IT Business Analyst, R&D

The role:

Reporting to the Associate Director, the Business Analyst position supporting Research and Development and ESG is a technical role with the need for strong communication skills to work with the business, and drive accountability for establishing and maintaining the value-driven relationship between IT and Research & Development with the objective of making the business successful. You will help balance expectations, priorities, service levels, and investment. You will recommend state of the market solutions and collaborates with the business to develop the applications roadmap for the supported area. Collaborate with technology architects to create a portfolio of services to meet business requirements. Develop business cases for strategic projects, is responsible for project management of appropriate projects and participating as a team member to ensure successful project execution including system configuration and process development.

At Kao, we offer amazing benefits that are available to you on your first day of employment (healthcare, 401(k) plus company match), 36 total days off (vacation + holidays + sick) and a reasonable salary range of $80,000 - $90,000. We also offer a hybrid work schedule.

What you will do:

• Support the configuration and integration of R&D tools (e.g., SAP, PLM, PALM, CAD systems, etc.) to streamline R&D workflows and ensure data accuracy. This will also involve other non-standard industry systems, specification systems, formulation systems, sustainability reporting and integration in between the systems. Define and document standards, guidelines, and best practices. Troubleshoot and resolve issues. Provide technical guidance in implementation projects including integrations to/from other systems. Facilitate/Coordinate integration testing between third-party support team, R&D and vendor.
• Business Relationship Management - Understand the strategic priorities, business capabilities, operating model, issues, and IT needs of assigned business areas. Maintain and nurture customer relationships to manage demand, identify requirements, and help deliver solutions.
• Service Provider Management & Ensuring Outstanding Business Support - Ensure 3rd party team members provide outstanding daily application support (break fix and periodic "releases") working within defined SLA metrics and manage issues to completion. Willingness to be "on call" and provide support outside normal business hours with occasional domestic and international travel. This will involve key focus on day-to-day management of 3rd party service providers to ensure quality, attainment of SLA's, and successful project execution.
• Project Management and Execution - Accountable for successful execution of major application projects including communication with key executives, budget management, and coordination of 3rd party resources.
• Business Application Roadmaps & R&D Portfolio Management - Lead cross-functional workshops with business teams to understand application benefits and pain points; engage EIS architects, business members, industry experts, and perform research in establishing best in class application options; partner with Kao business, including senior to executive leadership, in charting the course for all technology in a functional area over a three-year period including strategic, tactical, and new technology options. Engage with executive leadership to understand strategic objectives and priorities. Lead meetings with business stakeholders to drive prioritization and successful delivery of the full technology portfolio in enabling an area's strategic objectives. This includes recurring engagement with senior leadership, identifying internal and external teams to drive the projects, developing creative solutions to overcome challenges, and keeping large numbers of senior leaders and stakeholders aligned in delivering the portfolio.

What you will need:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 4+ years of prior CPG experience in business analysis supporting Research & Development teams.
• Understanding of software used in R&D, including PLM, Specification Systems, SAP, PowerBI, data management, and collaboration tools.
• Knowledge about current regional/global ESG initiatives including Sunrise 2027, the EU Green Deal, Digital Product Passport.
• Ability to configure a system to meet business requirements, understand database structures, execute detailed testing, develop functional spec and technical specs, convert data, etc.
• Knowledge of project management principles and practices.

What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with great compensation packages, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward thinking and new ideas.

Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community.

Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit our Americas website (https://www.kao.com/americas/en/).

Kao USA is an equal opportunity employer, including disability/vets.

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