Lead Business Analyst - Data
First seen by Alion on Sep 18, 2026.
Role Overview :
We are seeking an experienced Business Analyst / Business Systems Analyst - Data with 12 - 15 years of experience to support business-critical data and cloud initiatives.
The ideal candidate will have strong experience in business systems analysis, data platforms, requirements gathering, data modeling, data quality, KPI definition, and documentation, with good familiarity with the Microsoft Azure data ecosystem, including Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS), Databricks, and SQL.
The role requires close collaboration with business stakeholders, data engineers, architects, and technical teams to translate business requirements into clear and actionable data and functional specifications.
Key Responsibilities :
- Act as a Business Systems Analyst supporting enterprise data and cloud initiatives.
- Partner with business stakeholders and technical teams to understand business needs and translate them into detailed requirements.
- Define requirements for establishing, enhancing, and evolving Azure-based data platforms.
- Work with teams leveraging Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS), Databricks, SQL, and related data technologies.
- Support the definition and evolution of data models, including raw, curated, and consumption layers.
- Collaborate with data engineers and architects to define data inputs, transformations, outputs, and dependencies.
- Define data quality requirements, validation rules, business rules, and metadata requirements.
- Ensure data requirements address application functionality as well as relevant legal, regulatory, compliance, and control-tracking needs.
- Work closely with engineering teams to define data requirements supporting KPIs, metrics, dashboards, and business reporting.
- Establish clear definitions for KPIs and collaborate with technical teams to monitor data supporting those KPIs.
- Analyze business processes and data flows to identify gaps, dependencies, and improvement opportunities.
- Create detailed Business Requirements Documents (BRDs), Functional Requirements Specifications (FRDs), user stories, process flows, data requirements, and acceptance criteria.
- Facilitate discussions between business, product, data, and technology stakeholders.
- Support requirements clarification throughout the development, testing, and implementation lifecycle.
- Participate in Agile ceremonies including backlog refinement, sprint planning, reviews, and stakeholder discussions.
- Support UAT by validating business requirements, data scenarios, and expected outcomes.
- Ensure requirements and documentation remain accurate and traceable throughout the delivery lifecycle.
- Present complex data and business concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Required Skills & Experience :
- 12 - 15 years of overall experience in Business Analysis / Business Systems Analysis, with significant experience in data-driven initiatives.
- Strong experience working as a Business Analyst / Business Systems Analyst in enterprise environments.
- Strong understanding of data and cloud concepts and experience supporting data platform initiatives.
- Hands-on experience defining requirements for Azure-based data platforms.
- Good understanding of Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS), Databricks, SQL, data pipelines, data ingestion, and data warehouse/lake/lakehouse concepts.
- Strong SQL knowledge for data analysis, validation, and requirement clarification.
- Excellent experience in requirements gathering, stakeholder management, process analysis, and documentation.
- Strong understanding of Agile / Scrum delivery methodologies.
Preferred Skills :
- Experience working on enterprise data modernization or cloud migration initiatives.
- Exposure to Azure Databricks, data lakehouse architecture, and modern data platforms.
- Familiarity with data governance and metadata management tools/processes.
- Experience working with BI/reporting platforms and data visualization requirements.
Education :
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, Engineering, Data/Analytics, or a related discipline.
Skills
Business Analyst, Business System Analyst, Data Management, SQL, Agile, DataLake, Azure