Senior Business Analyst

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.
They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now.
Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Transformation Office is the strategic unit driving ALU's shift toward high-quality, scalable digital solutions. We are a fast-paced, highly analytical, and cross-functional team committed to translating the university's bold vision into functional, impactful technology. Our culture champions Agile principles, meticulous accuracy, and user-centric design. We thrive on solving complex, multi-platform problems and mentoring the next generation of analysts to raise the bar for excellence across the organization.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Business Analyst is a strategic role responsible for bridging the gap between ALU's business needs and technical solutions. You will lead the requirements gathering process across key enterprise platforms, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and maximum value in every feature built. This role requires a blend of strong analytical rigor, Agile mastery, and hands-on QA leadership. You will be a key driver in digital transformation and an essential mentor, coaching junior team members and elevating the overall effectiveness of the analysis function.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead Business Needs Assessments:

• Lead the elicitation, analysis and documentation of business requirements across diverse cross-functional teams (e.g., Finance, Admissions, Marketing).
• Translate complex requirements into clear, concise user stories with comprehensive acceptance criteria using tools like Jira.
• Champion Agile methodologies by facilitating ceremonies, supporting sprint planning, and continuously refining the product backlog.
• Ask the right questions to challenge assumptions, uncover true business needs, and drive alignment among diverse stakeholders.

Process Design & Enterprise Integration:

• Drive requirements gathering and system integration efforts involving core enterprise platforms like Salesforce (CRM, Marketing Cloud, SIS) and ERP platforms (e.g., Oracle NetSuite).
• Create clear, standardized process maps using BPMN or similar notation to document current-state and optimized future-state workflows.
• Ensure end-to-end business processes are optimized and seamlessly integrated across all relevant platforms.

Quality Assurance & Mentorship:

• Serve as the internal QA gatekeeper, ensuring all user stories are well-defined, technically feasible, and meet core business objectives.
• Provide leadership and oversight for QA testers, and perform hands-on validation and testing of delivered features and system configurations.
• Act as a mentor and coach to junior BAs, helping build their analytical capabilities and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate closely with UX/UI designers, developers, and QA teams to ensure requirements are user-friendly, technically feasible, and delivered to high standards.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of 5+ years of demonstrable experience in Business Analysis, specifically in a digital product or enterprise transformation context.
• Strong practical experience writing high-quality user stories, acceptance criteria, and managing product backlogs in fast-paced Agile environments.
• Hands-on experience working directly with Salesforce (CRM, SIS or Marketing Cloud) and ERP systems such as Oracle NetSuite, focusing on integration and workflow optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate complex requirements-gathering sessions and translate ambiguous ideas into clear, functional specifications.
• Proven track record working closely with software development and QA teams, bridging the communication gap.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Functional Skills

• Agile Proficiency: Expertise in managing product backlogs, user story writing, and facilitating core Agile ceremonies.
• Enterprise Systems: Deep understanding of the functional capabilities of CRM/SIS (Salesforce) and ERP (NetSuite) systems and their integration points.
• Process Modeling: Strong proficiency in process mapping and standardization using frameworks like BPMN.
• Quality Assurance: Ability to define testable requirements and lead UAT/functional testing efforts.
• Tool Proficiency: Expertise with tools like Jira (or equivalents) for project management and tracking.

Soft Skills

• Analytical Rigor: Exceptional analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail, particularly regarding user experience and requirements accuracy.
• Confident Communication: Confident communicator who can influence, negotiate, challenge assumptions, and drive alignment among diverse senior stakeholders.
• Mentorship & Coaching: Proven ability to coach and develop the capabilities of junior team members.
• Strategic Problem-Solving: Ability to challenge assumptions and uncover the true strategic business needs behind stated requests.
• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a dynamic, high-growth environment (Bonus: Experience in EdTech or mission-driven organizations).