Business Analyst, Sponsored Program Administration

Business Analyst, Sponsored Program Administration

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Business Analyst, Sponsored Program Administration at its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Position Purpose:

The Business Analyst will support the Sponsored Program Administration (SPA) office by creating reports, analyzing data, and improving processes related to grants and contracts. This role combines strong analytical skills with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to bridge the gap between complex data and decision-making while ensuring reports are tailored to organizational needs. This position reports to the Assistant Vice President, Sponsored Program Administration.

Essential Functions:

• Data Reporting and Analysis: Create and refine reports using advanced Excel skills (pivot tables required) and ensure accurate data integration from systems such as SQL Server and Oracle. Provide operational reporting, dashboards and statistical analysis of data and determine best source of data to support data driven decision making.
• Support Process Improvement: Analyze existing workflows, recommend improvements, and assist with implementing changes to streamline data reporting and related operations. Develop processes/tools to monitor and analyze data model performance to test effectiveness and to ensure accuracy, optimal performance, and data integrity.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with leadership, faculty, and staff to present clear, concise data insights. Explain concepts simply without overwhelming non-technical audiences. Collaborate with leaders and functional teams to identify opportunities for leveraging University data to drive business solutions.
• Provide support and response to federal and state mandated data requests, as well as routine or ad-hoc internal and external data requests.
• Other duties as assigned.

Unique Duties:

This position is not eligible for H-1B visa sponsorship. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer-sponsored visa support.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree. Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, Healthcare Administration, or related field from an accredited institution preferred.
• Experience: Intermediate (3 to 4 years job-related experience). Experience in an academic environment preferred. Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered. Experience coordinating, leading, and conducting organized large-scale programs/projects. Experience working with relational data and database management systems, developing reports, dashboards, and data visualizations. Knowledge of grants and contracts, finance, or HR operations, preferred. Familiarity with tools such as MS Access, VBA, Power BI, or Power Automate, preferred. Experience with enterprise systems like Banner, preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orally and in writing. Strong interpersonal skills are a must. Ability to work successfully with persons from diverse backgrounds.
• PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and plan work activities while meeting respective deadlines. Strong organizational and time-management skills required. Maturity, sound judgment and ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.
• ANALYTICAL AND PRESENTATION SKILLS: Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complex information effectively in professionally prepared documents or presentations. Must possess a demonstrated attention to detail in order to achieve a high degree of accuracy.
• TECHNICAL SKILLS: Proficient in the use of complex administrative systems software, preferably in the higher education environment or nonprofit environment. Proficient with Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel and Teams. Demonstrated ability to translate user requirements into technical specifications and systems.
• LEARNING AGILITY: Independent and innovative self-starter who displays an ability to learn quickly and easily adapts to changing situations. Experience researching topics to gain knowledge and understanding when information gaps exist.
• TEAMWORK: Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues within the division and other units to gain full understanding of the project and desired outcome; ability to produce high quality and consistent results with assistance of team members; provide support to teammates when tackling complex projects.

School/College/Division:

Division of Research & Innovation

Primary Department:

H0912 - Sponsored Program Administration

Employment Type:

• Regular Employee
• Job type: Full Time
• Job category: Staff/Administrative

Funding/Salary Information:

• Compensation type: Annual Salary
• Salary minimum: $64,027
• Salary hire maximum: $76,835

Working Conditions:

Normal Office Environment.

This position must be filled pursuant to the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement, and as such may be filled by a qualified bargaining unit member, should one apply.

Job Openings:

• Number of openings: 1
• Reposted position: No

Background check requirements:

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.