JOB TITLE: Business Analyst

DEPARTMENT: Information Technology- Data Fabric & Lakehouse

LOCATION: Hybrid-Remote

Exempt/Non-Exempt: Exempt

SUPERVISOR NAME: Wayne Peacock

SUPERVISOR TITLE: Vice President of IT & CIO

 

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCUHS) runs on a complex ecosystem of people, processes, and technology platforms. The gap between what the university needs and what its systems actually deliver is where institutional friction lives—missed deadlines, workarounds, manual effort that shouldn’t exist, and decisions made without the right information. The Business Analyst exists to close that gap.

This is not a documentation role or an observer role. You will sit squarely between our stakeholder groups—faculty, administrators, department chairs, clinical leaders—and the technology platforms that serve them: Jenzabar, Canvas, Athena, and the Microsoft Fabric data platform. You will understand problems deeply, design better processes, assess whether proposed technology changes will actually solve them, and see solutions through to working reality. You own the outcomes.

Think of this role like a general contractor. The architect (the stakeholder) has a vision. The tradespeople (vendors and technology teams) have the skills. Your job is to turn the vision into a buildable plan, hold everyone to it, and make sure what gets built is what was actually needed—not just what was literally requested.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

You are someone who is equally comfortable sitting with a registrar trying to understand why a grade submission process breaks every term and sitting with a Jenzabar implementation consultant reviewing whether a proposed configuration will actually fix it. You speak both languages fluently and you never lose sight of which one matters more.

  • Relentlessly Stakeholder-Focused: You believe that the quality of your work is ultimately measured by whether the people you serve are better off. You build trust with stakeholders through honest communication, follow-through, and a genuine interest in their work. You do not hide behind process or jargon when something is going wrong.
  • A Structured Thinker: You are rigorous about problem definition, and you know the difference between a symptom and a root cause. You resist the pressure to jump to solutions before the problem is fully understood, and you document requirements in a way that creates clear accountability for both business and technology partners.
  • A Critical Evaluator: You are comfortable pushing back on vendors, internal teams, and stakeholders when something does not add up. You ask “will this actually solve the problem?” as a reflex, not as an afterthought. You can evaluate a vendor demonstration or a system configuration against documented requirements and articulate precisely where gaps exist.
  • A Natural Communicator: You adapt instinctively: with a financial aid director you speak about process and students; with a Jenzabar consultant, functional configuration and data flow; with the CIO, risk and institutional outcome. You are never the person who lets a project go quiet.
  • An Owner: You treat every engagement as if your name is on the outcome. You are not satisfied with completing tasks—you are satisfied when the university is measurably better. You escalate early when something threatens an outcome, and you bring proposed solutions rather than just problems.

 

Attendance
Must be punctual and timely in meeting all requirements of performance, including, but not limited to, attendance standards and work deadlines; beginning and ending assignments on time; and scheduled work breaks, where applicable.

 

Onsite:

This role requires onsite support on an as-needed basis to fulfill essential job functions. Onsite activities may include, but are not limited to, meeting in person with individuals or small groups at one of our campuses.

 

Intellectual

  • Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; Collects and researches data; Uses intuition and experience to complement data.
  • Design - Generates creative solutions; Translates concepts and information into images; Uses feedback to modify designs; Applies design principles; Demonstrates attention to detail.
  • Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations.
  • Project Management - Communicates changes and progress; Completes projects on time and budget; Manages project team activities.
  • Technical Skills - Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; Pursues training and development opportunities; Strives to continuously build knowledge and skills; Shares expertise with others.

 

Interpersonal

  • Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; Responds promptly to customer needs; Solicits customer feedback to improve service; Responds to requests for service and assistance; Meets commitments.
  • External Working Relationships – Develops and maintains courteous and effective working relationships with clients, vendors and/or any other representatives of external organizations.
  • Teamwork - Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; Supports everyone's efforts to succeed.

 

Leadership

  • You confidently challenge report requests that do not serve business outcomes and guide stakeholders toward better approaches, ensuring alignment with governance standards and organizational goals.
  • You uphold data governance principles by reinforcing approved metric definitions and aligning all outputs with the Data Governance Council standards.

 

Organization

  • Business Necessity – The needs of the employer may be dependent on responding to and anticipating rapidly changing external and internal demands in all aspects of how business is conducted. This may include, but is not limited to, organization structure, finances, goals, personnel, work processes, technology, and customer demands. Therefore, it may become necessary to make modifications to how business is conducted, and work is accomplished, with minimal or no advance notice to employees. Accordingly, the employee must be capable of adapting, with minimal or no advance notice, to changes in how business is conducted, and work is accomplished, with no diminishment in work performance.

 

  • Safety and Security –All employees are responsible for observing safety and security procedures as applicable and reporting potentially unsafe conditions to management.

 


SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

 

EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university in Management Information Systems (MIS), Business Administration, Computer Science, Information Systems, Industrial Engineering or related field; or three to five years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

 

EXPERIENCE:

Required Experience:

  • Demonstrated experience gathering, documenting, and managing business requirements through a full solution lifecycle—from discovery through implementation and post-go-live review.
  • Experience working directly with technology vendors or implementation partners to assess, configure, and validate system changes against business requirements.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to deliver honest, clear status updates to non-technical stakeholders under pressure.

 

Additional Experience:

  • 3+ years of experience as a Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, or in a comparable role involving requirements, process design, and technology implementation.
  • Familiarity with higher education systems—student information systems, LMS platforms, financial aid, or EHR—is a significant plus.
  • Experience working within a data governance framework, or alongside data engineering and BI teams, is a plus.
  • Experience with process mapping and workflow design tools (Visio, Lucidchart, or equivalent).

 

COMPUTER SKILLS:

  • Student & Academic Systems: Jenzabar (J1/SIS/ERP), Canvas (LMS), CourseDog (scheduling), ExamSoft, EXXAT (clinical placement).
  • Clinical Systems: Athena (EHR), NBCE board exam reporting.
  • Administrative Systems: Jenzabar Financial Aid (JFA), Jenzabar Finance, Interfolio (faculty), Paycom (HR).
  • Data Platform: Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse (Medallion Architecture), Power BI, Azure DevOps.
  • Collaboration: Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Planner), Azure AD/Entra ID.

 

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

  • CBAP, PMI-PBA, CSPO, or equivalent BA certification is a plus but not required.

 

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES/ QUALIFICATIONS:

  • 3+ years of experience as a Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, or in a comparable role involving requirements, process design, and technology implementation.
  • Required: Demonstrated experience gathering, documenting, and managing business requirements through a full solution lifecycle—from discovery through implementation and post-go-live review.
  • Required: Experience working directly with technology vendors or implementation partners to assess, configure, and validate system changes against business requirements.
  • Required: Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to deliver honest, clear status updates to non-technical stakeholders under pressure.
  • Experience with process mapping and workflow design tools (Visio, Lucidchart, or equivalent).
  • Familiarity with higher education systems—student information systems, LMS platforms, financial aid, or EHR—is a significant plus.
  • Experience working within a data governance framework, or alongside data engineering and BI teams, is a plus.

 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and taste or smell.

This position primarily involves sedentary work, requiring prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer. The role requires frequent use of hands and fingers for typing, as well as the ability to view and interpret data on a computer screen for extended periods. Occasional standing, walking, and light lifting (up to 25 pounds) may be required. The position may also involve attending onsite meetings or moving between office locations as needed. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

This position operates primarily in a professional office or remote work environment. The role involves working extensively with computers, data systems, and virtual collaboration tools. The environment is typically quiet to moderate noise level, with occasional interruptions during meetings or collaborative sessions.

Depending on business needs, the position may require occasional onsite attendance for meetings, team collaboration, or stakeholder engagement. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to the outside weather conditions.

 

Expectations of SCU Employees

The SCU President’s Cabinet has identified a set of values and attributes that are bare minimums for employment, those that are core to who we are as a university, and values to which we aspire.  Further identified are qualities and attributes desirable for employees in general, and senior leadership specifically.  This is in harmony with principles found in The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni.

 

SCU Core Values:

1) Integrative Health: We teach, learn, collaborate, and lead by creating an open environment for multiple disciplines and professionals to bring their shared and unique skills together for the benefit of patients and students.

2) Evidence-based Practice: We value a culture of inquiry, assessment, research, scholarship, and judicious use of current best evidence to inform our decisions and work.

3) Health Equity: We value people equally. We strive to educate graduates that are prepared to improve individual and community health.

4) Inclusivity: We welcome everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other similar or protected status. We believe inclusivity leads to more diversity in our reasoning, better representativeness in our conclusions, more ingenuity in our problem solving, and greater equity in our care.

 

Profile Qualities:

1) Customer service focused

2) Willing to invest in student/client success by fostering positive relations, guidance, and assistance

3) A belief that no task that improves the University is beneath us/servant leadership

4) Be an ambassador of the brand

5) Be a part of recruitment

6) Resource innovator

 

Profile-Specific Qualities by Category:

1.) They promote positivity and teamwork

a. They actively work to build up teams and break down silos

b. They actively work to be part of the solution

c. They actively work to empower themselves and their teammates, working together in decision making processes

 

2.) They see how they can affect the bigger picture

a. They understand how their role helps to build the future of integrative healthcare

b. They pay attention to the details.