Functional Business Analyst

The Maryland State Retirement Agency is the administrator of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System.  The System is a multi-employer, public employees’ defined benefit retirement system composed of twelve (12) separate retirement and pension systems with additional plan components, supporting over 397,000 active members, retirees and beneficiaries.  The Agency is embarking on a multi-year re-engineering of its retirement-related business processes, in addition to acquiring and implementing support technologies (e.g., member relationship management, document management, and workflow management) and adapting existing pension administration programs to secure online real-time transaction processing. 

The accomplishments of the Business Operations Office arguably have the greatest impact on the Agency in achieving its Mission Statements, most notably to: Accurately and timely pay retirement allowances provided by State Pension law to the System’s retirees and their beneficiaries; and to efficiently collect the required employer and member contributions to fund the System. Without Maryland Pension Administration System (MPAS), the agency’s automated processing system, staff would not be able to see through the available screen views and process the data critical to agency operations and plan administration.  Improvements made to MPAS; the Agency’s automated processing system far outweighs the benefits staff can achieve through the addressing of individual records.

We are currently recruiting to fill two vacant Administrator II positions in our Business Operations Office Division. These Hybrid positions will require the candidates to be in the office three days per week.

17

120 East Baltimore Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

MSRA office is located in downtown Baltimore, with access by bus and Metro (Charles Center Station).   Parking is provided in the Agency's building.

This position’s primary role as an MPAS Functional Business Analyst responsibilities include defining business requirements, testing and managing acceptance of project deliverables, coordinating interactions between Project Vendors and Agency personnel, effectively resolving project issues, and delivering user training to enable users to perform their jobs using the MPAS system. As the position is in an Administrator II classification working as an MPAS Functional Business Analyst, this position over time is expected to continue to progress in understanding the Agency’s automated processing systems and the rules enforced by the code logic in various backend MPAS application and frontend web-based applications. The responsibilities of this business analyst position are similar, irrespective of whether the analyst is reviewing for acceptance the correction or implementation of new functionality related to MPAS, or MPAS+, participating in the review of any formal large, scaled Agency project deliverables.

 This position requires the application of inductive and deductive reasoning to reach logical solutions when evaluating test results. Evaluates, participates, leads and/or directs testing activities to ensure that solutions are following Agency laws, regulations, and procedures.  Testing must ensure that existing business requirements and functionality are accurately achieved in the system’s architecture allowing end users to perform their jobs. 

 This incumbent is expected to become a subject matter expert, demonstrating extensive knowledge of Agency laws, regulations, practices and procedures during performance of business analyst duties.  Of particular importance is gaining a complete understanding of the various Agency calculations (i.e. retirement benefits, interest, refunds, etc.)

 As a business analyst participating in the development of MPAS, this position may have an integral role in the training of system users in the MPAS or MPAS+ applications. Including evaluations, participates, leads and/or directs efforts to document any new systems or processes and to facilitate end user training promoting effective system utilization within the business units. 

 Responsible for ensuring that any business requirements defined for a large-scale project, or   a Change Request initiated as part of on-going operations and maintenance support activities are understood and complete to promote successful solution development and implementation.  Requires consultation with system users and developers to facilitate planning, development, and testing of the revised application for the purpose of ensuring the business requirements are achieved in the application.  In collecting and analyzing data used as the basis for determining system application requirements, this position will also evaluate the work methods for the purpose of suggesting process improvements and/or alternate solutions for consideration of implementation in the MPAS or MPAS+.

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Five years of administrative staff or professional work.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute 30 credit hours from an accredited college or university for each year up to four years of the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and one year of experience in administrative staff or professional work for the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master's degree from an accredited college or university for the required experience.

4. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer involving staff work related to the administration of rules, regulations, policy, procedures and processes, or overseeing or coordinating unit operations or functioning as a staff assistant to a higher ranking commissioned officer on a year-for- year basis for the required experience.

• Possess unique blend of strong analytical aptitude, problem-solving abilities, critical thinking and the capacity to convey complicated information clearly and practically.

• Ability to use data analytics to comprehend Agency’s procedures, spot potential for development, and create plans to maximize production and efficiency.

• Ability to understand client needs and translate them into requirements that development teams can understand and implement.

• Ability to work with SQL and other data querying languages.

• Ability to build relationships, leading teams, and managing projects.

• Ability to test business processes and recommend improvements.

• Ability to communicate insights in a way that is understandable and impactful.

• Possess understanding of Agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban, and familiarity with Agile project management tools.

• Possess understanding of customer relationship management (CRM) systems like Microsoft Dynamics 365 to gather requirements, evaluate integration needs, and support implementation projects.

Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator's license valid in the State of Maryland.

Due to the confidential nature of the work, selected candidates must undergo and pass a background check.

Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the minimum qualifications for this recruitment.  All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date.  We will not consider information submitted after this date. 

Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on the employment (eligible) list for at least one year. 

This list will be used by the hiring agency to select employees. 

The examination will consist of a rating of your education, training, and experience as presented on your application and as they relate to the requirements of the position. You may be asked to complete a supplemental questionnaire.  The supplemental questionnaire may be used as part of the rating process.  Therefore, it is important that you provide complete and accurate information on your application.

STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

Please include a cover letter and resume with your application.  Resumes will NOT be accepted in lieu of completing the application. All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date.  We will not consider information submitted after this date. If you have any questions about this recruitment, please call 410-767-4850.

Online application process is STRONGLY preferred.  If the online application process is not available, you may submit a paper application and supplemental questionnaire (by the closing date) to:

Department of Budget and Management Recruitment and Examination Division

301 W. Preston Street, Room 608

Baltimore, MD 21201

The resulting certified eligible list for this recruitment may be used for similar positions in this or other State agencies.

TTY Users: call via Maryland Relay

As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State’s diversity. People with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. We thank our Veterans for their service to our country.