As we continue to grow and add top talent to the Baird family of technical associates, we are currently seeking an IT Portfolio Business Analyst for our Milwaukee Office. The IT Portfolio Business Analyst is responsible for supporting the IT PWM (Private Wealth Management) Leadership Team and working closely with the Lead Portfolio Business Analysts to support the business and IT needs within the PWM IT portfolio to ensure critical business outcomes.

The IT Portfolio Business Analyst will use relationship building and influence to work with key business leaders, stakeholders, and team members to help identify business objectives and deliver technical solutions for Baird. In doing so, our Portfolio Business Analysts leverage diverse project methodologies (lean, agile, waterfall, iterative) and embody a strong culture of continuous improvement and learning. Portfolio Business Analysts support the Portfolio IT Leadership Team and are relied upon to build trusting, strategic partnerships with key stakeholders as well as effectively navigate organizational complexity to deliver results.

As an IT Portfolio Business Analyst, you will:

Portfolio Delivery

As a member of the portfolio IT team,

• Support the ideation and definition of new project initiatives including problem statements, benefits, success criteria, business case, and solution options
• Help ensure appropriate level of consistency of approach across teams
• Provide transparency in order to manage team members expectations
• Contribute to a positive culture where our team members are engaged and motivated
• Support cross team / portfolio project planning activities (Increment Planning; Dependency Tracking, etc.)

• Capture portfolio level metrics for Portfolio Project Communications to business leaders
• Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement within Portfolio Delivery approaches and processes
• With support from the Lead Portfolio Business Analyst, manage stakeholder expectations regardless of initiative complexity or size
• With support from the Lead Portfolio Business Analyst, identify and manages project risks, issues, dependencies, and milestones in accordance with project need
• Understands the strategic business needs and works with the team, IT- and business- leadership to deliver business-impactful results
• Provide business / field / client perspective in technical discussions
• Document / illustrate / Diagram complex technical ideas for consumption by non-technical team members

Merger & Acquisitions

During Firm-wide Merger and Acquisition endeavors

• Support the Lead Portfolio Business Analyst and IT Leadership Team on all Merger & Acquisition projects
• Create and maintain necessary communication materials (status reports; execution playbooks; etc.)
• Work with IT Ops & Client Services Teams to manage scope of work & timing of activities
• Work with IT Delivery Teams to manage scope of work and timing of activities
• Support the creation of materials necessary for Exec / SCO level meetings / report outs
• Support the Operational Data Conversion needs and & help execute solution plans

Relationship Management

• Can build and maintain strong relationships across Baird with Senior Business and IT leaders
• With support from the Lead Portfolio Business Analyst, evaluates the situation to effectively communicate to the right audience and at the right time
• Tailors message and communication style and can pivot as needed.
• Confidently participates in interactions with associates at all levels of the organization, including COOs and senior business leaders
• Supports the efforts around team and portfolio strategy
• Has highly advanced awareness of organizational dynamics and independently navigates to drive decisions and achieve outcomes
• Can utilize an established network throughout IT and leverage it to navigate complexity

Analysis and Solution Development

• Elicits functional & nonfunctional requirements through the use of interviews, workflow analysis, requirements workshops, and surveys to provide business process descriptions, business requirements, use cases, and user stories, with minimal support
• Applies a number of BA approaches and techniques with limited guidance from others
• Develops analysis approach for medium and/or moderately complex efforts while keeping senior leaders informed
• Takes a systems thinking approach to quickly develop an understanding of value streams and end-to-end processes, while looking for opportunities for improvement
• Able to work in ambiguous situations and derive actionable outcomes with support and guidance
• Collaborates with delivery teams (business analysts, developers, architects, product owners) to establish the technical vision and analyze tradeoffs for complex / cross team initiatives
• Contributes and supports the execution of Portfolio Level initiatives
• Develops an end-to-end knowledge of technology ecosystem and its impacts on the business

What makes this opportunity great:

• Information technology is a core part of Baird’s business strategy and plays a critical role in the growth and transformation of the firm
• Ability to work with a variety of teams and leaders, proving your ability to be flexible and high adaptable
• Fast paced environment that will enable you to grow as a professional
• Team of associates passionate about achieving great results for clients and give back to the communities where we live and work

What we look for:

• At least 5 years IT related experience including a minimum of 2 years Business Analysis experience is preferred
• B.S. in Computer Science, MIS, Business Administration, or Finance is preferred and we will consider combination of education and experience.
• Two years serving as a Business Analyst in the financial industry is preferred
• Experience in an agile/lean delivery environment is preferred
• Experience with a variety of tools for prototyping, modeling, data analysis, reporting, backlog and value stream management is preferred (Visio, Miro, PowerBI, Balsamiq, and Azure DevOps).
• Exposure to data visualization techniques (SQL, Power BI) is strongly preferred
• Good communication and collaboration skills, ability to influence without authority including with senior business leaders
• Detail-oriented and possesses exceptional organizational, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills

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Commitment to Inclusion & Diversity

Baird is committed to inclusion & diversity for our clients, our associates and the communities where we live and work. This commitment stems from our culture of integrity, genuine concern for others and respect for the individual. We view inclusion & diversity as an ongoing journey – one of shared responsibility, continuous improvement and a focus on progress. We invite you to join us as we work together to foster an environment where diversity unites rather than divides us. Learn more here.