Seeking a Senior Business Analyst (BA) to lead the deployment and maintenance of Affinaquest for Salesforce within a university Advancement department. This role is critical to ensuring successful go-live, ongoing management, and optimization of the Salesforce platform. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Salesforce, relatable certifications, and a working knowledge of higher education and/or fundraising. The BA will partner with offsite/contracted Salesforce development resources, oversee break/fix and enhancement backlogs, and ensure adherence to the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This role requires a detail-oriented, proactive, and collaborative professional who can drive transparency, documentation, and project success.

Primary Position Responsibilities:

Salesforce Deployment and Management: Lead the go-live of Affinaquest for Salesforce, ensuring alignment with the university Advancement department's goals and objectives. Partner with offsite/contracted Salesforce development team responsible for break/fix and new enhancement backlogs using tools like Jira or Asana. Ensure all environments (dev/test/prod) remain in sync before, during, and after periodic deployments.Backlog Management and Requirements Gathering: Review, prioritize, and groom the backlog to ensure alignment with business needs and strategic goals, while driving execution of requirements. Solicit and document clear requirements and success criteria for backlog stories. Collaborate with stakeholders to define and refine user stories, ensuring they meet business objectives.Stakeholder Collaboration & Communication: Work closely with Advancement functional area Directors/AVPs to understand stakeholder needs and translate them into actionable requirements. Partner with the Data Management Director and team to maintain data governance, cleanliness, and integrity within Salesforce. Provide transparency in project work status through regular updates, documentation, and reporting.SDLC Adherence and Best Practices: Ensure strict adherence to SDLC processes, including proper testing, deployment, and post-deployment validation. Document all processes, workflows, and system configurations to ensure knowledge transfer and sustainability. Guide the Advancement department through their first year of Affinaquest for Salesforce deployment, ensuring a smooth transition and adoption.Cross-Functional Team Leadership: Serve as a highly effective team member, fostering collaboration and communication across on-site and off-site teams. Provide guidance and mentorship to team members, promoting best practices in business analysis and Salesforce management.The above statements describe the job’s essential responsibilities and requirements.  They are not an exhaustive list of the duties that may be assigned to job incumbents.