Senior Research Services Business Analyst

Brown University

1d • Remote

About The Position

As a senior member of the Research Administration Information Systems (RAIS) team, the Senior Research Services Business Analyst provides strategic leadership and high-level technical expertise for the University’s Electronic Research Administration (eRA) systems. Reporting to the Director of RAIS, this role is responsible for the long-term health, architectural integrity, and strategic evolution of systems critical to the Division of Research (DOR). The Senior Analyst acts as a strategic partner between the research community and technical teams, translating high-level institutional goals into scalable system architectures. This position independently manages complex business process redesigns to ensure the University remains at the forefront of regulatory compliance and operational efficiency.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience plus a minimum of minimum of 3-5 years of progressive experience in business analysis, research administration, or enterprise system management.
• Experience working with complex ERP systems and/or enterprise research systems (i.e Coeus, InfoEd, Workday, Huron).
• Proven track record of managing large-scale ERP or eRA implementations (e.g., InfoEd, Workday, Huron).
• Expert-level SQL skills and experience with advanced data visualization/reporting tools (e.g., Cognos, Tableau).
• Ability to accurately map complex business processes and ERP information architecture.
• Must possess an exacting attention to detail to ensure system configurations and process maps are error-free and easily understood by technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Mastery of critical thinking to proactively mitigate risks. This includes the ability to anticipate system bottlenecks, identify scalable solutions, and manage "downstream" communication to all impacted parties.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with a specific ability to translate technical jargon into "layman’s terms" for a diverse audience of faculty, staff, and senior administrators with varying levels of technical sophistication.
• Skilled in leading group activities, workshops, and project meetings.
• Ability to build consensus among stakeholders with competing priorities.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Must be adept at managing multiple high-priority projects simultaneously while maintaining focus through routine interruptions and shifting institutional priorities.
• Proven track record of working with minimal supervision, demonstrating high levels of self-motivation, reliability, and the professional judgment to know when to escalate issues to leadership.

Nice To Haves

• experience in a high-volume, Tier-1 research environment.
• Experience with data warehouse design and report writing; e.g. Cognos

Responsibilities

• System Architecture & Strategy: Orchestrates the planning, design, and lifecycle management of enterprise-level research applications, ensuring scalability, security, and institutional alignment.
• High-Level Strategic Analysis: Leads comprehensive feasibility studies and impact analyses for new system adoptions, providing executive-level recommendations to the Vice President for Research.
• Knowledge Leadership: Designs and governs the University’s research system training strategy, ensuring a high level of technical competency across the 600+ user community.
• Institutional Liaison: Serves as a primary representative for RAIS in high-stakes collaborations with Workday Operations, OIT, and external federal auditors.

Benefits

• Brown University offers a flexible work/life balance; summer hours, winter break and a comprehensive Benefits package including time off, annual paid holidays; benefits offerings including health, dental, vision, tuition assistance, retirement, wellness, employee discounts and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees