Business Analyst

Business Analyst Contract to Hire New York, NY (Remote but must work EST hours) This position pays between $30/hr to $32/hr on W2 Needs someone with strong communication skills, must have strong retail experience. Need someone with retail planning process and be very strong from a functional perspective. Expeirence in Anaplan is desired. PURPOSE: • Identify opportunities for process improvements in planning and Allocation business operations utilizing technology that will positively impact cost, operating efficiency, quality, and productivity. • This role involves understanding business requirements, analyzing data, and collaborating with IT teams to design, implement, and enhance systems that support efficient inventory planning and allocation within the retail sector. • Prioritize support needs for business, support help desk and first level system/IT support in resolution of high priority issues pertaining to planning and allocation domain. • Integrate best practices into new solutions and work closely with business users, software vendors and developers to ensure business user requirements are achieved. RESPONSIBILITIES: • Serve as a resource, with both business and industry knowledge, for defining the customer's business requirements and objectives. • Collaborate with business stakeholders, including merchandising and planning teams, to understand their needs and requirements for effective inventory planning and allocation. • Work closely with IT development teams to design and implement systems that support retail planning and allocation processes. • Ensure that systems align with business goals, scalability requirements, and industry best practices. • Integrate planning and allocation systems with other IT systems such as ERP, POS, and inventory management systems to create a seamless and interconnected IT infrastructure. • Communicate weekly status in meetings and written form, showing progress against outstanding milestones, status, resource requirements, issues, risks and dependencies. • Utilize data analysis tools to interpret and model retail data, including sales trends, inventory levels, and product performance. • Develop and implement algorithms and models to optimize inventory planning and allocation. • Customize and configure planning and allocation software to meet specific business needs. • Ensure that system parameters are appropriately set to support accurate demand forecasting and allocation strategies. • Develop and execute test plans to ensure the accuracy and reliability of planning and allocation systems. • Collaborate with QA teams to identify and resolve any issues during the testing phase. • Create and maintain comprehensive documentation of system configurations, customizations, and processes. • Update documentation as needed to reflect changes and enhancements. • Provide training to end-users on new systems and functionalities. • Offer ongoing support to users, addressing any system-related issues and ensuring a smooth operation. • Day-to-day management of change requests in relation to the project plans to ensure agreed deadlines are met. • Attend key meetings, both internal and external, and report findings from the meetings • Resolves requirements and design issues or offer recommendation or solutions. • Develop a deep understanding of the marketplace and competitive environment. • Participate in root cause analysis for product performance. • Follow Agile methodologies. QUALIFICATIONS: • Bachelor s Degree (Management, Business Administration, Computer Science, or a related field) or equivalent experience • 2-3 years of analytical work in a functional or IT department in a retail environment preferred. • Strong understanding of retail planning and allocation processes. • Knowledge of retail-specific software and systems (e.g. Anaplan, Blue yonder Allocation tool). Anaplan model building knowledge is a plus. • Knowledge of sprint planning systems like JIIRA to follow agile methodology and the software development life cycle. • Relevant experience should include: • Research and analysis of data, market needs, and customer issues. • Writing business requirements and developing business rules. • International travel may likely be required. • Ability to work outside of standard U.S. business hours is required. • Strong analytic skills and ability to synthesize large datasets into meaningful insights, including identifying key trends in data and reconciling data across various sources. • Blend strong business acumen, technical problem solving and agile execution. • Champion the needs of the customer and business stakeholders throughout the execution of a project, ensuring that what is delivered meets the business s goals and objectives. • High degree of proficiency MS Office Suite, Outlook & Internet applications • Ability to work independently and jointly in unstructured environments. • Ability to manage multiple projects in various phases of ideation, execution, or delivery. • Self-starter Solid program development and business process knowledge • Understanding of how to interpret customer business needs. • Strong analytical, prioritizing, interpersonal, problem-solving, presentation skills • Strong verbal and written communication skills • Demonstrated collaborative skills and ability to work well within a team. • Ability to work with and influence peers and senior management. • Ability to work in a fast-paced and deadline-oriented environment. • Self-motivated with critical attention to detail, deadlines, and reporting • Good understanding of IT practices and methodologies • Knowledge of the data / analytics infrastructure industry a plus