Functional Analyst III

Job description

Role Purpose: Ensure that efficient, customer-centric e-commerce solutions and digital processes are in place to drive online business growth and seamless shopping experiences. The role facilitates competitive digital operations by eliciting, analyzing, validating, and documenting business and functional requirements for the e-commerce ecosystem. This role plays an instrumental part in delivery teams to ensure that digital features, platform enhancements, and omnichannel solutions are delivered according to business needs. The Lead Functional Analyst works closely with cross-functional digital teams—including product owners, UX/UI designer, and engineers to co-create scalable and innovative online solutions. Specialized knowledge of e-commerce platforms, customer journeys, transactional flows (such as checkout and payments), and digital retail best practices will be a key success factor in providing relevant functional designs and driving platform configuration. Role Description: • Perform functional and technical analysis of highly complex business requirements and solutions. • Translate business requirements into fit-for-purpose functional and technical designs and detailed functional specifications for development. • Define and support testing, training, implementation, and standardized support procedures for delivered solutions. • Lead and coordinate development and configuration initiatives. • Prioritise and plan projects in consultation with own and other Team Leads. • Act as technical lead for the Functional Analyst team, providing guidance, coaching, and coordination to Analysts I and II. • Ensure all allocated work and commitments (own and team) are delivered as planned, including sprint-based delivery where applicable. • Lead and execute complex gap analyses to understand business requirements and change impacts as defined by Business Analysts, Product Owners, and stakeholders. • Support the Functional Analyst team with specialised input on complex or high-risk gap analyses. • Identify problem areas, analyse performance, recommend improvements, and drive process optimisation initiatives. • Perform and/or oversee complex system integration activities. • Support system designers in identifying data conversion, integration, and reporting requirements. • Work collaboratively across functions, sharing best practices and expert knowledge. • Build and maintain trusted relationships with business and IT stakeholders through consistent delivery and expert guidance. • Estimate effort, assign responsibilities, prioritise work, and manage delivery of business-critical projects. • Identify dependencies, risks, and constraints and provide accurate status reporting to management. • Analyse testing requirements and scenarios. • Oversee preparation, execution, and documentation of test scripts in line with IT standards. • Drive continuous improvement in testing quality, tools, processes, and environments. • Provide input into training, testing, and post-implementation support processes. • Develop and manage post-implementation go-live and support environments. • Perform quality assurance and code reviews and mentor teams on QA standards. • Provide direction on troubleshooting system-related issues and transactional data flows. • Proactively identify, track, prioritise, and resolve system and software defects using JIRA. • Lead solution scoping and ensure shared understanding across stakeholders. • Present functional designs and obtain agreement and formal sign-off from all relevant parties. • Provide expert input on complex design alternatives and configuration options. • Lead the customisation of solutions to meet business requirements, converting complex needs into system configuration. • Maintain configuration documentation and resolve design decisions with business and IT stakeholders. • Drive delivery in line with the system development lifecycle, proactively managing risks and dependencies. • Monitor system performance and business support processes post-implementation and implement improvements as required. • Maintain a strong understanding of business strategies, portfolios, initiatives, and emerging technology trends. • Champion agile methodologies and agreed ways of working. • Facilitate agile ceremonies including daily stand-ups, backlog grooming, sprint planning, sprint reviews/demos, and retrospectives. Qualifications and experience: • 3-year IT qualification - (essential) • SAP Commerce or equivalent experience (essential) • Business Analyst / Functional Analyst course or similar - (essential) • MS SQL fundamentals (Introduction to SQL) Certification - (desired) • MS SQL - Querying data with Transact Certification - (desired) • +5 years’ experience in a Senior Functional Analyst or similar role – (essential). • Relevant and demonstrable experience in functional analysis, configuration, and user testing -(essential). • Experience in software testing - (essential). • IT Support and Operations knowledge – (essential). • Working knowledge of different operating systems and Internet technologies - (essential). • Experience in a Retail and or Financial Services industry - (essential). • Capable of vendor management - (essential). • Knowledge of Project Management principles - (essential). • Incident management system knowledge - (desirable). • Experience of working on projects within the Software Development Life Cycle – (desirable) • Experience in cloud solutions – (desirable). • Change management experience – (desirable). • Foundation knowledge of Cloud technologies – (desirable). • Foundational knowledge of core programming technologies - (desirable). Key competencies and work ethic: • Technical leadership capability – Positively serves the team and shows an appreciation for team morale. Mentors team members, supporting their development and enabling them to deliver on their objectives. • Collaborative partner – Builds strong relationships with stakeholders while driving cross functional work teams and projects. Open, honest, and direct, comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback. Thinks and acts independently as well as collaboratively. • Technology expert, bringing top-quality expertise to drive priorities while introducing new tools and practices. Is curious and adaptable, finds agile and rapid ways of implementing solutions fast. • Analytical and detailed - Readily grasps new concepts and information, investigates various courses of action and integrates multiple sources of data to guide decision-making and identify optimal solutions. • Innovative and solution-orientated – Thinks outside of the box. Sound judgment, quick decision making and the ability to generate solutions that serve the flow of work and meeting deadlines. • Results-driven - Proactively drives results, setting stretch goals for self and others, while remaining focused and working tenaciously to meeting and exceeding expectations within quality standards. • Planning and organising – Able to timeously and efficiently prioritise and execute multiple and competing demands in a fast-paced environment. Identifies urgent and important tasks / priorities to ensure delivery. • Business acumen - Understands how business operates and the issues and risks that drive technological success and impact commercial viability. • Communication skills – Communicates effectively while being able to convert complex concepts into well-articulated messages. Adopts a range of influencing styles to facilitate and deal with challenges internally and externally. • Team Collaboration Skills: Creates a safe team environment that promotes acceptance of failure; strong understanding when and how to include different parties; actively encourages people to live company values. • Flexible and resilient – Able to work in a fast-paced environment, balancing multiple and competing priorities while managing ambiguity and adapting as the business evolves. • Digital centric and savvy - Passionate about the possibilities of digital technologies and its value for the business. A self-starter who can come up to speed quickly on our applications, technologies, and processes. Our Group and all its operating companies is committed to creating, embracing, and preserving a diverse workplace that values the unique talents, perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities that enrich our organisation. A place where everyone matters and feels included. We are committed to Employment Equity when recruiting internally and externally. Please take note that by responding to this application and providing your personal information, you confirm your express and informed consent for Shoprite Checkers (Pty) Ltd and all its subsidiaries and affiliates companies to process your personal information for the Company to consider your application for this position. All Personal Information which you provide to the Company will be used and/or retained only for the purposes for which it is collected, whereafter it will be permanently destroyed. Your information is only retained if it is required by law or where you have given consent to us to retain such information for an extended period. If you don’t hear from us within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful. Any personal information collected as part of your application will be destroyed, securely, in accordance with South African legislation.