User Support and Business Analyst

Job no: 534916

Work type: Administrative & Professional

Senior management: Vice President for Research

Department: Research/Interdisc. Prog.

- Admin

Location: Blacksburg, Virginia

Categories: Information Systems / Technology

The Electronic Research Administration (ERA) team within the Office for Research and Innovation (ORI) provides cutting-edge and intuitive tools that facilitate the effective and efficient management of research administration and regulatory compliance tasks by Virginia Tech’s research community, including faculty, department staff, and research administrators. The team works closely with all units across the Office of Research and Innovation—including within the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance—to develop software requirements, redesign and improve processes, and develop, purchase, implement, and integrate electronic research administration solutions in alignment with the university’s strategic goals and initiatives.

The User Support and Business Analyst position will be responsible for gathering requirements to develop, implement, and deliver off-the-shelf and home-grown software solutions. They will be responsible for user support for forms, workflows, notifications, central rules, reporting, and role setup across the various research administration systems. The position will develop training materials, deliver user training, design, plan, and conduct user acceptance testing.

Due to collaboration with cross-functional teams at the university, this position is hybrid but expected to be in a commutable distance to the Blacksburg campus for a weekly on-site presence. The schedule will be confirmed upon hire and frequency may increase as business needs dictate.

• Advanced degree or bachelor’s degree with equivalent experience in Business Administration or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in business process analysis and redesign.
• Experience in creating and maintaining requirements and user documentation.
• Experience in end-user acceptance testing.
• Testing knowledge in browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.
• Experience in developing and administering training, preferably for automated business processes.
• Desire to take ownership, be creative with problem-solving, and proactively secure the objectives of the business.
• Excellent communication skills and strong commitment to customer service.
• Proactive approach toward learning and understanding of applications and technologies.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize and manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to work autonomously and collaborate within a team environment.

• Work experience in research administration at a university or an agency funding research.
• Demonstrated experience in using research/university systems.
• Experience in providing first-tier support to end users.
• Demonstrated experience in writing functional, UAT, and regression test plans, and identifying and executing test cases from user stories and software requirements.
• Experience working with Jira or similar scrum, bug, and release tracking tools.

Starting at 70,000; commensurate with experience

40+

1/2/2026

Due to collaboration with cross-functional teams at the university, this position is hybrid but expected to be in a commutable distance to the Blacksburg campus for a weekly on-site presence. The hybrid schedule will be confirmed upon hire and frequency may increase as business needs dictate. The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers…