Senior Application Analyst

Minimum Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Management Information Systems, or Business Administration from an accredited institution AND five (5) years of experience researching and resolving problems using application software in a live environment. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

It is the policy of Allegheny County that in order to receive a final offer of employment, candidates must successfully pass a background check, which includes verification of Allegheny County Real Estate Tax status, and drug/medical examinations as required for the position. The pre-employment drug screen must be completed within 48 hours of the acceptance of the conditional offer of employment.

Position Summary: Under the supervision of the Application Supervisor, this position’s responsibilities include complex software configuration tasks regarding the implementation and maintenance of an Information System (IS). Though not a supervisory role, the Senior Application Analyst owns the product and guides less experienced analysts. The incumbent is primarily responsible for configuring, maintaining, and supporting assigned application(s). A thorough understanding of all aspects of the application(s), including technical platform, functionality, user interface, administration, and maintenance tasks, is required.

The Senior Application Analyst is a critical player in maintaining their assigned applications within the end user environment. This position requires strong analytical and interpersonal skills when interacting with users of various knowledge levels. As the Department of Information Technology (DIT) provides solutions to many departments, there will be frequent meetings with users that require the ability to develop project specifications and time estimates.

Duties:

Designs, configures, and/or develops web and desktop front-end software, middle-tier components, and back-end database tables and procedures.
Configures, tests, and supports changes as indicated by the users of that application within the constraints of the application, its technology platform, and the technology standards of Allegheny County.
Troubleshoots operational application issues, implements corrective solutions, analyzes and modifies existing computer programs and systems as required, and documents the cases and resolutions for all internal customers, including operations, development, and other business units.
Advises the product steering committee and end-users regarding the capabilities of the IS solution, its impact on the implementation path, and how to use software programs efficiently and effectively in fulfilling business objectives.
Communicates and collaborates with external and internal customers to analyze information needs and functional requirements.
Delivers artifacts such as requirements documents, flowcharts, data flow diagrams, pseudo code, entity relationship diagrams, explanatory narrative, use cases, test scenarios, and Screen and Interface designs as needed.
Works with the vendor of the application to research and resolve problems and perform upgrades to the application to keep them within support terms and to provide new functionality.
Acts as a liaison between the business units, technology, and support teams.
Communicates project status and interaction with end users to management through formal status reports, proper use of DIT’s project tracking system, time entry, and informal updates as requested.
Provides second-tier end-user support for assigned applications and communicates periodically with users and business partners.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge of:

Traditional System Development Life Cycle concepts.
Agile environments.
Reporting and data analysis tools.
Background in Information Systems application configuration and support activities.

Skill in:

Microsoft Applications and Reporting Tools (SSRS, Crystal Reports).

Ability to:

Work effectively with little supervision, both alone and in a group.
Use reporting and data analysis tools such as SSRS and Crystal Reports.
Critically evaluate and synthesize information from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, deconstruct high-level information into details, and build upon low-level knowledge to attain a general understanding.
Ability to analyze and interpret customer business needs and translate them into application and operational requirements.
Interact with users across various knowledge levels and interpret customer business needs and translate them into application and operational requirements.
Successfully engage in multiple initiatives simultaneously and multitask efficiently.
Facilitate meetings with users and accurately develop project specifications and time estimates.

Residency: Allegheny County within 1 year.
Veterans’ Preference: Will be awarded to eligible candidates.
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER – M/F/V/D