Purpose of Position
The Business Analyst will support the recommencement and delivery of NCI's Management Information System (MIS) Project, which will provide trusted, on-demand institutional and operational reports for governance, statutory reporting, planning and decision-making.
Reporting to the Software Development Manager, the Business Analyst will act as the primary link between business areas and the technical project team. The role will lead the elicitation, analysis, documentation and management of reporting requirements and will work closely with the Data Analyst to develop clear, agreed reporting specifications.
The project will be delivered in phases. Phase 1 will focus on student, programme, assessment, progression and HEA-related reporting, primarily using Quercus data. Later phases will consider staff, other institutional and research reporting and may require data from multiple systems, spreadsheets and documents, together with new data stores, integrations or data migration.
Key Relationships:
- MIS Project Sponsor and MIS Steering Group
- Software Development Manager / MIS Project Lead
- Data Analyst and software development team
- QIE, Registry, Admissions and Student Records, Assessment and Examinations, and Schools
- Finance, HR, Research and other relevant business leads
- External system suppliers, implementation partners and consultants, where required
Key Responsibilities:
Requirements Elicitation and Analysis
- Plan and facilitate interviews, workshops and other requirements-gathering activities with business leads and report users.
- Analyse business needs, current reporting processes, information flows and pain points to identify clear reporting outcomes and opportunities for improvement.
- Elicit, document and validate functional and non-functional requirements for each report, including purpose, audience, measures, definitions, filters, frequency, format, access and security.
- Distinguish essential requirements from desirable enhancements and support the prioritisation of reports within the agreed project scope.
- Maintain requirements traceability from initial business need through specification, development, testing, approval and implementation.
Reporting Specifications and Process Design
- Work with the Data Analyst and Software Development Manager to translate agreed business requirements into complete and testable reporting specifications.
- Document report definitions, calculations, business rules, selection criteria, user roles, drill-down requirements and expected outputs.
- Develop process maps, data-flow diagrams, user stories, use cases, mock-ups and other supporting analysis where these improve clarity.
- Identify gaps, duplication and inconsistencies between existing reports and proposed requirements and facilitate decisions on the future approach.
- Ensure that reporting requirements align with agreed institutional definitions, governance needs and business processes.
Stakeholder Engagement and Governance
- Act as the principal liaison between business areas and the technical delivery team throughout each project phase.
- Facilitate agreement on report ownership, definitions, priorities, acceptance criteria and approval arrangements.
- Prepare clear analysis, options and recommendations to support decisions by the Project Lead, Project Sponsor and MIS Steering Group.
- Identify and document dependencies, assumptions, risks, issues and decisions and escalate significant concerns promptly.
- Manage requirement changes through the agreed governance process and assess their impact on scope, timelines and resources.
Testing, Acceptance and Quality Assurance
- Define acceptance criteria and develop business test scenarios and test cases for each report.
- Coordinate user acceptance testing with relevant business areas and ensure that results and evidence are documented.
- Record, prioritise and track defects and requirement gaps through to resolution or formal acceptance.
- Coordinate final validation, business sign-off and acceptance of completed reports before release into operational use.
- Confirm that delivered reports meet agreed business requirements and are supported by appropriate documentation.
Implementation, Adoption and Transition
- Assess the impact of new reports and processes on relevant business areas and identify readiness, communication and training requirements.
- Develop user guidance, process documentation and supporting materials in conjunction with the Data Analyst, Project Lead and business owners.
- Coordinate the transition of completed reports and associated processes into business as usual, including confirmation of ownership and support arrangements.
- Support user adoption, gather feedback and recommend improvements following implementation.
- Contribute to the assessment of benefits achieved, including reduced manual effort, improved consistency and better access to decision-ready information.
Phased Planning and Feasibility
- Undertake requirements gathering and feasibility analysis for subsequent project phases while the current phase is being delivered.
- Assess business readiness, information availability, process maturity and dependencies affecting staff, miscellaneous institutional and research reporting.
- Work with the project team to identify where additional systems, data stores, integrations or data migration may be required before reports can be delivered.
- Provide evidence-based recommendations on scope, priorities, sequencing and delivery options for later phases.
Person Specification:
- Demonstrable experience as a Business Analyst on complex technology, data, reporting or organisational change projects.
- Strong experience eliciting, analysing, documenting and validating business and user requirements.
- Experience developing reporting specifications, business rules, process maps, user stories, use cases and acceptance criteria.
- Proven ability to facilitate workshops, manage differing stakeholder perspectives and secure agreement on requirements and priorities.
- Experience coordinating user acceptance testing, defect resolution, business sign-off and operational acceptance.
- Experience supporting implementation, business readiness, user adoption and transition into business as usual.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, documentation, facilitation and communication skills.
- Ability to manage requirements, risks, dependencies and competing priorities within agreed project governance and timelines.
- Experience working with personal or confidential information and an understanding of data protection, access control and information security.
- Experience in higher education and with student information systems, particularly Quercus or a comparable enterprise system, is desirable.
- Knowledge of assessment, progression, retention, completion, programme review or HEA reporting is desirable.
- Experience working on business-intelligence, data warehouse, dashboard or management-reporting projects is desirable.
- A recognised business-analysis or project-management qualification is desirable.
Qualifications Required:
- A relevant third-level qualification in business analysis, information systems, business, project management or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
Skills & Competencies:
- Business analysis and critical thinking
- Requirements elicitation, documentation and traceability
- Business process mapping and improvement
- Reporting specifications and data literacy
- Stakeholder engagement, facilitation and influencing
- User acceptance testing and quality assurance
- Change readiness, adoption and transition planning
- Clear written, verbal and presentation skills
- Planning, organisation and delivery
- Collaboration, judgement, integrity and confidentiality
Contract: Fixed-term contract for 2 years.
Salary: Manager Salary Band (€56,570-€77,018)
Annual Leave: 27 days per annum pro rata
Hours: Full time - 35 hours per week
Closing date for applications is the 11th of September 2026 at 5pm.
All applicants must hold a valid right to work in Ireland.
Note: The functions and responsibilities assigned to this role are based on the current stated role and objectives of the college. These functions and responsibilities may alter in line with any change in the role and objectives of the NCI.
The Importance of Confidentiality
We would like to assure you that protecting confidentiality is our number one priority. You can expect that all enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.
Candidates' Obligations
In submitting a completed Curriculum Vitae and supporting documentation, candidates are declaring:
That all the particulars furnished in their application are true and correct without omission and that they are aware of the qualifications and particulars for this position.
That to the best of their knowledge that there is nothing in relation to their conduct, character or personal background of any nature that would adversely affect the position of trust in which they would be placed by virtue of this appointment.
Their irrevocable consent to NCI making such enquiries as deemed necessary in respect of their suitability for the post in respect of which their application is made.
Their acceptance and confirmation of the entitlement of NCI, as appropriate to, reject their application, or to terminate their employment (in the event of a contract of employment having been entered into on foot of this competition) if they have omitted to furnish NCI with any information relevant to their application or their continued employment or where they have made any false statement or misrepresentation relevant to this application or their continuing employment with the College. #LI-DNI
Candidates should note that they may be required to submit documentary evidence in support of any particulars given by them in their application for the post.
Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018 and the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 to 2014 as amended
Data collected for the purposes of recruitment activities
NCI conducts recruitment processes to fill vacancies within the college. When applying for these competitions applicants are asked to submit a range of documents, e.g., a completed application form, CV and/or a personal statement or cover letter. For the purposes of recruitment activities, we will not collect any personal data that we do not need to assess your candidature for a role with us.
Legal Basis for Processing
NCI ’s legal basis for the processing of this data is a combination of individual consent, contractual necessity and legal obligations.
Withdrawal of Consent
Applicants can withdraw their consent for the processing of their personal data at any time by notifying the College. It is important to note that withdrawal of consent prior to the completion of the process will be considered as a withdrawal of the application.
What we do with your data
People who are directly employed by NCI and are based in Ireland process all the personal data collected for both recruitment and HR purposes.
Shortlisting
HR draft up the shortlisting documents and provide the initial screening to determine if a person meets the essential criteria of the competition. A shortlisting panel is generally made up of two senior grade staff members from the relevant department for which the role is being recruited.
Sharing of your data
Where you have been successfully shortlisted for a post, each interview panel member will be furnished with a copy of the relevant information of those who will be attending interview in order that they can review applications in advance of the interview process. All such information will be returned to NCI and shredded following the competition process. Some of the interview panel will be external interviewers, who are not employees of NCI but are engaged for the purpose and are strictly subject to the rules and policies of the College.
Access
Applicants can request and receive access to their data at any time and can request and receive a copy of this data, in electronic/transferable format.
Erasure
Applicants can request the data held be erased. In this case, the application for a position is considered withdrawn.
Rectification
Applicants can have any incorrect information corrected.
Objection / Withdraw
Applications can object to this information being processed and/or can request to withdraw from the application process
Complain
Applicants can make a complaint to our internal Information Governance and Data Protection Officer
NCI Information Governance and Data Protection Officer
National College of Ireland, Mayor Street, IFSC, Dublin 1
Tel (Direct): + 353 1 4498 523 ; Tel (Reception): + 353 1 4498 500
And/or make a complaint to the relevant authority
Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28
Tel: +353 (0) 761 104 800
National College of Ireland is an equal opportunities employer and is a Member of the Athena SWAN Charter. NCI is committed to serving our diverse community and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups.