Business Systems Analyst

Because the responsibilities of this position will involve access to ITAR/EAR-controlled information, Akin will screen prospective job candidates to be staffed in this role and will only consider U.S. persons for ITAR/EAR compliance purposes. Under the definition of ITAR (§ 120.62) and EAR (Part 772), a U.S. person is (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) a U.S. national; (3) a lawful permanent U.S. resident, (4) an individual admitted to the United States as a refugee, or (5) an individual granted asylum in the United States. Additionally, Akin will only staff such U.S. persons for this role if they are physically located in the United States.

Location: Dallas, New York or Washington, DC
Schedule: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM
FLSA: Exempt
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We are currently seeking a Business Systems Analyst in the Information Technology department, reporting to the Systems & Solutions Manager.

The role will reside in the Dallas, New York or Washington, DC office with hybrid work capabilities and will be responsible for supporting the firm’s applications portfolio, and managing the applications’ entire life cycle at the firm. Working with business teams and subject matter experts to clearly define system requirements, the Business Systems Analyst is also responsible for the architectural design and deployment of new Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and SaaS (Software As A Service) business systems, upgrading and extending the usefulness of existing business systems following industry best practices and principles of structured Information Technology Service Management. The Business Systems Analyst is expected to perform all responsibilities with a commitment to providing superior customer service to the firm’s attorneys, advisors and staff, while maintaining an atmosphere of teamwork and continuous improvement.  

Key responsibilities of this position include:

• Work closely with business owners, subject matter experts and stakeholders to identify and evaluate systems and solutions
• Serve as a technical analyst with the ability to plan and manage the full life cycle of complex, multi-phase application integration and implementation projects
• Follow ITIL best practices to standardize the evaluation, design, deployment and maintenance of business-facing systems and tools
• Strive to attain maximum operational maturity by practicing continuous improvement and continuous integration
• Maintain adeptness in ITSM frameworks: Incident, Change and Problem management
• Liaise with vendors and internal customers and establish close working relationships with business owners, stakeholders and subject matter experts
• Be an expert in application life cycle management
• Use configuration-based tools, scripting, no-code development tools to produce business solutions
• Ensure availability and currency of all necessary documentation
• Work with IT teams to ensure optimal configuration and smooth application deployment
• Participate in monthly server patch and reboot schedules to ensure 100% resiliency
• Serve as liaison in support of the software service catalog items in assigned areas of responsibility
• Ensure successful testing, implementation and transition to a production / steady state operating environment and cross train resources as necessary
• Engage with domain and functional subject matter experts to maintain knowledge of current trends, nuances, etc. of business domains and functions.
• Work with the subject matter experts and/or Business Analyst to define and document business systems requirements
• Communicate status and key business information effectively to both management and internal customers
• Serve as 2nd or 3rd level of escalation help desk support for assigned department software in our service catalog

Qualifications (Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities):

• Bachelor’s degree required (Computer Science or equivalent preferred)
• A minimum of three years of experience in a senior application support role
• Prior experience in a law firm or other professional services firm preferred
• Demonstrated technical knowledge and expertise in the following:
  • Competent in current Microsoft operating systems
  • Windows Configuration, Analysis and Engineering
  • Network Connectivity and Analysis
  • Software Configuration, Analysis and Implementation
  • PowerShell scripting to automate tasks
• Competent in current Microsoft SQL Server
  • Architecture
  • Transact SQL code development
• Competent in Legal COTS Applications
  • Excel/Access/Word/VBA
  • Administration
  • Architecture
  • Application Integration
  • Features and Operational Support
  • Application Configuration, Implementation and Analysis
  • Building solutions using SharePoint, document assembly and other legal expert systems
• Ability to work well under pressure, facilitate solutions, and meet deadlines and milestones for assigned projects
• Formulate and define scope and objectives for application / project delivery based on business needs
• Proven ability to handle multiple projects and adjust to changing priorities in a professional manner
• Strong service orientation and an ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with peers, management, system users and other departmental business partners
• Ability to read, comprehend and follow instructions
• Ability to develop techniques and standards and assist in the establishment of written procedures for the firm’s Systems/Solutions Group
• Strong analytical, creative problem solving and process improvement skills
• Proven ability to maintain and update technical knowledge and skills
• Demonstrated ability to maintain high ethical standards and strict confidentiality of all firm information
• Monitor, secure, identify and qualify application patches/updates for consideration
• Willingness and ability to assume new tasks and responsibilities as appropriate
• Willingness and availability to work during non-standard office hours, including nights and weekends
• Commitment to teamwork
• Commitment to professional growth and development
• Ability to travel when required (typically less than 5% of total hours worked annually)

The base salary range for this position in New York and Washington, DC is $110,000 to $160,000.  Additional information about benefits and rewards can be found here.

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