Senior Associate, Business Analyst, Enterprise Technology

MILKEN INSTITUTE•Washington, DC

5d•$75,000 - $95,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Milken Institute is seeking a highly organized, analytical, and detail-oriented Senior Associate, Business Analyst to join the Project and Portfolio Management Office (PPMO) within the Technology Department. Reporting to the Product Manager, CRM & Data Analytics, this role supports the delivery, enhancement, and ongoing optimization of enterprise technology solutions, primarily Salesforce and related data analytics platforms. The Business Analyst acts as a liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams, translating business needs into clear, actionable requirements and supporting technology solutions aligned with the Institute's operational objectives. This hands-on role combines business analysis, project coordination, and Agile delivery support. The Senior Associate independently coordinates enhancement requests for operations teams while supporting larger CRM and data analytics initiatives under the Product Manager's direction. The role involves gathering and documenting requirements, developing process maps and functional specifications, creating test cases, coordinating user acceptance testing, maintaining Jira boards, and facilitating Agile ceremonies such as sprint planning and backlog refinement. The Business Analyst works with the Product Manager, business stakeholders, internal Technology teams, and external vendors to define requirements, track work, and ensure delivered solutions meet agreed-upon business needs. The position is based in a professional office environment on a hybrid schedule: three days per week in person, Tuesday through Thursday, and two days working remotely. The schedule may change at the Institute's discretion. Occasional travel to other offices or venues may be required to assist with events, including occasional work outside traditional hours. Domestic travel is possible, and the role regularly interacts virtually with staff in other U.S. and international locations. Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Computer Science, Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Approximately 3–5 years of relevant experience in business analysis, technology project coordination, enterprise applications, or Agile software delivery; candidates with more than 2 years may be considered if they demonstrate exceptional initiative, drive, sound judgment, and outstanding professional references.
Demonstrated experience gathering and analyzing business requirements, developing user stories and acceptance criteria, documenting business processes, and translating business needs into functional and technical specifications.
Working knowledge of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and Waterfall methodologies, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
Proficiency with Jira and Confluence, including managing boards and backlogs, tracking sprint progress, documenting requirements, and producing project status reports.
Experience coordinating smaller technology initiatives, including developing schedules, tracking deliverables, monitoring scope and risks, coordinating resources, and supporting timely completion.
Understanding of the software development lifecycle, including requirements gathering, solution design, development, testing, deployment, and post-implementation support.
Experience developing test cases, coordinating user acceptance testing, documenting defects, and validating functionality against business requirements.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including producing clear business documentation, facilitating stakeholder discussions, and translating technical concepts for diverse audiences.
Ability to work effectively with business users, technical teams, and external partners, with an understanding of how technology supports business operations, organizational objectives, and cross-functional processes.
Strong organizational, analytical, prioritization, and problem-solving skills; ability to manage competing priorities, exercise sound judgment, identify risks and dependencies, and resolve or escalate issues proactively.
Understanding of organizational change management principles, stakeholder readiness, and the operational impacts of technology changes; ability to support communications, documentation, and user adoption.
Demonstrated ownership, attention to detail, responsiveness, follow-through, and willingness to learn technologies, incorporate feedback, and contribute to continuous improvement.
Ability to manage multiple requests, set priorities, meet deadlines, communicate status, and follow work through to completion using tools such as Jira.
Strong attention to detail across written content and visual presentation, including proofreading, formatting, links, imagery, metadata, and consistency with established brand and web standards.
Demonstrated responsiveness and collaboration with colleagues, stakeholders, and cross-functional partners.
Willingness to investigate problems, suggest solutions, ask thoughtful questions, seek guidance when needed, incorporate feedback, and take on greater responsibility over time.
Eligible to work in the United States; the Institute is not sponsoring visas.

Nice To Haves

Experience facilitating Agile ceremonies or serving in a Scrum Master capacity.
Familiarity with project budgeting and cost tracking.
Experience working with Salesforce, website development, or comparable enterprise applications.
Familiarity with CRM data structures, business workflows, integrations, and reporting.

Responsibilities

Partner with business stakeholders to gather, analyze, document, and validate requirements for CRM, data analytics, and related enterprise technology initiatives; translate needs into user stories, acceptance criteria, functional specifications, and process maps.
Independently coordinate assigned technology enhancement requests, primarily supporting Business Development and Events, from requirements gathering through implementation, testing, and business acceptance; track scope, timelines, dependencies, risks, and communications, and escalate matters requiring Product Manager review.
Serve as Scrum Master for assigned initiatives and facilitate sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, retrospectives, and other Agile ceremonies.
Support the Product Manager in maintaining an organized, prioritized, and actionable product backlog.
Maintain Jira boards, user stories, sprint assignments, task statuses, and delivery documentation; keep requirements, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and progress updates accurate in Jira and Confluence in accordance with Technology PPMO standards.
Analyze business processes and system workflows, identify inefficiencies or gaps, and document current-state and future-state processes, workflow diagrams, and system specifications.
Develop test cases and scenarios, coordinate user acceptance testing, track defects and remediation, validate delivered functionality, and support business acceptance before deployment or project closure.
Support Salesforce ecosystem enhancements, configurations, integrations, and business process improvements in collaboration with internal technical resources and external vendors.
Assist with business data analysis, identification of data quality issues, documentation of reporting requirements, and data analytics initiatives; translate technical findings and system information into user-friendly documentation, reports, and recommendations.
Facilitate discussions between business users, the Product Manager, technical teams, and external vendors; communicate progress, risks, decisions, and next steps clearly and professionally.
Support project planning and scheduling, scope management, resource coordination, risk and issue tracking, and change management; promptly escalate scope changes, resource constraints, and material risks to the Product Manager.
Identify opportunities to improve business processes, requirements documentation, Agile practices, system usability, and technology delivery workflows, and contribute recommendations to improve the Technology PPMO and enterprise applications.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Health care plan including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
403(b) retirement plan with a 5% match.
Life insurance, including basic, voluntary, and AD&D coverage.
Paid time off, including personal, vacation, sick, and public holidays.
Family leave, including maternity and paternity leave.
Fertility support.
Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
Pet insurance discount.
Training and development, including LinkedIn Learning with more than 15,000 self-guided classes and an annual mentor program.
Wellness resources, including an Employee Assistance Program and CALM app membership.