR Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst to serve as a primary functional lead for HR reporting, dashboards, and analytics initiatives. This role leads requirements gathering, reporting intake, functional design, testing, and end-user support activities while partnering closely with stakeholders to understand business needs and recommend data-driven solutions. The analyst applies advanced analytical thinking, business process knowledge, and customer-focused problem solving to ensure reporting solutions are accurate, meaningful, and aligned with organizational priorities. Through continuous improvement, collaboration, and technical expertise, this position helps strengthen the university's reporting and business intelligence capabilities. The position will also play an important role in MSU HR's continued transition to SAP-based reporting and modern business intelligence capabilities, helping stakeholders understand and effectively use new reporting solutions. Note: To support a broad candidate pool, this position is being posted at two classification levels. One candidate will be selected and hired into the level that best matches their experience and qualifications. To be considered for both levels, applicants must submit an application to each posting separately.

Requirements

Experience leading business requirements gathering, stakeholder consultations, and functional analysis activities for reporting or business application solutions.
Demonstrated ability to analyze complex business challenges, recommend solutions, and manage reporting initiatives from intake through implementation.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills with the ability to build effective partnerships across technical and business teams.
Experience supporting enterprise reporting environments, business intelligence tools, dashboards and data visualization, SQL, SAP, Cognos, or similar systems.
Commitment to customer service, continuous improvement, data quality, and delivering reliable reporting solutions that support organizational success.
Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Information Technology, Business Administration, Human Resources, Data Analytics, or a related field; three to five years of related experience supporting enterprise reporting systems or business applications; experience gathering and documenting business requirements and performing functional testing and data validation using Excel and/or SQL; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SAP, particularly SAP HR/HCM data, reporting, or business processes.
Familiarity with HR data structures and business processes, including Personnel Administration, Organizational Management, Payroll, Benefits, Time and related HR functions
Experience managing reporting intake and working directly with business stakeholders to define and prioritize reporting needs.
Experience designing and enhancing reporting dashboards, including data visualization, predictive and prescriptive analytics.
Experience translating complex business questions into meaningful metrics, KPIs, reporting requirements, and data visualizations.
Experience developing Functional Design Specifications (FDS) for complex reporting and analytics solutions.
Experience developing and executing comprehensive functional testing strategies and structured test scenarios
Experience using TDX or similar service management platforms
Experience using Jira for defect tracking or issue management
Familiarity with SAP or Cognos reporting environments
Experience writing SQL queries for validation or testing
Strong communication, documentation, facilitation and organizational skills
Experience in higher education or complex enterprise environments
Experience working with sensitive or confidential data and applying appropriate data security and access controls.

Responsibilities

Lead report intake, requirements gathering, and stakeholder consultation efforts for HR reporting and analytics initiatives.
Analyze complex business needs and translate them into functional specifications and reporting solutions.
Develop and maintain Functional Design Specifications (FDS) and related documentation that support reporting development and organizational standards.
Design, coordinate, and execute comprehensive testing activities to validate reporting accuracy, functionality, and compliance with business requirements.
Support the development, testing, and deployment of reports, dashboards, and analytics solutions across SAP, Cognos, QM4, SQL, and related business intelligence platforms.
Contribute to the design and enhancement of reporting dashboards and data visualizations that help stakeholders understand HR data, trends, and key performance indicators.
Investigate reporting issues, identify root causes, document defects, and partner with technical teams to implement effective solutions.
Provide first- and second-level support for reporting-related questions, service requests, and troubleshooting activities.
Coordinate reporting security, access requests, and reporting administration processes while ensuring appropriate documentation and controls.
Create user documentation, training materials, and knowledge resources that support effective use of reporting and analytics tools.
Support MSU HR's transition to SAP-based reporting and modern business intelligence capabilities by helping define reporting needs, evaluate solutions, and support adoption of new tools and processes.
Drive continuous improvement efforts that enhance reporting intake, testing, deployment, governance, and service delivery practices.