Product/Business Analyst - Entertainment

Purpose:
Tribune Interactive is actively seeking a Product Analyst to join the Metromix and Product Development teams and contribute to the consumer experience and future success of our entertainment websites. The primary responsibility of the Product Analyst is to be the key link between the business product development team and technology product development team. The Analyst works with the business product development team and Metromix management to understand the core product issues, problems, and market opportunities our customers face and to translate those solutions into meaningful requirements for the Technology Development and Quality Assurance teams. We are looking for candidates well-versed in the current state of the Web and the underlying technology that drives its innovation.

Requirements/Qualifications:

~ Recognize common needs and requirements presented by different customers, and arbitrate and lead those customers to agreements in case of conflicting needs.
~ Gather and translate user needs into business requirements that are feed into the wireframe and design process.
~ Take output of wireframe and design process and translate into detailed development specifications.
~ Perform product process modeling through interviews, documentation review, observation and flow diagramming.
~ Participate in application and process design sessions to ensure that those teams fully understand the product problem to be solved.
~ Work with the Quality Assurance team during the testing phase to ensure that delivered system actually meets the product requirements.
~ Recognize product needs; recommend, anticipate change, and understand organizational implications of change.
~ For smaller projects where a project manager is not available will need to exhibit strong project management skills, prepare project plans, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, action items, document product decisions, schedule necessary project team meetings on all development projects and report the status of projects, accomplishments, and issues on a weekly basis.
~ Communicate professionally and effectively to our users, management, and other departments.
Perform the analysis and requirement gathering efforts for multiple concurrent projects.
~ Investigate creative alternatives to satisfy product requirements.
~ Be adept in identifying custom requirements and creating the appropriate conceptual framework.
~ Serve as subject matter expert for the Development team and Quality Assurance teams during the development lifecycle.
REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications:

~ A minimum of 3 years of business/product analyst experience on large-scale web site development projects for an established, heavily trafficked, consumer facing web site.
~ Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
Professional experience collaborating in a team environment on large-scale web site development projects.
~ Proven successful track record of working with internal and external customers to understand their needs and translate those needs into specific, actionable, functional and non-functional requirements.
~ Ability to visualize internet based design solutions, lead or participate in a collaborative team process to create solutions that meet business and consumer needs, build consensus, obtain buy-in and facilitate change.
~ Exceptional analytical, verbal, and written communication skills, including conflict resolution skills.
~ Comfortable communicating with and taking input from a variety of people, including senior management.
~ Broad understanding of the web, dynamic data-driven web sites and associated technologies (Understanding of relational data models, databases, and related concepts).
~ Ability to handle multiple projects in a fast-paced environment with a high level of service orientation.
~ Detail oriented with excellent organization, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
~ High level of computer literacy with spreadsheets, word processing and database software and/or product systems (Word, Access, Excel, Project, and other graphic software).
Must be able to work independently and as a member of a larger team.