Product Analyst - NC, IA

Job#: 3028551

Job Description:

Client: Financial Services

Team: TBA

Job Title: Product Analyst - Merchant Services (Business Execution Consultant 4 - Contingent)

Location: Charlotte, NC (CIC - 1525 W W T Harris Blvd OR 550 S Tryon) OR West Des Moines, IA - Hybrid, 3 days onsite

Contract Length: 24-month engagement (intended full duration), potential conversion

Pay Rate: $60 - $65
Top Requirements:

5+ years Business Execution / Product Analysis / Business Analysis / Strategic Planning experience.

3+ years Agile delivery experience (Scrum or SAFe) with strong backlog refinement skills.

Expert user story writing, acceptance criteria definition, and backlog grooming.

Ability to translate ambiguous business needs into testable requirements and structured documentation.

Experience with payments, merchant services, or financial services (highly preferred).

Plusses:

Experience in merchant onboarding, payment processing, clearing/settlement, chargebacks, reconciliation.

Experience managing third-party vendor delivery, onboarding, and operational readiness.

Familiarity with controls, audit readiness, and regulated delivery.

Light data analysis (SQL), data mapping, defect triage support.

Certifications such as CSPO/PSPO, SAFe POPM, ICP-BA.

Job Summary:

This senior-level Product Analyst role supports the expansion of merchant-facing payment products within Merchant Services. Reporting into Product Management, the Product Analyst partners closely with the Product Owner to maintain a high-quality backlog and ensure the team remains at least two sprints ahead with well-defined, testable work.

The role focuses heavily on story refinement, backlog clarity, requirements documentation, defect triage, and cross-team collaboration. The PA transforms abstract business needs into actionable user stories and acceptance criteria, supports UAT planning and execution, and drives alignment among product, technology, and business stakeholders.

This role is execution-focused within a highly collaborative Agile environment-not a Product Owner role, but with a growth path toward PO/PM.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities:
Backlog & Story Excellence (Primary)

• Maintain two-sprint depth with DoR-ready stories.
• Write high-quality user stories with functional + non-functional acceptance criteria.
• Facilitate refinement, uncover dependencies, and clarify scope/value/risk.
• Identify and surface unplanned work; recommend tradeoffs for sprint stability.

Product Analysis & Current-State Understanding

• Document current state: flows, data mapping, platform behavior, business processes.
• Identify defects, gaps, and pragmatic solution paths.
• Shape problem statements and provide structured analysis to PO.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Translate abstract business intent into clear, testable requirements.
• Validate use cases with SMEs; align acceptance criteria.
• Support audit/control evidence requests with clean traceability.

Quality, Testing & Production Readiness

• Document use cases and testing scenarios.
• Partner with UAT leads; support UAT execution.
• Participate in production triage; manage defect intake and analysis.

Sprint Planning & Delivery Rhythm

• Support sprint planning, backlog ordering, sprint reviews.
• Track risks, dependencies, assumptions; keep PO informed.
• Ensure stories represent stakeholder needs and ready-to-build detail.

EEO Employer

Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Employee Services Department at or .

Apex Systems is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details.

Apex Benefits Overview: Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Apex team member can provide.