Senior Business Analyst, Discovery

• Full-time continuing HEO7 opportunity to join the AI Hub as Senior Business Analyst, Discovery
• Lead curious discovery work that turns business problems into clear AI and automation opportunities
• Base Salary $117,113 plus 17% superannuation

About the opportunity

Help the University turn business problems into practical AI and automation opportunities

Are you an experienced business analyst who enjoys asking good questions, getting to the heart of a problem and shaping clear pathways from idea to delivery? The University of Sydney is seeking a Senior Business Analyst, Discovery to support the AI Hub as it identifies, assesses and prepares high-value opportunities for AI, automation and service improvement.

Working under broad direction from the Discovery Lead, you will build productive working relationships with stakeholders across faculties, schools, portfolios and operational teams, then plan and facilitate discovery activities that help them articulate needs, constraints and desired outcomes. You will use curiosity, structured questioning, process mapping and sound judgement to understand end-to-end business processes, pain points, volumes, risks, dependencies and benefits, then translate your findings into clear requirements, discovery outputs, decision-support material and handover artefacts for delivery teams.

• business process discovery, process mapping and requirements analysis
• AI and automation feasibility and opportunity assessment
• stakeholder workshops, structured interviews and service improvement
• discovery documentation, pipeline reporting and handover support

The AI Hub works as an internal consulting team, partnering with areas across the University to understand business needs, identify the real problem and support practical AI and automation-enabled improvement. The team also uses AI in its own work to increase the pace and quality of discovery, analysis, documentation and delivery.

You will bring structure and clarity to complex or early-stage ideas, helping stakeholders define the problem, map how work is done today, surface requirements and identify where AI or automation may deliver measurable value. You will work closely with technical consultants and delivery specialists to test feasibility, clarify options and identify constraints. You will use AI thoughtfully to synthesise information, test assumptions and draft artefacts, while applying your own judgement to validate requirements, risks and business context.

The role suits someone curious about how work actually gets done: able to build trust quickly, facilitate constructive conversations, ask the next useful question, map a process end to end and turn stakeholder input into clear requirements, insights and recommendations.

If you enjoy business analysis, process improvement and working with people to solve meaningful organisational problems, we would like to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• build productive working relationships with business stakeholders and subject matter experts, and plan, prepare and facilitate discovery deep dives, workshops and structured interviews
• ask structured questions to understand and analyse end-to-end business processes, requirements, pain points, volumes, risks, benefits and dependencies to assess suitability for AI, intelligent automation or automation-enabled workflows
• prepare clear discovery outputs, including requirements, process maps, opportunity summaries, solution briefs, benefits estimates, decision-support material and handover artefacts
• work with technical consultants and delivery specialists to test feasibility, clarify solution options, identify constraints and support prioritisation and handover into delivery

Benefits

• work on practical AI and automation initiatives that improve services across the University
• join a collaborative internal consulting team focused on innovation, service improvement and responsible delivery

• access professional development, mentoring and career growth opportunities
• contribute to meaningful improvements for staff, students, researchers and operational teams

About you

• tertiary qualifications in business analysis, business process improvement, project management, technology delivery, business administration or a related field, with at least four years' subsequent relevant experience; or extensive relevant experience and specialist expertise; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience

Minimum Qualifications

• demonstrated experience in requirements elicitation, process mapping, business process analysis and preparation of high-quality documentation
• experience building productive relationships with broad and diverse stakeholder groups, including through workshops, interviews and collaborative ways of working
• strong analytical judgement, problem-solving ability, attention to detail and capacity to manage assigned work under broad direction, escalating complex, sensitive or high-risk matters as appropriate
• clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information for technical, operational and governance audiences

Preferred Qualifications

• experience working in a tertiary education institution or similarly complex organisation
• experience in continuous improvement initiatives, including review of systems, policies, processes or service delivery models
• familiarity with AI-assisted work, automation, intelligent automation, digital transformation, reporting tools or workflow platforms

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this employment to be eligible to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.

Pre-employment checks and declarations 

  Your employment is conditional upon the successful completion of all pre-employment or background checks required for the role in terms satisfactory to the University.  Also, to meet the University’s obligations under the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Eliminate Gender-Based Violence you will be asked to declare if you have been investigated for, or found to engaged in, sexual harm or gender-based violence in the course of previous employment or in a legal process. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement 

At the University of Sydney, our shared values are trust, accountability and excellence and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community that thrives through diversity and reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this through our commitment to diversity and inclusion, evidenced by our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds. 

We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Platinum Employer. Find out more about our work on diversity and inclusion. 

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.  

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard.  Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Victoria Ford-Rogers Recruitment Operations by email to [email protected]

© The University of Sydney

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Click to view the Position Description for this role.

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