Business Analyst (remote, but local to Tampa area)

The purpose of this position is to provide prioritized user stories to agile scrum teams for the purposes of delivering a set of functionality that provides value to the end-user. The Senior BA is a liaison between the Business (internal operational business units as well as external member companies and users), the Information Technology organization, and the Agile Scrum software teams. The business analyst is often referred to as the glue that holds an agile scrum team together and keeps requirements information flowing in all directions. This position will serve as a lead business analyst on one or more Agile Scrum software teams, and/or one or more Corporate Goal project(s), and/or one or more key projects. When a Product Owner (PO) is available, the Senior BA works with the PO to ensure the product backlog is prioritized and that the product roadmap and vision are achieved through the delivery of working softwareRequirements Gathering (30%)Work closely with the Product Owner (PO) to understand the product vision and needs of the end-users for the applications with which ownership/responsibility exists.Work closely with Business Owners, Business Architect, and System Architects to ensure optimization of enterprise solutions as part of AFs system architecture.Capture / understand business objectives, measures and targets to provide traceability. Ensure target solution aligns to and enables business objectives. Understand business issues and challenges of AF member organization and industry.Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a general understanding, and distinguish user requests from underlying needs.Elicit high / epic level and detailed requirements and translate into Jira user stories; methods of collection can include but are not limited to user interviews / surveys, analyzing documentation / business process workflows, existing system documentation.Drive and challenge business areas on assumptions; question and understand how they will successfully execute their plans related to the functionality requested.Analyze current business environment to detect deficiencies; identify improvement opportunities. Create Documentation to Effectively Communicate Business Requirements (30%)[Jira user stories, process flows, mock-ups/wireframes, business rules]Maintain 2-3 sprints worth of prioritized backlog of user stories for each product of responsibility.Understand and apply high-level requirements and business processes; translate into epic user stories / functional workflows define the what and why / value.Conduct product backlog refinement and user story sizing with agile scrum team(s).Proactively communicate and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to analyze needs. Write and deliver functional / detailed requirements through Jira user stories; create and attached workflows / use cases / interface mock-ups / field definitions / rules when appropriate.Collaborate with developers and subject matter experts to understand the technical vision; analyze tradeoffs between usability and performance needs.Deliver informative, well-organized presentations [to AF personnel, to members] when needed.Document and deliver product information to the AF training personnel when needed.Agile Scrum Team / Process Discipline & Improvement (30%)Participate in agile scrum team ceremonies [facilitate backlog refinement, facilitate sprint planning, attend daily standups, sign off on user stories, actively engage in sprint retrospectives with an eye toward actionable continuous improvement, attend sprint demos of working software]Liaison / conduit between the business (internal and external), technical organization, PMO, and operational areas. Obtain stakeholder buy-in and support for responsible initiatives.Facilitate agile scrum team, product, and/or member meetings when needed.Liaison to QA testers; review test documentation, swarm/test during sprint hardening when needed.Recommend when User Acceptance Testing UAT) is needed, design and manage.Service / Support (10%)Together with the Product Owner & Project Sponsor, manage user expectations.Offer to peer review user stories to improve story quality; mentor BAs and Associate BAs.Consistently deliver high-quality service to users & stakeholders (internal and external).Continually seek opportunities to increase member satisfaction and deepen relationships. Minimum RequirementsBachelors degree in business, technology, or related field OR equivalent work experience as a Business Analyst / Sr. Business Analyst.Minimum of 7 years experience as a Business Analyst / Sr. Business Analyst.Proven understanding and experience working with Agile Scrum and Kanban methodologiesAbility to navigate BA Workflow, Agile Scrum, and Project Management tools (Jira, Confluence, MS Project / Smartsheet, Visio, Word, Excel, Sharepoint, and Business Process / Rules repositories).Strong technical database query skills (i.e. SQL)Proficiency with user interface design; experience creating mock-ups/wireframes Desired SkillsAuto Insurance industry experience/knowledge a plus.Certifications:Scrum Product Owner and/or IIBA certifications are strongly preferred