INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
3003 N Central Ave Phoenix, AZ 85012

Salary: $32.7885 HRLY/$68,200.08 Salary 

Grade: 23

Closing Date: November 26, 2024

The Business Specialist (BS) at the Arizona Department of Child Safety plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between business owners and developers. They elicit requirements for user stories, document them in Azure DevOps (ADO), and oversee the lifecycle of data products. Using agile methodologies and design thinking techniques, BSs generate actionable insights that drive strategic business decisions and add significant value to the organization. They liaise with stakeholders, define business requirements, and ensure compliance with data governance practices and regulations, all while aligning data products with the information governance and data management strategy.

This position may offer the ability to work remotely, within Arizona, based upon the department's business needs and continual meeting of expected performance measures.

The State of Arizona strives for a work culture that affords employees flexibility, autonomy, and trust. Across our many agencies, boards, and commissions, many State employees participate in the State’s Remote Work Program and are able to work remotely in their homes, in offices, and in hoteling spaces. All work, including remote work, should be performed within Arizona unless an exception is properly authorized in advance.

• Requirements elicitation: The BS collaborates with business stakeholders to gather user stories and understand the organization’s needs. They conduct interviews, workshops, and requirements sessions to elicit clear and comprehensive requirements for data products.
  
• Solution Development: Work closely with developers to create data products. They use agile methodologies and design thinking techniques to design and develop BI solutions that provide actionable insights. This involves translating requirements into technical specifications.
  
• Communication and Liaison Bridging the gap between business owners and developers, BSs facilitate effective communication. They ensure that both parties understand requirements, priorities, and constraints. BSs act as a conduit for collaboration.
  
• Value Definition, Compliance and Documentation BSs help business stakeholders define measurable value from data products. They work with business owners to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensure that data solutions align with strategic goals. BSs play a critical role in ensuring compliance with data governance practices and regulations. They document processes, maintain user manuals, and track changes to data products.
  
• Other duties as assigned as related to the position.

Knowledge of:

• Relevant federal regulations related to child safety and data privacy
  
• Human Centered Design
  
• Data warehousing concepts and ETL processes
  
• Statistical analysis and predictive modeling techniques
  
• Industry best practices in data governance and security
  
• Agile methodologies and iterative development
  
• Child welfare policies and practices
  
• Data modeling techniques (e.g., ERD, dimensional modeling)
  

Skills in:

• Proficiency in SQL and data querying languages
  
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)
  
• Strong analytical skills for identifying trends and patterns
  
• Proficiency in Python or R for data manipulation and analysis
  
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS)
  
• Competence in data profiling and data quality assessment
  
• Data integration and data transformation processes
  

Ability to:

• Collaborate in cross-functional teams
  
• Analyze complex data sets and derive meaningful insights
  
• Aptitude for translating business requirements into technical specifications
  
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
  
• Skill in project management and prioritization
  
• Adapt to changing requirements and business needs
  
• Aptitude for problem-solving and troubleshooting
  
• Create comprehensive documentation
  
• Innate curiosity and a continuous learning mindset

A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university related to Business Analysis, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Management

Must be able to secure and maintain clearance from DCS Central Registry.

Must be able to secure and maintain an Arizona Department of Public Safety Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card.

This position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver’s License Requirements.

All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

The State of Arizona provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package including:

• Affordable medical, dental, life, and short-term disability insurance plans
  
• Top-ranked retirement and long-term disability plans
  
• 10 paid holidays per year
  
• Vacation time accrued at 4.00 hours bi-weekly for the first 3 years
  
• Sick time accrued at 3.70 hours bi-weekly
  
• Deferred compensation plan
  
• Wellness plans
  

By providing the option of a full-time or part-time remote work schedule, employees enjoy improved work/life balance, report higher job satisfaction, and are more productive. Remote work is a management option and not an employee entitlement or right. An agency may terminate a remote work agreement at its discretion.

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave pilot program here. For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

Positions in this classification participate in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS). Enrollment eligibility will become effective after 27 weeks of employment.

Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter or an alternative format by contacting 602-255-3141 or by email at ADA@AZDCS.GOV.   Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.  Should you have any further questions regarding the interview process you can reach out to a member of our recruitment team at 602-255-2903 or by email at recruiting@azdcs.gov.  The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.