Lead Business Systems Analyst

Company Description

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 5,500 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 24 additional offices in the US and 25 offices in Europe and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network.

Job Description

The Lead Business Systems Analyst is a key liaison between high profile client(s) and the Merkle Technology and Solutions Teams. This is a highly visible position, as the Lead Business Systems Analyst elicits and drives requirements and initiatives at multiple levels of detail for a Merkle client(s). The Lead Business Systems Analyst should have a strong internal and external communication skills, data triage and analysis skills, as well as attention to detail and process acumen to accurately document requirements and support user acceptance for any given project.  

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for written requirements specifications (business, functional, STT, FLD) from initial creation, through change management and solution delivery.
• Synthesize complex and sometimes contradictory information into concise, readable, unambiguous written requirements at multiple levels of detail across key supporting documents.
• Provide input into the functional design of solution data integration, in cooperation with systems analysts, leveraging multiple traditional inputs (Customer, Transaction, Promotion History).
• Understand business processes/problems and bring that understanding to discussions with developers and designers, clients and other analysts
• Interface with the client, third-party vendors, and multi-disciplinary teams within Merkle in support of the deployed solution
• Lead data triage and analysis on all inbound and outbound data to understand how data relates to solution requirements and business rules
• Work with remote and global colleagues and the associated schedule flexibility required due to multiple time zones.
• Support the Solution Lead with project scope governance, change management and project processes
• Mentor less senior BSAs within our offshore team as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree or equivalent experience is required.
• 5 years experience in client facing roles, specifically as a SME engaging across different localized and remote teams.
• 5 years experience with writing detailed requirement documentation.
• 5 years experience working with IT methodologies [e.g. Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and/or Waterfall, Agile]
• Fundamental understanding of Data Driven Marketing, especially: Database Marketing, Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Digital Marketing
• Knowledge of Customer Data Integration – both known and anonymous customers – processes and best practices.
• Fundamental understanding of relational database design concepts [e.g. table design, table relationships (e.g. one-to-one, one-to-many), primary and foreign key designations, etc.].
• Experience in at least one cloud solution offering in AWS, Azure, GCP, Snowflake
• Experience with user acceptance testing
• Deep experience in conducting detailed data analysis using query language like SQL 
• Ability to identify and work with others to arrive at creative solutions that are not readily apparent and to turn unclear facts into logical patterns and concepts
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and rapidly master complex data structures.
• Ability to thrive in a complex environment and rapidly master complex data structures  
• Exhibits intense curiosity, to dig beneath the superficial and identify facts  
• Ability to drive to the root of questions/issues/concerns, identify next steps, and efficiently and effectively get to resolution
• Strong communication and presentation skills (written and oral), Including client and vendor facing

Additional Information

At Merkle, we believe that a diverse environment improves us as a community and as a business. We want to foster an environment of growth, where all ideas and contributions are encouraged. We need this culture of courage to continue to thrive in our fast-paced industry. We embrace differences of opinion. We value diversity of experience and thought, which help us to challenge and define industry-leading solutions, and support our goal of being a great place to work.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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