Solutions Analyst Manager at Absa Bank Limited

Job Summary

Work as part of a DevOps team, leverage specialist analysis & testing tools, frameworks, techniques and practices to elicit, define and organize business requirements. Translate & document business requirements into user stories  & specifications (Full Stack, Cross System) detailing integration points, business & associated risk / opportunities to be realised. And following this analysis, work collaboratively within squads during design & delivery activity including assuming responsibility for manual application testing processes, frameworks & outcomes

Overall Job Purpose

Work as part of a DevOps team, leverage specialist analysis & testing tools, frameworks, techniques and practices to elicit, define and organize business requirements. Translate & document business requirements into user stories & specifications (Full Stack, Cross System) detailing integration points, business & associated risk / opportunities to be realized. And following this analysis, work collaboratively within squads during design & delivery activity including assuming responsibility for manual application testing processes, frameworks & outcomes

Key Accountabilities

Analysis including Business Case- 30%

• Proactively build relationships, apply analytical techniques to elicit and validate business (product & service) needs ahead of demand.
• Implement routines to get to know / become an expert in various business processes (e.g., spend time in business & with users).
• Translate elicited needs and knowledge acquired into user story format that is immediately usable for DevOps teams (right language, format for building & testing).
• Prepare and prioritise the backlog of requirements for the user stories linked to the proposed solutions.
• Work collaboratively with Tribe Leads (Technical Product / Service Owners) to build a roadmap & vision for the products and services (including detailed analysis requirements & solution scope).
• Define measures of success & key outcomes for various solutions / changes including detailed acceptance criteria for all features.
• Define testing requirements (pass or fail test cases).
• Support the development of detailed business cases (including defining solution characteristics, effort estimations etc.).

Solution Design (within DevOps Context) - 30%:

• Translate business requirements into detailed systems requirements. Detailed system requirements must include all capabilities, interfaces, and functionalities within and across technologies.
• Build detailed user stories to be leveraged for system requirements design (modular).
• Leverage business analysis & modelling tools and apply notation standards such as UML/BPMN to diagrammatically/visually document: business requirements, business processes, system processes & integration.
• Facilitate processes to ensure integrated requirements are socialized, understood & approved across the broad range of stakeholders to be impacted (this includes various processes e.g., risk / governance forums, change council, scrum meetings / DevOps team capability building, solution design sessions etc.)
• Understand & leverage knowledge on the organizations technical landscape, environment, and broader architecture to define integration points across tech stacks for various requirements
• Work collaboratively with project / program teams, squads, scrum masters and engineers to define backlog, release & DevOps / project planning implications of the requirements development & roadmap (what should happen when).
• Continuously improve system requirements mapping (e.g., leverage input from questions asked etc. to consistently improve the quality of the requirements analysis for easier interpretation by the development teams).
• Work as part of the embedded DevOps team throughout the design process to review solution design (features and functionality).
• Facilitate resolution during development & testing phases for any change requirements.

Solution Delivery and Testing (Manual) - 15%

• Define the manual testing strategy & test cases for various solutions.
• Define & validate quality & testing parameters (+/-) & plans for the solution (socialize & translate these to automation testing teams).
• Develop manual testing frameworks and patterns for the solution.
• Lead the manual testing process for various solutions (e.g., execute test cases, analyse results).
• Provide real time feedback to the DevOps teams on change requirements identified throughout the testing process.
• Review & monitor system stability, resilience etc. throughout the testing process (e.g., integration) & in production.
• Define & monitor overall backlog planning for effective solution delivery.
• Provide Developer & User support during user acceptance testing.

People - 25%

• Provide coaching & mentoring across the DevOps team as well as to developing analysts across the estate
• Conduct peer reviews & problem solving within and across the broader team as required
• Education and experience required

Preferred

• At least 3 years’ experience of Solutions Analyst, ideally in an IT environment
• Experience working in a matrix environment with multiple cross border accountabilities.
• Experience of creating measuring, monitoring, and managing service levels.
• Experience of managing relationships and leading negotiations with clients and suppliers.
• Experience of communicating with Senior and Top Management
• The role holder will be a leading Technology Solutions exponent within Absa Bank Kenya PLC
• Proven record of delivering quality services in a changing environment

Essential

• Up to date with initiatives taking place within Technology, with a focus on automation, digitization & digitalization.

Knowledge and skills

Essential 

• Agile Methodology.
• Scaled Agile Framework.
• DevOps.
• Basic Software Development.
• Micro Services & Application Programming Interfaces.
• Knowledge on Automation, including RPA.
• ITIL – Service Management essentials.
• Service Management and Control.
• Supplier Relationship Management.
• Customer Relationship Management.
• People Management and Supervision.
• Able to achieve and maintain high standards – always looking for improvements.
• Team working with a customer focus.
• Communication skills, verbal and written at both business and technical levels.
• Analytical skills.
• Information gathering and listening skills
• Enthusiasm & drive with total commitment to service improvement.
• Ability to deliver services and changes in a safe and controlled way.
• Basic cost management and numeracy skills.

Preferred

• In-depth knowledge of IT Service Management techniques.
• Working knowledge of services and products provided by Operations & IT and third parties.
• Working knowledge of charging and cost recovery policies.
• Working knowledge of the client organisations.
• Understanding of short and medium-term business objectives for Absa Kenya.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Service Improvement techniques.
• Knowledge of banking services.

Competencies:

• Commercial awareness / Entrepreneurial.
• Drive for results.
• High degree of organization, tracking input & quantifiable benefits of each investment & initiative.
• Relationship /Partnership approach
• Technical skills/knowledge
• Team building/player
• People Management capability

Education

• Bachelor's Degree: Information Technology

Closing date: 5 April 2022