Business Support Specialist

This is a 6-month contract Business Support Specialist position supporting the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program in St. Paul, Minnesota. The UI system processes over $4.2 billion annually in taxes and benefits for Minnesota employers and applicants. In this support role, you will complete tasks assigned by the UI program as priorities and needs evolve, working within the program's established oversight structure, tools, and methods. This position carries no decision-making or approval authority; all decisions remain with the UI program.

Responsibilities

• Support project planning, scheduling, tracking, and status reporting for assigned strategic and ancillary projects using the program's existing tools and methods
• Review project and vendor deliverables for expected content and completeness against program standards, and report observations to the UI program
• Help maintain traceability of requirements from definition through testing and deployment
• Draft, update, and organize process documentation, procedures, meeting notes, and reference materials for UI program review and approval
• Gather information, research questions, and prepare summaries and options for UI program decision-makers
• Support the annual external technical, project, and security review, and help track and document remediation of recommendations as directed by the UI program
• Schedule meetings, track action items, and follow up on assigned items with UI, MNIT, and vendor team members
• Build and maintain trackers, templates, and other working tools as directed by state teams
• Document work so that state staff can continue to maintain and update any process created
• Perform other related support tasks as assigned by the UI program
• Provide weekly status reports to the UI program lead covering work completed, work in progress, open items, and issues requiring a program decision
• Raise risks, issues, and questions to the UI program lead promptly with relevant background
• Accept reassignment as program priorities change, including during periods of economic or operational urgency

Qualifications

• Required

• 3 years of experience in project coordination, project management, or business analysis support

• Ability to produce clear, accurate documentation and status reporting for both technical and business audiences

• Track record of organizing and tracking action items, deadlines, and dependencies

• Demonstrated follow-through: following up on task plans, assigned tasks, and deadlines with responsible parties, and reporting status and missed dates to the program lead

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint)

• Preferred

• Experience supporting public sector or state government programs

• High level of curiosity and resilience, willingness to redo work, and learn from listening and redoing work

• Project oversight or project auditing experience

• Experience with project or task tracking tools

• Experience reviewing, analyzing, and interpreting financial transactions and reports

• Familiarity with requirements traceability and structured deliverable review

• Experience with waterfall, agile, or hybrid delivery methods, and with SDLC phases from requirements through deployment

• Experience reviewing test plans, test cases, and defect tracking

• Experience with process mapping, standard operating procedures, or business process redesign; Visio or similar tools a plus

• Experience working in a role that supports decision-makers without holding decision authority

• Familiarity with unemployment insurance, tax, or benefits programs

Data, Security, and Conduct Requirements

• Handle all data in accordance with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (Minn. Stat. Chapter 13) and Minn. Stat. Chapter 268 data privacy provisions
• Complete required background checks, confidentiality agreements, and security awareness training before access is granted
• Access only the