Project Business Analyst & HCD Researcher

Skyward is a people-centered business focused on human advancement through information technology. They are seeking a Project Business Analyst & HCD Researcher to conduct business analysis, run user research, and support project management to enhance user experiences and ensure project alignment with business goals.

Responsibilities:

• Sit shoulder-to-shoulder with product owners, stakeholders, and SMEs to dig out what they really need (not just what they first ask for)
• Translate messy, complicated business problems into crystal-clear user stories, acceptance criteria, and process flows that engineers actually want to read
• Map out current-state processes and shine a light on the gaps, risks, and “wait, why do we still do it that way?” moments
• Help shape the backlog and roadmap across multiple applications, keeping priorities straight when everything feels urgent
• Make sure requirements line up with business goals, regulatory standards, and enterprise architecture (because surprise audits are nobody’s friend)
• Plan and run user research that actually changes things (interviews, contextual inquiry, journey mapping, usability testing, surveys, the works)
• Recruit, schedule, and coordinate sessions with a diverse user community of 500+ participants across programs
• Turn mountains of qualitative and quantitative data into the kind of insights that get printed out and pinned to walls
• Build personas, service blueprints, and experience maps that help everyone see the user clearly
• Be the loudest voice in the room for users and accessibility — politely, but firmly — from kickoff through launch
• Help project managers and product teams put together project charters, business cases, and communications that actually get read
• Support change management, training, and adoption when new features ship. Because launching something is only half the job
• Track and report on KPIs, research outcomes, and system usage trends so we can prove what’s working (and fix what isn’t)
• Facilitate workshops, design sessions, and stakeholder meetings without anyone falling asleep

Requirements:

• A bachelor's degree in business or a related field
• 2+ years as a Business Analyst, UX/HCD Researcher, or similar role juggling multiple projects or systems at once
• A solid grip on requirements analysis, process modeling, and documentation. You know what 'good' looks like
• Real, hands-on experience running HCD research and usability testing (not just reading about it)
• The rare gift of explaining complicated ideas to both engineers and executives without losing either one
• Comfort in Agile/Scrum land, where user stories, backlogs, and ceremonies are part of the daily rhythm
• Sharp analytical and problem-solving instincts, plus the facilitation chops to keep a room moving
• The ability to keep a lot of plates spinning across a large user community without dropping any (or only dropping the ones nobody noticed)
• Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance due to the nature of our work as a government contractor
• Experience supporting enterprise-scale applications or systems with 500+ users
• A working knowledge of accessibility guidelines, service design, or UX/UI principles
• Comfort in tools like Jira, Confluence, Mural/Miro, Figma, Qualtrics, or similar
• Certifications like CBAP, CCBA, PSM/CSM, or UX/HCD credentials
• A genuine curiosity about the humans behind the tickets — and a habit of asking 'but why?' one more time than feels comfortable