Job Description

Discovery – Group_IS: Systems of Engagement: Digital Channels

Senior Business Analyst

About Discovery

Discovery’s core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery. Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best. As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating in order to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

About Discovery Digital Channels

Working in a high performance organization that prides itself in attracting the finest talent, we challenge ourselves to find solutions that make a difference in the world. Our environment is always buzzing with energy and smart, motivated people working on finding the best way to move forward.

The Digital Channels team works on dynamic new projects and product enhancements within the web and mobile platforms in order to improve business inefficiencies, gain competitive advantage on our products and ultimately to provide better service to our clients. Using knowledge of the organization’s technology infrastructure and specific software applications, Digital Channels helps the business to address changes through technologies.

Key Purpose

Understanding the business requirements, and through a structured process documenting, validating and translating it into functional specifications that are used by developers to craft a technical solution. Part of understanding the business requirements is understanding our user by working closely with the Usability analysts and having a good understanding of the users current interaction with our digital platforms. Testing and validating the functionality of the technical solution against the business requirements. Interfacing between the business client and the development team with regards to the business and functional requirements. Ensuring that the business requirements are delivered in the implemented solution. Working with multiple business areas and multiple teams that require deep integration of solutions. Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients, and acting as consultant on the application. Playing the role of lead business analyst and going above and beyond to ensure the successful delivery of the project.

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to

Business Case

• Identify and highlight opportunities for improvement. Act as a consultant to the client on the application.
• Participate in client planning forums and advise on solutions.
• Assist business to articulate the benefits they wish to realize with the solution.

Customer Requirements Specification (CRS)

• Follow a structured process to understand and document client requirements.
• Facilitate activities like interviews or JAD sessions to expand the understanding of the business requirements.
• If required, perform analytical tasks, data extracts, run queries or any other form of analysis to gather information.
• Document the requirements in a Business Requirements Specification document which will include UML models.
• Conduct peer reviews of other BAs Requirements specifications.

Product Requirements Specification (PRS)

• Design and validate the functional solution.
• Build and demonstrate GUI prototypes, to validate designs by working closely with the Design team.

Project Documentation

• Perform Project Management activities, such as providing the client as well as the relevant team members with estimates of the duration of tasks.
• Provide updates to project schedules.
• Maintain project documentation.
• Act as a project manager: define and manage risks, define and document scope, update and report on progress, assign tasks and manage delivery.
• Manage and prevent scope creep.

Release Notes & Training Material

• Update and publish release notes related to the current system changes implemented, and notify impacted parties. Maintain and update the BRS and PRS with any added content.

Personal Attributes and Skills

Behavioral Skills

• Stress Management
• Time management and prioritization
• Creativeness
• Learning orientation
• Negotiation skills
• Innovation
• Natural curiosity about the ‘Why’

Technical Skills

• Project Management
• SQL queries
• Business Writing Skills
• Presentation and Facilitation Skills
• Solution Architecture
• Process Mapping
• Entity Diagram mapping
• Software testing pack design, functional testing
• Stakeholder Management

Education and Experience

Minimum

• Informatics or other relevant degree
• 8+ years business analyst experience

Advantageous

• Dip.BA (FTI or equivalent)
• 1 year user interface analyst experience
• Honours degree
• Business experience and product knowledge

Methodologies

• Waterfall and Agile

Tools

• Enterprise architect
• Visio
• SoapUI (SOAP) / REST client (JSON)
• Atlassian tool suite (Jira, Confluence)

Processes

• ITIL (Incident, Release, Problem Management)

Technologies

• SQL (Oracle and IBM Netezza)
• UML
• XML
• JSON

Other

• Software architecture
• JAD sessions
• Data modelling techniques

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.