Business Analyst - SPARK Schools Support - 2024

About SPARK Schools:

Watch our Vision Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOU0TYnNsZo

Take a tour of our Website: https://sparkschools.co.za/

SPARK Schools is a social impact disruptor and is leading change in the education space through its network of affordable private schools. The SPARK Schools network provides transformational education innovation through Africa’s first blended learning model, which elevates student achievement and provides the tools teachers need to serve their students effectively.

The blended learning model, which combines classroom teaching and online instruction, allows teachers to anticipate student needs and equips schools to provide personalized education at an affordable cost. SPARK Schools is pioneering this transformative education model to ensure the accessibility of university and careers for all.

SPARK Schools has a culture of collaboration, because getting South Africa to lead global education takes a team effort. We are innovators who strive for excellence through persistence and a sense of urgency to achieve SPARK Schools’ vision, mission and social transformational objectives. Our work environment is vibrant/cheerful, fast-paced/dynamic, engaging/stimulating, tech-enabled and data driven.

SPARK Schools is a high growth, mission and values-driven, entrepreneurial organisation, operating 21 primary schools and 5 high schools and serving over 18,000 families in 2025. We are looking for dynamic people to join our team.

Reports To: Head: Systems & Technology

Purpose of the Role: 

This role analyses, advises and assists business on business requirements and works with the design & implementation team (Software Developers) to design & implement solutions within constraints. The incumbent should demonstrate the capability of being a frugal innovator.

The Business Analyst will work with the team to implement technology solutions in a cost-effective way by determining and clearly documenting the requirements of a project or a program, communicating them clearly to stakeholders, facilitators and partners and supporting the Project Manager in successfully leading projects and change management initiatives. In addition, you will be required to map out, optimise and maintain business processes across the SPARK Schools network.

Responsibilities:

Systems Solutions and Business Process Design & Optimisation:

• Define, analyse and document business requirements that will enable development of technical solutions
• Liaise with stakeholders to understand the structure, policies and operations of the business and recommend optimisation solutions 
• Engage with business stakeholders at all levels as defined by the business project, to model processes, document business rules and initial uses cases
• Serve as the key custodian for business processes across the SPARK network by providing direction and guidance
• Manage the process of change requests, process improvement, make recommendations to business networks on ideas to improve and streamline processes and systems
• Facilitate design sessions and/or workshops with the system/s end users to define and document the business solutions
• Partner with the Technology team to translate business requirements into Technical specifications
• Drive planned and current initiatives using the Agile methodology
• Provide improvement for “Our Way Of Work” by suggesting efficient methods that will aid with the service offering rendered by Data & Technology team 
• Assist with documenting system integration specifications and actively drive end-to-end user acceptance testing 
• Generate and maintain our centralised documentation repository
• Work closely with the implementation team to facilitate change management and implementation strategy
• Provide support during and post-implementation 

Software Testing Life Cycle:

• Requirement Analysis: Requirement Analysis on the features that need to be tested. Identify missing aspects of the testing and ensure proper quality assurance with the relevant stakeholders is conducted.

• Review the software requirements document (SRD) and other related documents
• Interview stakeholders to gather additional information
• Identify any ambiguities or inconsistencies in the business requirements
• Identify any missing or incomplete requirements
• Identify any potential risks or issues that may impact the testing process
• Create a requirement traceability matrix (RTM) to map requirements to test cases

Testing Plan: Calculate the estimated effort required and the cost for testing

• Identify the testing objectives and scope
• Develop a test strategy that encompass all critical testing aspects
• Identify the testing environment and resources required
• Create the test cases that will be executed and prepare the test data that will be used
• Identify the test deliverables and milestones
• Assign roles and responsibilities to the test team
• Outline the test and success criteria
• Document and communicate the test plan and solicit approval from relevant stakeholders
• Log any defects or issues that are found during test execution in a defect tracking system
• Collect and analyse the test results to determine testing success 
• Ensure any defects that are identified during test execution are retested and fixed correctly
• Ensure test results are documented and reported to the relevant stakeholders.
• Ascertain all testing-related activities are completed and documented. The main objective of the test closure stage is to ensure that all testing-related activities have been completed and that the software is ready for release
• Create a report that summarizes the overall testing process, including the number of test cases executed, the number of defects found, and the overall pass/fail rate.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

• Completed relevant diploma or degree in Industrial Engineering and/or Business Analysis 
• Certification in Information Technology will be an advantage
• Certified SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) Practitioner will be an added advantage

Experience: 

• 3 to 5 years experience as a Business Analyst is essential
• Experience in Technology Project Management is a key requirement 
• Knowledge of Business Processes relating to: Scholar Information Management, Billing, Workflow, Customer Relationship Management, Procurement, Operations, Human Capital Management, Enrolment and Finance would be advantageous.
• Experience working in a Start-Up or Scale-Up organisation would be advantageous
• Experience with CRM and ERP implementations is a key requirement

Skills and Mindset: 

• Business Process Modelling Techniques and Methods
• Proven analytical and conceptualisation skills
• Strong business analysis, meeting facilitation, project and time management skills
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate delivery through Agile Sprints 
• Able to communicate, both verbal and written, effectively with all levels of the business including technical writing skills
• Understanding of systems and process engineering concepts
• The ability to conduct cost/benefit analysis
• Business case development
• Leadership of self and others in the business environment
• Displays grit, high level of excellence, is mission & vision aligned and displays a high level of self-reflection 

Benefits

SPARK offers:

• fair market linked remuneration

• performance-based annual bonuses and increases

• above average/good annual leave

• life, disability and funeral cover

• employee wellness support

• educational support & study leave

• individualised professional development, support and mentorship

• employee discount on school fees

• opportunities for career growth

Compensation: Commensurate with experience/Market related

Position Type: Full Time

Location: Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa

Working Model: Hybrid

SPARK schools is an equal opportunities employer and preference will be given to candidates from designated groups with due consideration of the company’s Employment Equity goals and targets.

SPARK schools encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

SPARK Schools may expire the posting of this advertisement at their own discretion.

Kindly note that should you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful.