Senior Business Intelligence Engineer

Sidley Austin•Chicago, IL

3d•$98,300 - $145,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Analytics Engineer leads the recurring reporting and data processes behind several of the firm's most important administrative functions. This role reports to the Business Intelligence Senior Manager and combines hands-on SQL analysis and report development, working with Finance, Accounting, and HR through the firm's product management team. The person in this seat runs processes with hard monthly and annual deadlines, keeps the underlying data accurate, and produces reporting that firm leadership relies on.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Data Analytics, Information Systems, Computer Science, Accounting, Finance, or a related field
A minimum of 5 years of experience as a data analyst, reporting analyst, or in a similar role owning recurring operational data processes
Expert-level SQL analysis: the ability to read and unravel complex multi-table logic, nested views, and stored procedures, explain what they produce and why, write queries against them, and make targeted, safe modifications when needed
Demonstrated experience running recurring financial or operational close cycles (month-end, year-end) against hard deadlines
Exceptional attention to detail, with a track record in data validation, reconciliation, and correction
Proven ability to handle highly sensitive financial and personnel data with discretion and sound judgment
Report development experience with at least one enterprise BI platform such as Power BI, Tableau, or Cognos
Excellent communication skills, comfortable working with product managers, business analysts, and senior administrative stakeholders
Ability to own long-running processes independently, with minimal supervision
Strong diagnostic ability: a track record of tracing an incorrect number through interconnected systems to root cause, rather than patching the symptom
A demonstrated habit of documenting processes, decisions, and fixes in writing as the work happens
Strong organizational skills
Strong attention to detail
Good judgment
Strong interpersonal communication skills
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
Able to work under pressure
Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or in the future

Nice To Haves

Experience in a law firm or professional services environment is strongly preferred
Familiarity with legal industry financial and HR systems, such as Elite 3E, Workday, or comparable platforms
Experience with Crystal Reports, including maintaining or retiring legacy reports
Report development experience across more than one BI platform (Power BI, Tableau, Cognos)
Familiarity with SSIS or similar ETL and scheduled job frameworks, including troubleshooting failed or partial loads
Exposure to confidential financial or HR data domains, such as payroll or compensation
Familiarity with cloud data platforms such as Databricks or Azure SQL
Experience documenting processes in a shared knowledge base such as Confluence
Experience supporting report platform migrations or system transitions
SQL performance tuning skills, such as reading execution plans, are a plus

Responsibilities

Own recurring operational reporting and data processes across firm financial and HR data domains, from daily validation through month-end and year-end close
Read, analyze, and understand complex SQL (views, nested views, stored procedures) to explain how reported numbers are produced, diagnose discrepancies, and make targeted corrections where needed
Monitor daily data validation reporting, investigate discrepancies such as conflicting HR records from upstream system changes, and apply corrections, judging which issues must be fixed before month-end close and which can wait; coordinate with the business analysts who track the same reports
Execute month-end and year-end close activities, including reconciliations and year-end reporting deliverables
Prepare and distribute highly confidential deliverables for firm leadership with complete accuracy and discretion
Develop and maintain reports in the firm's BI platforms (Power BI, Cognos) and support remaining legacy Crystal reports
Work with the firm's product management team to translate organizational and system changes, such as HRIS changes, into data and report updates
Trace data issues back to their source systems and coordinate corrections with data engineering and system owners
Maintain clear documentation and step-by-step procedures for all recurring processes so they can be run by others
Contribute subject-matter knowledge to report modernization efforts, bring consultants up to speed on legacy reports, and validate converted outputs against existing reports
Respond to ad hoc analysis and data requests from firm leadership and administrative departments with fast, accurate turnaround
Reduce recurring manual work over time through automation, improved queries, or process changes