The National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation are proud to be part of a thriving and highly respected industry, providing hospitality, opportunity, and quality of life. And much like the industry we represent, we have a dynamic, diverse, and inclusive culture, grounded in trust, hospitality, collaboration, and innovation. These are the core values that inspire our work, and what we are looking for in a Senior Business Analyst, supporting our Business Services, Planning & Operations team

We currently reach a global audience of nearly two million individuals a year through our educational offerings and operational support services. We focus on both compliance-driven and career-development engagements.

As a Senior Business Analyst, you will be responsible for documenting and managing business requirements, specifications, business processes changes and recommendations related to the proposed solution using industry standard analysis techniques such as data flow modeling, workflow analysis, user stories, acceptance criteria, business requirements documents, customer journeys and use cases.

You will collaborate closely with business partners to understand the processes associated with each functional area and their interactions with the various systems. The role includes advising business and technical teams on options, risks, and costs of implementing requirements and solutions. In addition, must be able to communicate requirements to the technical teams and function as a project manager or quality assurance tester based on project demands.

Ideal candidates bring a minimum of five years of experience in a Business Analyst position; prior experience supporting B2B digital products highly desirable. You will thrive in this role if you are a resourceful self-starter, with a solutions and collaborative driven mindset, and bring a strong balance of business and technical acumen. Must have the ability to influence teams, possess highly effective communication skills and excellent attention to detail.

This role operates from our Chicago office, following our hybrid work structure with a required three days onsite, Monday - Wednesday and remote days Thursday and Friday.

We are proud to offer our team members comprehensive benefits, designed to support their financial, professional, and personal well-being. In addition to outstanding healthcare coverage (medical, dental and vision), competitive salaries, generous vacation and leave time, we offer a matching 401(k) plan, a unique collection of corporate discounts and memberships, as well as programs to support career and skills development, including coaching, learning and tuition assistance, and so much more.

Responsibilities

• Work with business partners to identify, assess, and document business and technical requirements, considering the implications to the current state environment. Work with a Lead Business Analyst to also consider the future state environment and demonstrate exceptional attention to detail.
• Conduct user workshops to understand and define requirements. Document requirements using format(s) appropriate for initiative, such as user stories, business requirement documents (BRDs), process/workflow diagrams, mock-ups, etc. Challenge business partners and provide alternate solutions when necessary.
• Understand application system data relationships. When applicable, develop and run SQL queries to facilitate this understanding.
• Acquire an understanding of business drivers and priorities through engagement with business stakeholders. Apply knowledge gained to help prioritize requirements/user stories across initiatives/backlogs in partnership with business stakeholders.
• Engage with business partners in the day-to-day functioning of Agile teams to communicate and resolve blockers, reprioritize user stories and communicate iteration statuses to a broader group of stakeholders.
• Exhibits deep understanding of a business unit within the enterprise and how that business unit relates to others in the value chain.
• As needed, assist Quality Assurance team in translating requirements/user stories into test scenarios, plans, and/or acceptance criteria.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required. Concentration in in MIS, computer science, mathematics, business, or related fields preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in business analyst roles.
• Technical skills including troubleshooting, and understanding of directory, file structures and systems.
• Experience in Agile development environment required.
• Experience in B2B digital products preferred; consumer-based product experience a plus.
• Restaurant industry experience a plus.
• Effective communication skills verbal, written and presentation.
• Self-motivated, customer focused, and strong ability to build collaborative partnerships.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and diplomacy skills.
• Highly effective organizational, time-management, prioritization, and documentation skills.
• Computer proficiency across MS Office including strong Excel and PowerPoint skills; ability to learn other computer software programs as needed.
• Highly adaptable, flexible; responsive and accepting of change.
• See big picture, connecting daily activity with long-term goals.
• Ability to travel quarterly as needed.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, genetic information and testing, family, and medical leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We strongly encourage women, people of color, people with disabilities and veterans to apply for our job openings. This commitment supports our policy of developing and capitalizing on the abilities of all our team members, as well as selecting, developing, and promoting those who are best qualified.