Analyst Principal - Functional (Contractor)

Westlake - Houston, TX

Full-time - Principal

Houston, TX

Chemical Manufacturing

About the position

The Analyst Principal - Functional position is a critical role responsible for overseeing the project delivery throughout the entire project life cycle, which includes design, build, and testing phases of Information Systems (IS) projects and application support. This position is accountable for ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget, and aligned with the strategic business goals and objectives of the organization. The individual in this role will monitor project details and status, prepare standard and ad hoc reports, identify and resolve project issues, and establish quality measures and standards to ensure that milestones are met and projects are successfully transitioned to maintenance and support teams. In addition to project management responsibilities, the Analyst Principal will also handle application responsibilities, which encompass design, development, implementation, maintenance, and support of applications. This includes monitoring application performance, preparing reports, resolving application issues, and ensuring that applications operate at peak performance. The role requires effective communication with business sponsors and owners to maintain user satisfaction and to ensure that the delivery of IS projects and applications meets the agreed business needs. The Analyst Principal will develop detailed project plans, manage project life cycles, and facilitate the introduction of new capabilities to the organization. They will conduct regular follow-ups with assigned resources, manage productivity, and communicate potential conflicts or problems to management. The position also involves gathering requirements through coordination with business partners and IT groups, overseeing the development of requirements documentation, and supporting the maintenance of applications. The Analyst Principal is expected to comply with all company policies and procedures while actively participating in continuous improvement initiatives and operational excellence efforts.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain communications with business sponsors and business owners to ensure user satisfaction is maintained.
• Plan, control, and manage the delivery of IS projects and applications to meet agreed business needs.
• Develop project plans, including detailed plans, milestones, and work breakdown structures, and assign tasks to resources.
• Manage project life cycles, including project scope, resources, schedule, initiation, start-up/design, building, and deployment.
• Forward project documents to stakeholders to obtain sign-off and agreement on project costs and needed resources.
• Follow up with assigned resources to manage productivity, project timelines, and deliverables.
• Conduct 'lessons learned' meetings with customers to validate commitments and identify gaps.
• Balance multiple projects and deployment schedules to meet stakeholder goals and expectations.
• Communicate potential conflicts and problems to management to manage expectations and solicit assistance.
• Manage requirements gathering through coordination and facilitation of work sessions with business partners and IT groups.
• Oversee the development of requirements documentation to ensure proper definition of requirements.
• Support and maintain applications, evaluating and interpreting Functional Specifications for complex custom development.
• Provide technical and functional consulting as needed.
• Comply with all Company policies and procedures.
• Support Company goals of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent level of relevant IT experience.
• Ten or more years of IS experience.
• Five years of IS project management experience.
• PMP Certification is preferred.
• Excellent understanding of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) preferred.
• Expert troubleshooting and performance tuning skills.
• Strong systems analysis and design skills.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to balance multiple job assignments.
• Ability to produce high quality work in a short period of time with little supervision.
• Demonstrates initiative and takes prompt action to identify issues and accomplish objectives.
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to frame issues clearly for less technical colleagues and customers.
• Ability to attend training courses and learn new technologies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong command of MS Office tool set (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) and MS Project.