Senior IT Business Analyst

Senior IT Business Analyst - Agribusiness

"I analyze and understand the actual needs of a company while not being swayed by its wants. I investigate an organization’s goals and issues before advising them on methods to apply technology to find efficiencies in the most cost-effective way. I work with staff, executives, IT departments and even customers to clearly see the big picture and identify all possible issues. After I have finished my investigation, I will document my findings and present the necessary solutions."

Salary Range:

$66,000 - $86,000

The Tip

Be prepared to adapt and pivot when the time is right. Remember, pivoting from your plan is not a matter of “if,” it is only a matter of “when.”

Priority Knowledge & Skills

Technical Knowledge & Skills

Able to conduct research into systems issues & products as required
Demonstrated project management skills are an asset
Database querying, manipulation & analysis
Knowledge of software development lifecycle, standards, processes & methodologies
Agile or DevOps environments
Technical requirements gathering & analysis
Business process engineering
IT architecture & IT service management

Certifications

Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)
Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA)
PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)

Other

Communication skills
Analytic skills
Information gathering & analysis skills

Building Block Experiences

Education & Learning:

Bachelor of Information Systems (BIS) with a minor in statistics
Master of Business Administration (strategic management)
I better understand the science of human decision making and motivation by reading books like Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow and Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational

"Systems analysis is one of the core courses in the BIS program. It provided me with an understanding of the methods and tools for business analysis. I realized that I may need some statistical skills to analyze organizational and user requirements data, so I decided to take a minor in statistics. The combination of business, computing and statistical skills has been instrumental in my success as a business analyst, while an additional MBA with a concentration in strategic management enables me to understand how to harness organizational human, financial and other assets to gain a strategic advantage, using information systems as a strategic vehicle. Organizations highly value my multi-disciplinary background."

Employment Experiences:

Retail sales specialist at large electronics retailer. Expanded this role into a technical support specialist role.
Did summer job as an IT business analyst for local health authority
First job following graduation was in a customer support role for a large telecommunications company. Promoted to client care specialist.
Recruited to become a business analyst for an Australian-owned agribusiness firm. I am currently at the Canadian office, but my goal is to pursue a career pathway to Australia.

"This pathway provided me the background in selling and customer experiences essential to understanding user requirements. Client relationships have been key to my ability to relate with information system users, understanding their needs and exploring ways by which information systems could make their work more effective and efficient. It was key that I was proactive in mapping out the knowledge and skills I would need and how to go out and get them."

Community Experiences:

Founding president of the Business Analytics Club at my university. I have remained active as an alumni mentor.

"It was an incredible experience founding a club and using it as a bridge into the professional community. It gave me a reason to “warm” call professionals and invite them to come to speak at our events."

Contextual Experiences:

I did a semester abroad at the University of Melbourne in Australia. This opened a world of potential for me.

"I always considered myself ambitious, but my semester abroad reframed my definition of what’s possible in an international context."

Relationships:

During my semester abroad, I met my future wife. She followed me back to Canada to study. We have committed to defining careers that provide our family a route back to Melbourne.

"You never know when you are going to find “the one.” My “one” just happened to be Australian. Having a career mission and a plan is good, but being agile and adaptable enough to adjust when life happens is essential. Remember, all plans are created to be changed."