Business Systems Analyst Intermediate

Department Summary: Michigan Housing is an actively engaged unit within Student Life Auxiliary Services in the Division of Student Life. Michigan Housing serves approximately 11,500 students: 9,100 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate and professional students and their families. Historically, 96-98% of all new first-year students choose to live on campus. The M Housing portfolio consists of 19 residential facilities, including traditional residence halls, apartments, and other living options on north and central campuses in Ann Arbor. In Fall 2026, 5 new residence halls housing 2,300 undergraduate students and a new 822-seat dining facility will open.

About the role

The Business Systems Analyst (BSA) is an administrator of the housing management system, StarRez, a platform delivering critical business functions from assignments and occupancy management to billing and integration with university data systems. This role partners with Student Life Technology Solutions to apply technology to solve business problems, requiring planning for new processes while analyzing and improving existing ones. The BSA will document workflows and business processes, create process maps, and identify gaps in process, operations, and technology. Through data analysis and modeling, the role will assist in implementing the strategic direction of campus housing. This position has a dotted functional reporting line to Student Life Technology Solutions.

Responsibilities

• 50% Application specialist of housing systems
  • Manage the ongoing optimization and administration of the enterprise housing management system (StarRez), including assignments, occupancy management, billing, and integrations with campus data systems.
  • Provide housing project management and process analysis oversight for current and future initiatives in partnership with Student Life Technology Solutions.
  • Act as the point of contact and relationship-owner with the housing management system vendor; participate in peer communities of other institutional users.
  • Design and implement custom processes and procedures through analysis of current systems.
  • Manage and prioritize change requests.
  • Serve as a housing liaison with university departments to ensure high-quality, responsive, and effective service to students and staff.
  • Manage access and permissions to the housing management system.
  • Develop training manuals and coordinate training for new and current staff; maintain reference documentation for all processes and business continuity.
  • Provide direction, guidance, and in-house support for end-user concerns.
  • Ensure system features meet stakeholder needs; test and evaluate upgraded software versions; maintain system integrity and reliability.
  • Create custom forms and reports.
  • Manage user configuration and groups.
  • Document requests for application enhancements or integrations with other systems.
  • Triage service issues and initiate communications with vendor support.
  • Act as a liaison to SLTS for support escalations or project requests.
• 40% Business analysis and reporting
  • Analyze workflows, data collection processes, regulatory requirements, and reporting requirements to translate business needs into data/technical specifications.
  • Work on cross-functional projects spanning multiple domains.
  • Analyze current state, conceive desired future state, and identify projects needed to achieve future goals.
  • Review housing business processes to identify improvements and bridge gaps between business operations, IT, and student-facing housing operations.
  • Document processes and coordinate business operations with partners (e.g., Student Life Business and Finance).
  • Analyze periodic operational data and financial reports to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Identify and create innovative solutions to complex housing problems in partnership with Student Life Technology Solutions.
  • Design testing scenarios to validate applications, functions, and processes.
  • Provide recommendations to the Student Life Technology Solutions team during solution development.
  • Collect requirements for dashboards for different levels of users.
• 10% Administrative duties
  • Provide analysis and requirements for data exchanges between systems (e.g., data warehouse into Housing).

Requirements

• Four years of professional experience performing business/workflow analysis, developing detailed business and functional requirements, creating scope documents, or standardizing operating procedures.
• One year of experience writing and/or conducting user acceptance testing.
• Understanding of project management functions, including creating and maintaining deliverables such as project scope, plan, status reports, cost estimates, communication plans, and milestone schedules.
• Experience analyzing unfamiliar business processes or performing root cause analysis to identify problems and opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, handle and prioritize simultaneous requests, and manage laterally and upwards.
• Knowledge of University of Michigan information systems (e.g., StarRez, Wolverine Access, Advocate, CS Gold).

Position Criteria

• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Effective interpersonal, communication, collaboration, and decision-making skills working with colleagues at all levels.
• Strong time management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
• Demonstrated personal and professional commitment to diversity and a solid understanding of and appreciation for cultural, ethnic, and individual differences.

Working Conditions

• This position requires on-site work at multiple sites on the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor campus.
• Some nights and weekends may be required.
• Extensive computer and phone use is required.
• Incumbent may be required to be stationary for long periods of time.

Authorization to work in the U.S. is required; the university will not sponsor work visas for this position. Selected candidates starting between 4/1/2026 - 9/1/2026 will not be eligible for the university FY26-27 salary/merit plan unless otherwise notified. Relocation will not be offered for this role.