Tech Business Analyst Prin

Job Title: Tech Business Analyst Prin Location: Columbus, OH Work Model: Onsite Compensation: $144-149k Potential to convert - client does not sponsor. Conversion is never guaranteed, there are no set timeframes around potential conversion. Please list if candidate is willing/able to convert on resume. Please ensure required candidate education details are on resume. Potential for bi-weekly after-hours work to support deployments - Will typically expect worker to start late/leave early to stay at 40 hours unless OT is needed and pre-approved. Travel outside Ohio is not expected, but would be rare (if ever) for team building events or meetings. Communication skills will be a large focus for the manager when interviewing for this role. Plans to do 2 rounds of interviews. May submit above max bill rate - for very well qualified candidates that meet all requirements. Position Overview We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Business Analyst who will operate with a Product Owner mindset, acting as a critical decision-maker in how work is evaluated, prioritized, and delivered while also driving key activities associated with migrating from a custom in-house platform to a cloud-based SaaS environment. This is not a traditional Business Analyst role. This position is designed for someone who can challenge assumptions, lead platform transformation efforts, and accelerate delivery outcomes not just document requirements. As a Senior Business Analyst (Product Owner Focus), you will serve as a central authority in the intake, evaluation, and prioritization of enhancement requests (Rapid requests) and a key influencer in coordinating production support (PSRs) across all business units. In parallel, you will play a critical role in driving the critical project workstreams, coordinating cross-functional efforts such as business process automation, data cleanup, process alignment, system readiness, and migration planning. You will act as an escalation point for Business Stakeholders, providing guidance on feasibility, complexity, and business value ensuring that only well-defined, high-impact work enters the development lifecycle. This role is also accountable for ensuring that we maintain a continuous improvement mindset by ensuring the work that enters the development pipeline is optimized for delivery performance, which in turn, improves team velocity, and ensures effective execution within our outsourced development model, while taking ownership of any assigned project-level coordination responsibilities tied to our transformation efforts. What You Will Be Doing • Product Ownership & Intake Leadership • Act as a Product Owner in function, owning the evaluation and prioritization of incoming Rapid requests. • Serve as the primary escalation point for Business Stakeholders, providing direction on feasibility, scope clarity, and business value. • Lead Rapid review processes for various business departments, ensuring requests are actionable, properly scoped, and aligned to strategic priorities. • Make informed decisions on what should and should not enter the development pipeline. Feasibility & Value Governance • Evaluate enhancement requests for technical feasibility, platform impact, and business value. • Determine when investigative development (Spikes) are warranted ensuring they are used selectively and drive meaningful outcomes. • Challenge unclear, low-value, or redundant requests and guide stakeholders toward higher-impact solutions. Domain Knowledge • Partner with the PMO, business and technical teams to align processes, workflows, and system capabilities with the target state models. • Identify risks, dependencies, and gaps in project readiness and ensure those risks are labeled & addressed with the PMO and Business Stakeholders. • Act as a PMO liaison working across stakeholders to ensure execution momentum and alignment throughout. Delivery Lifecycle • Drive defined consistent improvement effort in the development lifecycle, with a focus on increasing velocity, throughput, and delivery predictability. • Partner with development teams and our development partners to ensure work is ready, prioritized, and efficiently executed. • Identify and eliminate inefficiencies in backlog management, handoffs, and execution. Platform & Systems • Develop a deep understanding of the end-to-end Retail Energy Platform, including cross-functional dependencies. • Provide input into system design decisions, data structures, and integration considerations to support both current operations and future state system design. Cross-Functional Execution • Drive alignment across Business, Technology, QA, Operations, and our external development partners. • Facilitate decision-making sessions across stakeholders with competing priorities. • Take ownership of driving initiatives forward, not just defining them. • Proactively identify risks, gaps, and opportunities and work with our PMO team to ensure we address them. What You Bring to the Table • Product Ownership Mindset • Proven ability to prioritize work based on business value and platform impact, not just stakeholder requests. • Experience acting as a decision-maker in backlog management and intake processes. • Strong judgment in balancing speed, quality, and long-term platform health. Platform & Transformation Experience • Experience working on or supporting large-scale system transformations or migrations (SaaS, cloud, or platform modernization). • Strong understanding of data dependencies, data quality challenges, and migration considerations. • Ability to understand high level current-state operations and connect that to future-state systems design thinking. Delivery & Execution Focus • Track record of working across teams to implement defined process improvement initiatives to improve team velocity, delivery timelines, or operational efficiency. • Strong understanding of Agile delivery models and how to optimize them in practice. • Experience working with outsourced or distributed development teams. Influence • Ability to challenge stakeholders constructively and drive better outcomes. • Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences. • Proven ability to lead without authority and influence decisions across teams. Whats Needed Minimum Requirements • Bachelors degree in Business, IT, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience) • 7+ years of experience in Business Analysis, Product Ownership, or related roles in a technology-driven environment • Experience working in Agile environments (Scrum, Kanban, etc.) What Sets You Apart • Experience acting in a Product Owner capacity • Experience or supporting large-scale platform transformations • Background in retail energy, utilities, or complex B2B platforms (nice to have but not required) • Demonstrated success in driving platform improvements and cross-functional initiatives • Experience improving delivery performance, reducing cycle time, or increasing throughput How This Role Is Different This Role Is For Someone Who • Doesnt just gather requirements they shape what gets built • Doesnt accept requests at face value they evaluate and challenge them • Doesnt wait for direction they drive transformation and execution Bottom Line You Will Be Expected To • Act like a Product Owner • Drive outcomes, not just outputs Compensation & Benefits • Medical, dental, and vision insurance • 401(k) • Other standard benefits as applicable Distribution List: IT/Technical About Unicon UNICON is a workforce solutions provider with over 35 years of experience supporting organizations across a variety of industries. We partner with our clients to deliver skilled professionals while maintaining a strong focus on quality, compliance, and long-term relationships. UNICON is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.