Financial Systems Business Analyst Job in Kenya – Old Mutual

Department: Service Delivery

Job Title: 
Business Analyst – Financial Systems

Reporting to: Manager – Innovative Business Solutions

Main Purpose: The Business Analyst – Financial Systems is responsible for a full range of activities which ensure the operational effectiveness and excellence of the financial systems at Old Mutual and will be responsible for the design and document workflow and make appropriate recommendations that will positively impact operational effectiveness of all company financial / accounting systems including associated on-line payment systems.


The Business Analyst will track and analyze business unit trends and make appropriate recommendations that will positively impact the unit. The Business Analyst will be a Project Manager and lead a number of key projects for the business unit and the company.

The Business Analyst will be the functional expert on the specified application(s) he/she will be the sole point of contact between the business unit and Information Communication Technology’s Business automation Specialist.

Essential Duties

Project Management
  • Works directly with appropriate business unit personnel to understand project concept, objectives and approach.
  • Takes assigned project from original concept through final implementation.
  • Defines project scope and objectives.
  • Creates and maintains project schedules by developing project plans and specifications, estimating time requirements, establishing deadlines, monitoring milestone completion, tracking all phases of the project product/service lifecycle, providing timely reporting of issues that impact project progress, coordinating actions, and resolving conflicts. This includes documenting, prioritizing and tracking requests (changes, enhancements, etc.) and coordinating with IT.
  • Conducts project meetings.
  • Meets with project team(s) regularly to review project deliverables and deadlines.
  • Meets with appropriate personnel for periodic reviews of prototypes and final products.
Business Analysis and Reporting
  • Works closely with Finance team and business partners to identify and maximize the use of financial systems.
  • Reviews, analyzes, and creates detailed documentation of business systems and user needs, including workflow, program functions, and steps required to develop or modify financial system’s MIS.
  • Consults with the finance team to determine business, functional and technical requirements for specified applications.
  • Coordinates the development of all approved versions of business and functional specifications for specified applications. Reviews use cases and other technical documents with IT project staff to ensure business requirements are adequately reflected in technical planning documents.
  • Develops effective reporting tools for the business unit.
  • Analyzes the business unit’s activities and trends and compares analyses against the service standards and best practices. Presents findings and works with the Business Unit Leader and other personnel to identify and implement strategies that will address tactical and strategic goals.
  • Prepares routine reports (financial, quality, production, customer service, operational efficiency, market share, etc.).
  • Analyzes trends and recommends adjustments address and/or capitalize on trends.
Quality Assurance and Testing
  • Defines, develops and implements quality assurance practices and procedures, end user test plans and other QA assessments.
  • Ensures that all tests are conducted and documented according the standards agreed upon by the business unit and IT.
  • Responsible for ensuring that all documentation accurately reflects the current status of changes and outstanding issues so that business requirements reflect application features and functions.
  • Manages specific application quality assurance and help desk activities including the tracking of bug reports and change requests and ensuring their timely resolution.
  • Ensures that all items follow the change management process and are entered and tracked through the change management software.
  • Responsible for the overall success of testing, including results verification and release sign-off.
  • Establishes the purpose and deliverables of the test effort.
  • Provides resource planning, management and resolution of issues that impede the test effort.
  • Advocates the appropriate level of quality by the resolution of important defects; and working with the business unit manager to ensure the software development process has an appropriate level of testing.
  • Coordinates groups of business personnel who test, evaluate and validate new functions and applications, and identify issues in software or services.
  • Analyzes discrepancies in service or performance and makes recommendations for updates.
  • Provides final signoff to the IT project manager to release code to production.
  • Ensures continuing operational quality by documenting bug fixes and enhancements assigning tasks to developers, testing and releasing updates.
Training
  • Proactively assists with the identification of training and development requirements of the Business Unit.
  • Presents findings, and works with Business Unit Leader and other personnel to design and implement training and development initiatives that will continuously upgrade the skills and capabilities of personnel in business unit and OMK overall.
Leadership and Development
  • Collaborates with all functional business units within OMK to achieve strategic, tactical and project goals.
  • Provides leadership needed to instill a team-oriented, client-driven, results-driven team. Coaches and develops employees.
Job Qualifications

Core Competencies
  • Proven success in the following job competencies:
  • Analysis and Reporting
  • Business Planning and Management
  • Communication and Presentation
  • Customer Focus and Relationship Building
  • Champion for Change
  • Influencing
  • Information and Technology Proficiency
  • Leadership
  • Problem Solving and Decision Making
  • Technical Industry and/or Profession Expertise
Education
  • University Degree on Commerce, Actuarial Finance, or Business Information System.
  • Experience in the configuration, use and technical support of GP 10i or any automated Financial and Accounting System including on-line payment systems.
Work Experience
  • Minimum of 3 years, experience in insurance or financial services industry.
  • Proven project management and leadership skills, including the ability to gather clear business requirements.
  • Proven ability to develop, document and maintain operational policies and procedures, including the designing and documenting detailed process flows, and the development of operational performance and quality metric standards and reports.
  • Proven experience working with Excel and developing and maintaining various analyses and reporting tools.
Competencies

Professionalism – Sound judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a range of issues/problems; ability to provide technical guidance to the users.

Planning and Organizing – Ability to plan work assignments, juggle competing demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines. Keen attention to details

Communications – Very good (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audience on ICT-related matters. Demonstrate excellent reporting and documenting skills.

Ability to adapt to difficult working environment, under pressure, long hours with limited timeframes.

Apply to: internalrecruitment@oldmutualkenya.com

Closing date: 5th April 2011

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