Senior Business Analyst

About the position 

The IT Innovation and Business Development Unit is seeking for a Bilingual Senior Business Analyst to support the AICCRA project and represent the Knowledge and Data Sharing team within AICCRA. The main responsibilities include managing the AICCRA Data Management Plan, administering the main Management Information System (MARLO), ensuring the proper dissemination of all results in information repositories, and supporting staff in all planning and reporting processes. The Senior Business Analyst will also guide the AICCRA Program Management Committee on various reporting processes and advocate for Open Access and FAIR Principles. Additionally, this role requires collaboration with an interdisciplinary technical team to develop, improve, and maintain the MARLO system according to project needs. 

Furthermore, this position is expected to work closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team and the AICCRA Communications team, both of which report directly to the Program Management Committee (PMC). 

The position will be based in the operations center of the Americas, located in the Campus of Palmira, Colombia. And it will offer hybrid working conditions. 

Responsibilities: 

Operationalization of the Data Management Plan:

• Manage the AICCRA Data Management Plan and oversee the main Management Information System (MARLO). 
  
• Liaise with users to ensure accurate data entry and adherence to reporting timelines. 
  
• Monitor and lead the dissemination of deliverables in the information repository (CGSpace). 
  
• Advocate for and promote open access and FAIR principles. 
  
• Oversee the management of official repositories for publications and information products, ensuring accurate capture of deliverables reported in MARLO.  
  

Product Requirements and Stakeholder Engagement: 

• Assist in interviewing and interfacing with project stakeholders to collect and prioritize requirements for MARLO. 
  
• Gather and analyze business requirements to understand project needs and objectives. 
  
• Collaborate with the UI Designer to create mockups, user stories, and acceptance criteria from the product vision and epics. 
  
• Ensure the development team delivers according to the project timeline and feature specifications. 
  
• Work closely with the development team to ensure user stories are implemented in line with the product vision and timelines. 
  

Project Coordination: 

• Create and maintain a product backlog in JIRA by managing and documenting epics. 
  
• Develop and maintain a clear project roadmap to be presented to stakeholders throughout the year. 
  
• Conduct daily meetings to ensure effective project tracking and coordination. 
  

Project Liaison and representation: 

• Participate in Project Committee and Core Team meetings of AICCRA, representing the Knowledge and Data Sharing unit. 
  
• Prepare supporting materials for various agenda items and lead discussions in meetings. 
  
• Support the AICCRA team in producing guiding documents, blog posts, presentations, webinars, and other communication materials.
  

Qualifications and requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, computer science, information technology, business administration, or related fields.  
  
• Advanced level of English (oral and written).
  
• Professional background (3 to 5 years) in business analysis, systems analysis, or a related IT field, focusing on functional aspects rather than software development.  
  
• Experience working with tools like JIRA, JPD, Notion, Miro, and other project management and documentation tools. 
  
• Proven ability to gather and translate business requirements into functional specifications, working closely with stakeholders to prioritize needs. 
  
• Familiarity with agile methodologies, creating user stories, epics, and mockups. 
  
• Ability to travel 1-2 times per year to Africa to engage with project stakeholders and participate in key meetings or workshops. 
  

Skills and competences 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 
  
• Ability to build relationships and work effectively with cross-functional teams.
  
• Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks/projects. 
  
• Flexibility and adaptation to change. 
  

Terms of employment 

This is a nationally recruited position placed at a BG07, on a scale of 14 levels, with level 14 being the highest.  

This is a Colombian national search and will be managed through a fixed-term contract of a one (1) year period, subject to a probation period according to the local legislation and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salaries and excellent benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer, and strive for gender, diversity, and inclusion in our staff, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic. 

Applications  

Applicants are invited to submit a detailed curriculum vitae illustrating their suitability for the above position against the qualifications, competencies, and skills. Including names and addresses of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. All correspondence should be addressed to the Human Resources Office, at () and should clearly indicate “Application: Senior Business Analyst - IBD’’. 

Closing date for applications: September 17th, 2024 

We invite you to learn more about us at:  

Careers | Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT (alliancebioversityciat.org)