Manager of Business Analysis

Information Technology Services (ITS), the central IT provider at the University at Albany, is seeking applicants for a Manager of Business Analysis to lead and manage Business Analysts who support the academic, research, and business needs of this R1 University. This position combines hands-on business analysis work with group leadership, overseeing the identification, analysis, and implementation of business process improvements and technology solutions that enhance the student experience and maximize staff productivity. The Manager of Business Analysis plays a key role in advancing the University's digital transformation objectives, including the evaluation and adoption of modern technology, while ensuring alignment with institutional compliance requirements.

The Manager of Business Analysis is a member of the ITS leadership team, responsible for establishing and maintaining business analysis standards, methodologies, and best practices. They drive continuous innovation and improvement of services by both directing and personally performing the analysis and documentation of business processes, ensuring recommendations align with the University's strategic plan, business unit goals, and applicable compliance frameworks. This role actively contributes to technology vetting, vendor evaluation, and change management efforts that support successful solution adoption across campus.

The Manager of Business Analysis possesses strong leadership capabilities, intellectual curiosity, and keen analytical skills. They cultivate productive relationships with a wide range of constituents from campus leadership to front-line staff and provide strategic input and expertise across a wide range of services. They are expected to work collaboratively across the organization while effectively managing performance, professional development, and resource allocation.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Team Management and Development. Lead and manage direct reports providing guidance, support, and performance feedback to assure goals, programs, activities, and personnel practices are consistent with and contribute to the University's mission. Onboard, and develop business analysis staff. Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development to build team capabilities. Establish and monitor individual and team performance goals aligned with departmental objectives. Lead employees for maximum performance and dedication, fostering a positive and productive work environment. Complete performance management feedback and goals timely and per requirements, offering constructive feedback and developing improvement plans.
• Business Analysis Practice Leadership. Establish and maintain business analysis standards, methodologies, and best practices across ITS and Campus. Develop frameworks for requirements gathering, process modeling, and solution assessment. Contribute to technology vetting, risk assessment, and vendor evaluation efforts in coordination with enterprise architecture and information security.
• Project Oversight and Delivery. Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of business analysis activities across multiple concurrent projects. Ensure quality and consistency of deliverables including business requirements documents, process maps, gap analyses, and solution recommendations. Ensure compliance considerations such as FERPA, accessibility (VPAT), and information security (HECVAT) are incorporated into requirements and solution evaluations. Coordinate with project managers and other ITS teams to ensure successful solution implementation.
• Hands-On Business Analysis. Personally perform business analysis on complex, high-priority, or cross-functional initiatives. Conduct requirements elicitation, process modeling, gap analysis, and solution evaluation for enterprise-level projects. Evaluate emerging technologies including AI-enabled tools and their application to institutional business processes. Produce metrics and reporting on BA team output, project outcomes, and process improvement return on investment for ITS leadership.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Requirements Management. Collaborate with campus leadership, academic departments, and administrative units to identify opportunities for innovation and business process improvement. Facilitate requirements elicitation sessions and ensure alignment between business needs and technology solutions. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on technology-enabled business transformation and change management initiatives.
• Project Management. Serve as project manager as needed.
• Other reasonable duties as assigned.

Functional and Supervisory Relationships:

• Reports to the Director of Business Alignment.
• Supervises Business Analyst staff (currently 3 positions).
• Collaborates with Enterprise Architecture, Project Management Office, functional offices, and other ITS staff.

Job Requirements:

• Ability to organize work, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple and changing priorities, ensuring timely delivery, high quality, and attention to detail.
• Ability to engage with customers to analyze, document, and translate business requirements into effective technical designs, workflows, business processes, and specifications.
• Available to provide scheduled support and consultation outside normal business hours, including occasional evenings, holidays, or weekends, within reasonable professional obligation and expectation.
• Must report to campus in-person on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and as needed. This position is eligible to telecommute on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with supervisory approval, following a probationary period.
• Knowledge of business analysis methodologies, frameworks, and best practices (e.g., BABOK Guide).
• Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to motivate, develop, and retain staff.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with the ability to quickly grasp complex business processes.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex information to diverse audiences.
• Ability to cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with stakeholders at all levels, from campus leadership to front-line staff.
• Knowledge of enterprise systems commonly used in higher education (e.g., PeopleSoft, ERP systems, Student Information Systems).
• Proficiency in project management concepts and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Knowledge of information technology trends, emerging technologies, and their application in higher education settings.
• Ability to work effectively with limited supervision and within a team environment.
• Ability to produce meaningful metrics, dashboards, and executive-level reporting on team performance and project outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences at all organizational levels.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to develop inclusive and equitable relationships within our diverse campus community.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to support diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and belonging relative to their role.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from a college or University accredited by the US Department of Education or internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• 5 or more years of experience in requirements elicitation, business process analysis, and solution recommendation.
• 2 or more years of experience supervising or leading professional staff or project teams.
• Experience with process modeling tools and techniques (e.g., BPMN, use cases, user stories, data flow diagrams).
• Vendor evaluation and technology assessment experience, including development of scoring criteria and recommendation documentation.
• Demonstrated experience using AI-enabled productivity tools to improve business analysis outcomes (e.g., accelerating requirements elicitation, synthesizing stakeholder input, drafting or refining BA artifacts, and summarizing findings) while exercising sound judgment over AI-generated outputs and adhering to organizational data handling policy and expectations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 3 to 5 years of progressive experience in business analysis within an information technology organization.
• Experience working in higher education or public sector information technology environments.
• Experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems such as PeopleSoft, Workday, or similar platforms.
• Professional certification such as Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA), or Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).
• Familiarity with AI-enabled tools, data analytics, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience with data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms).

Working Environment:

• Typical office environment