IO Datasphere, Inc. has been providing project management, software development and IT staff augmentation services to our clients in the Midwest and throughout the U.S. since 1996. We are an approved vendor on contract to provide software development and IT staff augmentation services for the States of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. We also provide these services to businesses, as well as local and county governments, in the Midwest and nationwide.

Our client is looking for a Sr. Business Analyst with strong Quality Assurance and Azure DevOps experience to lead business analysis efforts across complex technology initiatives. This role is responsible for driving requirements discovery, improving business processes, supporting testing strategies, and ensuring high-quality software delivery within Agile environments.

The Senior Business Analyst will work closely with business stakeholders, product owners, developers, and QA teams to translate business needs into scalable technology solutions while ensuring traceability, quality, and successful project outcomes.

Tasks

Business Analysis Leadership

• Lead requirements gathering sessions, stakeholder interviews, and workshops to identify business needs and project objectives.
• Translate complex business requirements into functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Create and maintain Business Requirement Documents (BRD), Functional Requirement Documents (FRD), process flows, and data mapping documents.
• Conduct impact analysis and gap analysis for system enhancements and new initiatives.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior business analysts.
• Serve as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, development teams, and QA teams.

Azure DevOps & Agile Delivery

• Manage and maintain product backlogs, user stories, tasks, and defects in Azure DevOps.
• Collaborate with Product Owners and Scrum Masters to prioritize backlog items and plan sprint deliverables.
• Ensure end-to-end requirements traceability using Azure DevOps work items and dashboards.
• Track sprint progress, testing status, and defect metrics using Azure DevOps reporting tools.
• Actively participate in Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.

Quality Assurance & Testing Oversight

• Define and review test strategies, test plans, and test cases aligned with business requirements.
• Support and oversee functional, integration, regression, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
• Manage defect lifecycle in Azure DevOps, ensuring timely resolution and validation.
• Collaborate with QA teams to ensure test coverage, data validation, and quality standards are met.
• Ensure delivered solutions meet business expectations and compliance requirements.

Process Improvement & Strategic Contribution

• Identify opportunities to improve business processes, workflows, and system efficiencies.
• Recommend technology solutions and automation opportunities.
• Contribute to enterprise-level business analysis standards and best practices.
• Support change management, training, and adoption strategies for new systems.

Documentation & Stakeholder Communication

• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation including workflows, business rules, and system requirements.
• Present analysis findings, system recommendations, and project updates to leadership and stakeholders.
• Ensure clear communication between technical teams and business stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Excellent analytical, leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Key Skills: Advanced Business Analysis, Stakeholder & Executive Communication, Azure DevOps (Boards, Backlogs, Work Items, Dashboards), Agile / Scrum Methodology, QA Strategy & Test Planning, Defect Lifecycle Management, Process Modeling & Improvement, Requirements Traceability, Data & System Analysis

NOTE: Local candidates ONLY. Candidates must be located within 1-1.5 hours of Lansing MI. NO RELOCATION ALLOWED. Resource will be working a hybrid schedule. NO REMOTE ONLY OPTION. Will need to be onsite from day 1, two days a week. Interviews will be held in-person. Candidates MUST be available for an in-person interview. A link to candidate s LinkedIn required for the submittal.

Location: Lansing, MI (Hybrid)

Contract: 1 year

Skills Required:

• 7+ years - Experience as an IT Business Analyst on enterprise software projects
• 2+ years - Experience with Azure DevOps for backlog management, user stories, sprint tracking, and defect management
• Experience with software testing, QA processes, and UAT coordination. Strong Quality Assurance experience
• 2+ years - Deep knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban)
• Stakeholder & Executive Communication experience
• Experience writing user stories, acceptance criteria, and detailed functional specifications.
• Bachelor s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or related field (Please include on your resume)
• LinkedIn Account (Please include on your resume)

Skills Desired A plus to have:

• Experience working in enterprise-scale or multi-team Agile environments.
• Familiarity with SQL, APIs, data integration, and system architecture concepts.
• Experience supporting CI/CD pipelines and release management processes.

*** Rate depends on experience

*** Candidates authorized to work in the US are encouraged to apply. We can accept H1b, , TN, and other valid work visas for IT. However, we cannot accept OPT or CPT visas at this time.

*** Companies submitting candidates should only submit direct W2 employees for this position.

Please submit your resume by using the "URL" below