Business Analyst

Location: Santa Maria, CA

Position Type: Hybrid

Hybrid Schedule: 3 days onsite

Contract Length: 3 months + possible extension | Contract-to-Hire

The UMIS Business Analyst serves as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and IT at a city's Utility Billing System (UMIS), ensuring successful planning, delivery, and support of system functions and enhancements. This role combines business process analysis, system testing, training, and documentation to support both the current and future needs of the UMIS application portfolio.

Required Skills:

• 5 years of hands-on experience as a Business Analyst, with demonstrated success in full project lifecycle activities.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Management Information Systems, or equivalent field.
• Strong knowledge of the utility business domain.
• Proven experience gathering user requirements and producing formal business and functional specifications.
• Solid understanding of web technologies, mobile solutions, infrastructure, and relational databases.
• Excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Strong project management, documentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, and Visio.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with performance measurement and evaluation in a matrixed or service-provider environment.
• Familiarity with process improvement frameworks or tools (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).

Duties:

• Analyze, define, and document current and proposed business processes, workflows, and user documentation for the UMIS system.
• Conduct interviews with executive, operational management, and end-users to assess requirements and business needs.
• Develop and document formal business requirements, use cases, and functional specifications.
• Perform quality assurance and functional testing on UMIS-related applications and enhancements.
• Provide end-user training, ongoing support, and troubleshooting for the UMIS portfolio.
• Research product specifications and contribute to cost-benefit analyses and service recommendations.
• Support UMIS upgrades and enhancement projects through coordination with internal teams and external vendors.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders to ensure solutions meet business expectations.
• Coordinate and manage implementation efforts across business units and functional areas.
• Generate and present regular status reports and escalate challenges as needed.
• Participate in weekly meetings with the Applications Program Manager to ensure smooth project communication.
• Contribute to team meetings and maintain a collaborative and respectful work environment.
• Support professional development through performance planning and training initiatives.
• Adhere to established safety and professional standards in the work environment.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.