UNIT/PROJECT DESCIPTION

Client Services is part of University Technology Services (UTS) with a mission to provide exceptional customer service and a high level of support to the McMaster community.  Our goal is to ensure transparency, innovation and accountability in service delivery and support.   The Client Services team supports the University's IT Strategic Vision of a connected community, delivering a seamless foundation of core and transformative information technologies and services, accelerating our teaching, learning and research mission.  

As a self-starter, the Business Systems Specialist will perform the critical role as a technical and consulting resource for Microsoft Office 365 (MS 0365), reporting to the Client Services Department.  The Business Systems Specialist will lead the promotion and facilitation of the adoption of O365 within the University.  The incumbent will meet with our customers, provide guidance, training, evaluate best practices, make recommendations, and develop service models.  They will understand the complexities that are involved when working with a large and diverse user base including students, staff, faculty and non-technical personnel.

JOB SUMMARY

The Business Systems Specialist acts as a technical and consulting resource to various University departments and units with respect to the planning, implementation, and maintenance of information technology systems. Supports the University's academic and administration departments by acting in a functional capacity in all phases of the Project Life Cycle for medium to large projects, including post-production support and ongoing maintenance. Continuously gains an understanding of the University's operations and processes and how systems are used in support of those operations. Provides lead-hand supervision to a team of Business Systems Analysts.

KEY FUNCTIONS

• Provide ongoing technical direction to Business Systems Analysts within the team and periodically to other technical staff assigned to relevant projects.
• Coach and mentor junior staff in order to ensure a highly motivated and technically competent team.
• Act as an on-site team lead responsible for planning, coordinating, and scheduling work assignments to ensure the completion of assigned projects.
• Evaluate work product to ensure adherence to established functional and operational specifications.
• Conduct in-depth client interviews to determine business process flows and rules.
• Manage work assignments of internal staff and schedule and monitor adherence to procedures, protocols, and standards.
• Accountable for the clarification, rationalization and documentation of project requests.
• Approve production migrations according to project involvement.
• Develop and lead end user training.
• Partner with the technical team to maintain the information technology issues database, create new issues, and track the status of open issues.
• Participate in the development of capital project charters and cost justifications.
• Serve as the primary contact point with the user community.
• Responsible for integration and release management.
• Facilitate large group business development planning sessions.
• Ensure appropriate business participation in information technology projects.
• Utilize the appropriate control tools to coordinate projects according to Project Management Office methodologies.
• Develop success criteria and risk assessments for projects and changes.
• Develop, implement, and document best practices to align with departmental and University strategies and processes.
• Work independently with users to define concepts.
• Drive and challenge business units on their assumptions of how they will successfully execute their plans.
• Collaborate with developers and subject matter experts to establish the technical vision and analyze tradeoffs between usability and performance needs.
• Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a general understanding, and distinguish user requests from the underlying true needs.
• Conduct gap analyses.
• Ensure that projects meet specified functionality requirements.
• Perform advanced levels of analysis, problem solving and research skills to formulate solutions to complex business needs.
• Perform the functional analysis for production support activities and advise business users in the analysis of less complex issues.
• Work with project stakeholders to understand project scope and create test documents.
• Manage all phases of testing including, but not limited to, system, integration, acceptance, regression, and performance.
• Document system functionality, particularly related to new enhancements.
• Develop and maintain information technology process flow, methodology, and control documentation.
• Assist with the development of project proposals and estimates.
• Elicit requirements using interviews, document analysis, requirement workshops, surveys, site visits, business process descriptions, use cases, scenarios, business analysis, and task and workflow analysis.
• Analyze information needs and functional requirements and deliver artifacts such as functional requirements, business process models, use cases, screen and interface designs, test plans and test cases.
• Take ownership of functional issues by identifying underlying problems, analyzing potential solutions and implementing system resolutions, including workarounds.
• Provide Level III post implementation support to users regarding functional issues.
• Work with the development team to determine technical approaches and technical risks for project testing.
• Develop requirement specifications according to standard templates, using natural language.
• Work closely with testing team members to ensure that requirements are testable.
• Prepare and assist other testers with the creation of test cases.
• Identify and manage defects identified during all phases of a project.
• Review test cases created by testing team members to ensure that the test cases adequately define the business processes.
• Resolve problems in the test, production implementation, and post-implementation phases in coordination with other technical and business groups.
• Develop simple queries using basic Business Intelligence tools.
• Review systems, processes, and information and provide recommendations to supervisor.
• Serve as the conduit between the Project Management Office and development teams through which requirements flow.
• Liaise between the technology and support teams.
• Communicate project, issue, and system status to others.
• Communicate testing results to other stakeholders.
• Facilitate effective dialog between technical staff.
• Interact with and exchange information with colleagues.
• Follow a test script and document defects.
• Prepare and review recommendations and other project initiation documents.
• Prepare and review end user and operations documentation, training materials, and timelines.
• Maintain information technology process flow, methodology, and control documentation.
• Work with others to prioritize and schedule issues resolution.
• Plan, schedule, and monitor own work within short time horizons.
• Organize individual time, work and resources to accomplish objectives in the most effective and efficient way.
• Understand and use appropriate methods, tools, and applications to complete work tasks.
• Demonstrate a rational and organized approach to work and identify development opportunities.
• Absorb technical information when it is presented systematically and apply it effectively.
• Use measurement methods to monitor progress toward goal attainment, tenaciously working to meet or exceed those goals, while deriving satisfaction from the process of goal achievement and continuous improvement.
• Ensure that the internal and external customer perspective is a driving force behind decisions and activities.
• Follow service practices that meet customers’ and University needs.
• Interact with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the University.
• Work collaboratively with others to achieve departmental and institutional goals. Actively participate as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals.
• Perform a range of varied work activities in a variety of structured environments.
• Successfully engage in multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Apply and enforce department change control policies and procedures.
• Acquire and maintain a basic understanding of Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing principles.
• Read and understand complex Business Process Diagrams and develop basic (Level II) models.
• Read and understand a complex project plan and develop simple project plans.
• Remain current with relevant development and project methodologies.
• Remain current with security policies and procedures and work with System Administrators to implement security changes.
• Remain current with the different levels of testing and develop simple use cases and test scripts.

Provide lead hand supervision and is responsible for the quality and quantity of work of others.

ASSETS

The incumbent must have demonstrated experience and success with the following technologies, techniques and principles:

• Must have proven experience supporting and implementing the MS O365 suite of products at an enterprise level, including SharePoint, Power BI, Flow, Forms etc.
• Must have experience with designing, developing and delivering instructional material in person and online
• Must have experience with developing new service offerings
• Must have proven facilitation and presentation skills

The incumbent must:

• Have an exceptional customer service focus
• Be a collaborative, supportive, and energetic team player
• Have strong analytical skills
• Have excellent communication skills
• Have proven leadership ability in a team environment
• Have a proven ability to learn new technologies and share that knowledge with others

• Have at least 2 years experience in managing or leading enterprise level projects using Project Management
• Have the ability to manage large volumes of work with little supervision

The incumbent will be the member of a larger program team.  They will have the flexibility to accommodate occasional work outside regular business hours. 

There will be occasional travel between satellite campuses.