Lead Analyst, IS Business Analysis - PLM Specifications

Lead Analyst, IS Business Analysis - PLM Specifications

The J.M. Smucker Co. Information Services, Transformation & Portfolio (ITP) department enables people, process and/or technology solutions for capabilities that help our business perform, transform, and grow. The Lead Business Analyst, on the ITP Commercial Operations Team, realizes this purpose by serving as a subject matter expert, key partner and relationship manager for the Commercial business function specifically including the business areas of Raw Material Ingredients, Co-Pack, TSO, Supplier Requirements, Plant Quality, and Corporate Quality.

This role demonstrates in-depth knowledge of the business and business analysis, including the ability to translate needs, pain points and requirements related to business processes and systems into proposed projects and actionable specifications that can be understood by solution delivery teams. The Lead Business Analyst role also utilizes project management skills to organize and deliver efforts, often involving multiple teams.

As a leader within the business analysis discipline, this role is looked upon to coach others on skills required to enable change and be an effective liaison between technical and non-technical audiences. This hands‑on position requires limited guidance, strong relationship building and communication skills, a customer‑service mindset, critical thinking, and a commitment to quality deliverables.

Location: Orrville, OH (Close proximity to Cleveland/Akron)

Work Arrangements: Hybrid - onsite a minimum of 9 days a month primarily during core weeks as determined by the Company; maybe more as business need requires

• Serve as the subject matter expert and/or liaison from the Specification Management/PLM Center of Excellence to the business areas of Raw Materials, Co-Pack, TSO, Supplier Requirements, Plant Quality, and Corporate Quality.
• Build positive, trusting relationships with business customers and develop a deep understanding of how they operate and what they need.
• Foster strong, collaborative relationships with internal team members and vendors in helping to address business priorities.
• Understand the process, systems and data landscape in the business areas, including security and compliance needs.

• Participate in system planning, requirements gathering, design, configuration, testing, and training activities of new PLM system implementations or upgrades.
• Create and/or influence deliverables such as project plans, business process flows, change impacts, solution requirements, test plans, cutover plans, training documents, and support plans.
• Support business areas with new project generation/continuous improvement work while constructively challenging ROI, priority, and connection to business and technical roadmaps.
• Consult with subject matter experts to document existing process and business capabilities, research best practices and propose future processes in the spirit of continuous improvement.
• Define requirements based on translation of business needs and gaps collaboratively with stakeholders, leading to solution design.
• Collaborate with delivery teams on solution design, identifying appropriate actions based on guidelines and acting as a champion to ensure delivered solutions meet the intended design.
• May serve as a project manager on medium to large efforts pertaining to directly supported business areas, applying standard project methodologies used at Smucker.

• Serve as point of contact for business partners regarding system access and support and periodically meet to review progress.
• Engage adjacent ITP teams where additional skill sets and knowledge are required.
• Facilitate review of software licenses, risk profile and ITP general controls compliance pertaining to third‑party vendors.

• Mentor and guide others to help advance business analysis within Smucker as a discipline, community of practice and profession.
• Serve as a contributor to the Business Analyst Center of Excellence,…