Forex Senior Systems Analyst

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Department: Forex Product House - Forex IT

Position: Senior Systems Analyst

Purpose of the role

The senior systems analyst is responsible to convert large scale business initiatives into world class IT Solutions. The senior systems analysis and design efforts will extend to both existing and/or new systems and database, but will especially focus on more complex projects or programmes or those that may cut across more than one team or business unit.
Smaller scale initiatives may however still be handled by the senior systems analyst where the need arises.

The senior systems analyst will need to have solid experience and be a domain expert in the Systems Analysis competency and ideally in the industry of the projects they will work with.
They may also be required to mentor and guide more junior analysts.

The senior systems analyst will therefore play a pivotal role in leading the systems analysis efforts at a programme/project level (i.e. not from a people management point of view but rather from a project/programme level).

The systems analyst is responsible to research problems, plan solutions, recommend solutions and coordinate development to meet the needs of business/other external stakeholders.

The Senior System Analyst will interact with system architects, product owners, business analysts, solution strategists and the QA Teams. The Systems Analyst will also be required to interact with other project team members like vendors (for COTS systems), project managers, project sponsors, product managers and project stakeholders.

The role will require several speciality domains as enumerated below. Each individual
project may require one or more of the undermentioned functions to be performed,
and the analyst may specialise in all or several of these functions.

Senior Systems Analyst Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the analysis and design of new functionalities or upgrades that are more complex, and that require senior expertise (e.g. complex projects, projects that cut across multiple teams, major enhancements to existing systems and general maintenance of existing systems).
• Leading and facilitating functional and system design sessions to produce functional and system specifications. Ensure that functional / systems requirements represents a common view among end-users.
• Assist with the identification of risks and issues within the project(s) and mitigation strategies.
• In conjunction with the Systems Architect or Developer, analyse and design:
  • integration files or messages (e.g. web service definitions, XML schemas, business functions, flat file or delimited files, API’s etc.)
  • help design and update system configurations (outside of the production environment)
  • write SQL queries, interrogate database tables for analysis purposes and assist in designing database structures
  • analyse and participate in systems functional design sessions for ‘run the bank’ enhancements and upgrades or migrations which require functional expertise / analysis
  • participate in systems functional design sessions for ‘change the bank’, ‘grow the bank’ and ‘secure the bank’ initiatives as well as brand new products or capabilities
• Examine and analyse current system process flows and document changes that may be required on affected systems.
• Guide suggestions for appropriate solutions taking into account cost, risk, delivery and feasibility.
• Modelling system designs to meet business objectives. These will include behavioural and structural UML diagrams (like use case diagrams, activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, timing and state machine diagrams, component diagrams, as well as ERD diagrams and interface diagrams, as needed).
  Ensure that requirements models and analyses is done per internationally accepted best practices (Use Case modelling and UML 2.5).
• Modelling and designing screens for usability, documenting screen flows and designs or alternatively work with UX specialists to arrive at optimal screen designs.
• Where business requirements or user stories have already been provided, interpret and provide system solutions to meet the requirement, along with the functional and system documentation.
• Where business requirements or user stories are not available, or where a team does not have dedicated business analysts, must be able to work and co-create solutions with the business stakeholders or subject matter experts and to run with the analysis efforts for a project end to end.
• Assist with problem analysis and resolution.
• Interfacing across all teams involved in the project as needed,
  e. all applicable stakeholders external, internal and product heads (e.g. Subject Matter Experts, QA, Architecture, Process Engineering, external project teams, change management teams).
• Assist QA team by reviewing test cases and scenario’s, and assist the QA teams in identifying final system tests to validate that requirements and solution designs have been met.

May be required to perform sanity / acceptance tests to ensure the requirement, as documented, has been met.

• Attend and actively contribute towards the SA Forum/ Analysis Community of Practice.
• Will ideally have exposure to working within a disciplined agile or other agile environment where project deliverables are put into production at least monthly or more often.
• As a senior analyst, will be required to lead the analysis efforts of a project end to end, (not leading people, but rather a project / programme), mentor and guide other analysts in the team, and assist in the upskilling and knowledge share efforts required to ensure a successful project build.

Cross Border Payments and/or Finsurv Industry Experience:

• Must have solid exposure and have worked on projects for traditional and emerging cross border payment rails, like Swift.
• Having an understanding of other payment rails, especially international cross border rails, would be highly advantageous.
• Should ideally have a solid understanding of the ISO20022 payments message standards (i.e. PAIN, PACS and CAMT messages) as well as the equivalent Swift MT100, 200 and 900 series messages).
• Exposure to SAMOS and cross border local market infrastructure RTGS payments will also be beneficial.
• Understands and keeps abreast of the payments modernisation industry changes.
• Understanding and facilitating requirements sessions that include financial payment flows and postings to internal financial accounts.
• Solid understanding of cross border Balance of Payments reporting (Financial Surveillance), exchange controls and similar cross border payments controls.
• Experience with integration technologies or functionalities that interfaced with the SARB / Finsurv.
• Experience in cross border payments / Forex beneficial.

Other

• Drive business profitability in the context of cost management through Information technology solutions.
• Articulate and document functional and systems requirements in a manner which is understood by all stakeholders and which is at the appropriate level of detail.
• Ensure that all requirements are documented within agreed deadlines, signed off by stakeholders timeously and always up to date on the Wiki.
• Ensure all artefacts delivered are peer and stakeholder reviewed regularly.
• Ensure that all work is of high standard.
• Ensure that all deadlines are met for any work committed to.
• Ensure that all work done meets customer (business) expectations.
• Actively participate in daily stand-up meetings.

Qualifications

Degree or Diploma and/or CBAP Certification.

Experience

10 years or more relevant systems analysis experience, as enumerated above.

4 to 5 years Payments and Forex industry domain experience

Strong working knowledge of Use Cases and UML.

Exposure to the system or applications being developed would be an added advantage.

All elements that make up the Forex IT infrastructure.

Development and Production Incident Management.

Scope Change Management.