Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for HR Business Analyst

💰 $75,000 - $115,000

Human ResourcesData & AnalyticsBusiness Analysis

🎯 Role Definition

As an HR Business Analyst, you are the critical link between our Human Resources vision and our technological execution. You will act as a strategic partner to HR leadership, translating complex business needs into tangible system requirements and process improvements. Your primary objective is to analyze HR operations, from talent acquisition to offboarding, and identify opportunities for increased efficiency, data accuracy, and enhanced user experience. By combining your deep understanding of HR functions with your analytical prowess, you will empower our organization to make smarter, more strategic decisions about its most valuable asset: our people.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • HR Coordinator / HR Generalist
  • Data Analyst / Junior Business Analyst
  • HRIS Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior HR Business Analyst
  • HRIS Manager / People Technology Manager
  • People Analytics Manager
  • HR Project Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • IT Business Analyst
  • Compensation or Benefits Analyst
  • Project Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Partner with HR leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to understand complex business challenges, gathering, analyzing, and defining detailed business and functional requirements.
  • Translate abstract business needs into clear, actionable technical specifications for HRIS, payroll, and other people-related systems (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors).
  • Conduct in-depth data analysis on key HR metrics such as employee turnover, recruitment effectiveness, engagement scores, and compensation equity to identify trends and provide actionable insights.
  • Design, build, and maintain interactive dashboards and reports using data visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI to support strategic decision-making across the business.
  • Act as the primary liaison and translator between the Human Resources department and IT/Engineering teams, ensuring clear communication and alignment on project goals and system capabilities.
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive process documentation, including current and future state process flow diagrams (using BPMN or similar standards), use cases, and business rule definitions.
  • Lead and coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for new HR system implementations, upgrades, and enhancements, including developing test plans, writing test scripts, and managing feedback.
  • Proactively identify opportunities for process improvement and automation within all HR functions, recommending system-based solutions to increase efficiency, reduce manual effort, and improve data integrity.
  • Perform comprehensive gap analysis on current HR processes and systems to identify deficiencies, risks, and areas for strategic improvement.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) on our core HR systems, their configurations, integrations, and underlying data structures.
  • Ensure data integrity and governance across all HR platforms by developing and enforcing data standards, conducting regular data audits, and leading data cleansing initiatives.
  • Create and deliver compelling training materials, job aids, and documentation for end-users to promote the adoption and effective use of HR systems and reporting tools.
  • Support the ongoing configuration and maintenance of the HR Information System (HRIS) to meet evolving business needs, including updates to business processes, security roles, and custom fields.
  • Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve complex system and data issues, acting as an escalation point and working with technical support vendors to find timely solutions.
  • Develop persuasive business cases, ROI analyses, and presentations to communicate findings and recommendations for new technology investments or process changes to senior leadership.
  • Facilitate requirements gathering workshops, discovery sessions, and brainstorming meetings with diverse groups of stakeholders to elicit needs and build consensus.
  • Stay current with HR technology trends, market innovations, and industry best practices to provide informed, forward-looking recommendations for our HR technology roadmap.
  • Collaborate with the People Analytics team to support the development of predictive models and advanced statistical analyses related to workforce planning, talent retention, and diversity & inclusion.
  • Manage small to medium-sized HR technology projects, defining project scope, tracking timelines, managing milestones, and communicating status updates to stakeholders.
  • Ensure all HR system processes and data handling procedures are compliant with relevant data privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and other local laws.
  • Develop and manage a repository of standard and ad-hoc reports for various HR functions, including talent acquisition, compensation, learning & development, and employee relations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support annual HR cycle activities like performance management, compensation planning, and benefits open enrollment with data validation and system expertise.
  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • HRIS Proficiency: Deep experience with one or more major HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM Cloud).
  • Data Visualization: Expertise in creating dashboards and reports with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Qlik.
  • Advanced Excel: Mastery of Excel for data analysis, including pivot tables, complex formulas, VLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, and macros.
  • SQL: Proficiency in writing SQL queries to extract, manipulate, and analyze data from relational databases.
  • Process Mapping: Skill in using tools like Microsoft Visio, Lucidchart, or similar software to create business process models (BPMN).
  • Requirements Documentation: Ability to write clear and concise business requirements documents (BRDs), functional specifications, and user stories.
  • Project Management Tools: Familiarity with project management and agile software such as Jira, Asana, or Trello.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical & Critical Thinking: Exceptional ability to dissect problems, analyze data from multiple sources, and identify root causes.
  • Stakeholder Management: Proven skill in building relationships, managing expectations, and influencing decision-making with stakeholders at all levels.
  • Communication & Translation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the unique ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
  • Consultative Mindset: A proactive, problem-solving approach focused on understanding business goals and providing value-driven solutions.
  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: A commitment to data accuracy, process integrity, and high-quality deliverables.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s Degree in a relevant field or a professional certification.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Human Resources
  • Business Administration
  • Information Systems
  • Data Analytics or Statistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3-5 years of experience in a business analysis, HRIS, systems analysis, or a related data-focused role.

Preferred:

  • Direct experience within an HR department or on HR-focused technology projects is highly preferred.
  • Professional certifications such as Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), PMI-PBA, Professional in Human Resources (PHR), or SHRM-CP are a strong plus.
Explore More Careers