Lead Business Analyst

Lead Business Analyst Title: Lead Business Analyst Location: Richmond, VA Duration: 2 months (Extendable till next fiscal year) Type: Contract - Onsite This role requires candidates to be local to Richmond, VA and available to work on‑site up to five days per week based on business needs. MUST HAVE - Extensive analytical experience. About the Role The Lead Business Analyst is a strategic, people‑focused role responsible for improving the quality, consistency, and impact of Business Analysis across the organization. This position combines mentorship, facilitation, and strong analytical leadership to strengthen requirements, improve delivery outcomes, and support alignment between business and technology teams. You will serve as a servant leader for a team of 8 to 10 Business Analysts. You will remove obstacles, coach their growth, and promote strong BA practices. This role is ideal for someone who leads through influence, builds trust quickly, and enjoys helping teams reach clarity and shared understanding. Key Responsibilities Standards and Requirements Establish, refine, and promote consistent BA methods, templates, and documentation standards. Ensure high‑quality requirements such as BRDs, RTMs, user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, and data requirements. Validate requirements to confirm business value, technical feasibility, and alignment with organizational goals. Provide clear and constructive feedback to improve BA deliverables and reduce rework. Ensure BA outputs are accurate, complete, and delivered on time to support project milestones. Support testing approaches that include functional, non‑functional, and data‑related needs. Support Teams and Build Alignment Create a collaborative and supportive environment across business units, IT teams, and vendor partners. Act as a trusted liaison who brings clarity and alignment to complex business needs. Facilitate workshops, discovery sessions, and cross‑team discussions that support decision‑making. Support change management through clear and proactive communication. Work with product owners, project managers, and leadership to prioritize requirements, manage risks, and maintain project momentum. Communicate Clearly and Influence Decisions Communicate complex ideas in a clear and simple way for executives, technical teams, and end users. Translate business needs into structured, actionable requirements and documentation. Present recommendations, findings, and updates to senior leadership with confidence. Produce well‑organized documentation that supports planning and solution design. Coach and Develop the BA Team Mentor and develop Business Analysts, building confidence and strong analytical skills. Identify opportunities to improve BA processes, tools, and team capabilities. Lead improvements that increase efficiency, consistency, and quality across the BA function. Ensure alignment with leadership and the team before introducing new methods or standards. Remove roadblocks, provide direction, and address risks that affect BA performance. Model accountability, transparency, and a commitment to high‑quality work. Qualifications Required: Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, or a related field; 7 or more years of Business Analyst experience, including at least 3 years mentoring or leading analysts. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Solid understanding of elicitation techniques, requirements documentation, and process modeling. Experience with Agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban. Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills. Experience with enterprise‑level or multi‑module systems. Proficiency with BA and ALM tools such as Jira or Azure DevOps. Preferred Experience Experience shaping BA practice standards or contributing to a BA Center of Excellence. Background in data governance, data integration, or data quality. Familiarity with testing methods and ALM or automated testing tools. Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to use data for insights. Skills and Competencies Servant leadership and mentoring. Strong communication and presentation skills. Analytical mindset and focus on continuous improvement. Skilled in stakeholder engagement and facilitation. High attention to detail and commitment to quality. Ability to manage multiple priorities and support several projects at once. Proficiency with Microsoft Office and process modeling. #J-18808-Ljbffr Creative Solutions Services, LLC