State of Michigan - Business Analyst 4

Position Title: Senior IT Business Analyst

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior IT Business Analyst with strong Quality Assurance and Azure DevOps experience to lead business analysis efforts across complex technology initiatives. This role is responsible for driving requirements discovery, improving business processes, supporting testing strategies, and ensuring high-quality software delivery within Agile environments.

The Senior IT Business Analyst will work closely with business stakeholders, product owners, developers, and QA teams to translate business needs into scalable technology solutions while ensuring traceability, quality, and successful project outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Business Analysis Leadership

• Lead requirements gathering sessions, stakeholder interviews, and workshops to identify business needs and project objectives.
• Translate complex business requirements into functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Create and maintain Business Requirement Documents (BRD), Functional Requirement Documents (FRD), process flows, and data mapping documents.
• Conduct impact analysis and gap analysis for system enhancements and new initiatives.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior business analysts.
• Serve as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, development teams, and QA teams.

Azure DevOps & Agile Delivery

• Manage and maintain product backlogs, user stories, tasks, and defects in Azure DevOps.
• Collaborate with Product Owners and Scrum Masters to prioritize backlog items and plan sprint deliverables.
• Ensure end-to-end requirements traceability using Azure DevOps work items and dashboards.
• Track sprint progress, testing status, and defect metrics using Azure DevOps reporting tools.
• Actively participate in Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.

Quality Assurance & Testing Oversight

• Define and review test strategies, test plans, and test cases aligned with business requirements.
• Support and oversee functional, integration, regression, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
• Manage defect lifecycle in Azure DevOps, ensuring timely resolution and validation.
• Collaborate with QA teams to ensure test coverage, data validation, and quality standards are met.
• Ensure delivered solutions meet business expectations and compliance requirements.

Process Improvement & Strategic Contribution

• Identify opportunities to improve business processes, workflows, and system efficiencies.
• Recommend technology solutions and automation opportunities.
• Contribute to enterprise-level business analysis standards and best practices.
• Support change management, training, and adoption strategies for new systems.

Documentation & Stakeholder Communication

• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation including workflows, business rules, and system requirements.
• Present analysis findings, system recommendations, and project updates to leadership and stakeholders.
• Ensure clear communication between technical teams and business stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience as an IT Business Analyst on enterprise software projects.
• Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps for backlog management, user stories, sprint tracking, and defect management.
• Strong experience with software testing, QA processes, and UAT coordination.
• Deep knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban).
• Proven experience writing user stories, acceptance criteria, and detailed functional specifications.
• Excellent analytical, leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in enterprise-scale or multi-team Agile environments.
• Familiarity with SQL, APIs, data integration, and system architecture concepts.
• Experience supporting CI/CD pipelines and release management processes.

Key Skills

• Advanced Business Analysis
• Stakeholder & Executive Communication
• Azure DevOps (Boards, Backlogs, Work Items, Dashboards)
• Agile / Scrum Methodology
• QA Strategy & Test Planning
• Defect Lifecycle Management
• Process Modeling & Improvement
• Requirements Traceability
• Data & System Analysis