Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 9,600 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 24 additional offices in the US and 29 offices in Europe and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network.

Many locations considered/ Eastern or Central time zone

Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship now or in the future

Business Systems Analyst - Senior Manager elicits and drives requirements at multiple levels of detail for Merkle clients. The BSA should have a strong attention to detail and is entrusted with accurately documenting requirements and acceptance criteria for a project.  Solutions are primarily centered on creating a CRM database / data warehouse, with daily data updates in a public cloud environment using technologies such as Snowflake, Amazon Redshift, and Google BigQuery. The BSA is a data expert who not only translates requirements for developers but tells the story of why and how the data benefits the client.

Key Responsibilities

• Interface with the client, third-party vendors, and multi-disciplinary teams within Merkle (Data Warehouse Developers, Project Managers, Quality Assurance, Business Intelligence, and Information Technology) to support the solution delivery process in the Cloud Innovation Group.
• Lead solution discovery sessions with the client stakeholders and subject matter experts as a means to illicit solution requirements, both business and functional
• Synthesize complex and sometimes contradictory information into concise, readable, unambiguous written requirements at multiple levels of detail
• Take primary ownership for written requirements specifications (Business and Functional), from initial creation, through change management and solution delivery
• Profile and understand various client data (e.g. Customer records, Transaction records, Web Activity records) as it relates to stated requirements and solution design
• Ability to function as a Project Manager as needed or provide input to Project Management regarding schedule, scope, and cost tradeoffs
• Serve as the functional point of contact for the solution during Design and Development, working through data and design questions/issues as they arise
• Work closely with the QA discipline to define and execute a test plan, which will include internal and User Acceptance Testing
• Lead the delivery of the system into production by designing and supporting the formal client acceptance process, according to Merkle’s defined standards
• Maintain the solution in production, working with end users, and facilitating change requests with the broader team using a defined change management process

Qualified individuals possess the attributes of being smart, curious, committed to vision, passionate, fun/pleasant, an achiever and having a sense of urgency.

• Bachelor’s Degree.  Technology, science, and math backgrounds preferred but not required.
• 10+ years’ experience with writing detailed requirement specifications for data warehouse and/or database delivery
• 7+ years’ experience working with IT methodologies [e.g. Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and/or Waterfall]
• 5-7 Years’ experience working with Cloud Technology teams supporting Google Cloud Platform, AWS or Azure projects.
• Proven experience with data warehouse projects
• Proven experience with cloud migrations
• Business Intelligence expert
• Ability to lead and coordinate people and activities (especially amongst other BSAs) throughout a full solution lifecycle
• Fundamental understanding of relational database design concepts [e.g. table design, table relationships (e.g. one-to-one, one-to-many), primary and foreign key designations, etc.]
• Competency in writing and interpreting basic to intermediate SQL queries
• Experience with Redshift, Snowflake and Google BigQuery
• Industry/Vertical expertise (e.g. Retail, Insurance, Pharmaceutical, Business-to-Business, Financial Services, etc.)
• Experience with test planning and use cases
• Client management, expectation setting, and communication as it relates to the BSA function
• Ability to arrive at creative solutions that are not readily apparent and to turn unclear facts into logical patterns and concepts
• Ability to mentor and/or manage less senior BSA resources within the capability
• Experience with test planning and use cases
• Experience working cross-functionally and expert ability to execute initiatives primarily through influencing other stakeholders.
• Applied understanding of Data Driven Marketing, especially: Database Marketing, Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Digital Marketing.
• Fundamental understanding of digital concepts [e.g.DMP, Tag Management, Ad Servers, etc.]
• Strong understanding of relational database design concepts [e.g. table design, table relationships (e.g. one-to-one, one-to-many), primary and foreign key designations, etc.].
• Knowledge of Customer Data Integration/Identity Resolution – both known and anonymous customers – processes and best practices.
• Experience in client relationship management, expectation setting, presentations, and communications.
• Applied knowledge of how key Database Marketing tools integrate such as Campaign Management Tools and Business Intelligence Tools, and Digital Tools.
• Understanding of data migrations using cloud technologies is a huge plus
• Experience working cross-functionally and with remote team members.
• Travel up to 25%

At Merkle, we believe that a diverse environment improves us as a community and as a business. We want to foster an environment of growth, where all ideas and contributions are encouraged. We need this culture of courage to continue to thrive in our fast-paced industry. We embrace differences of opinion. We value diversity of experience and thought, which help us to challenge and define industry-leading solutions, and support our goal of being a great place to work.

Merkle fosters a diverse environment that encourages original thinking about our business and empowers us to communicate with a global world of customers. We embrace differences of opinion and diversity of thought as they help us challenge and refine our solutions. Merkle, as a best-in-class marketing agency, welcomes big ideas, and believes they can come from anywhere. 

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.