Strategic Analyst

The University of Southern California (USC) is one of the world’s leading private research universities.     An anchor institution in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology, and international business, USC is also one of the largest private employers in the City of Los Angeles.  We are searching for exceptional individuals to help us fulfill our mission: Developing individuals and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. 

Job Summary

The Strategic Analyst will support the strategic initiatives of the department by tracking and reporting progress on all new strategic initiatives and creating an overall roadmap and program plan. This individual will collaborate with program and project leads to understand current and future initiatives and provide tailored approaches to guiding strategic efforts. The Strategic Analyst will understand and manage expectations for outcomes, while adhering to timelines and balancing priorities. This person will adapt analytical strategies based on unique project and program requirements in order to help determine goals for the division’s strategic projects. This role will execute USC’s vision while championing USC’s culture and values.

Minimum Qualifications

The candidate for the position of Strategic Analyst must meet the following qualifications:

• Extensive applicable experience in project management or business administration.

• Three or more years of experience in project management and/or business administration.

• Experience tracking projects in detail aligned to a timeframe.

• Demonstrated experience developing and identifying the requirements for a project or program.

• Ability to gather information and documents in order to analyze information strategically.

• Experience creating data analyses and reports, identify patterns, and translate meaning.

• Ability to support concurrent projects, prioritize competing assignments, and work under pressure with tight deadlines and frequent interruptions.

• Strong written and verbal communications skills and attention to detail.

• Strong organizational skills, analytical skills, and the ability to think strategically and creatively.

• Team-oriented self-starter with the ability to work independently and proactively.

• Ability to provide support and guidance as needed on projects.

• Ability to exercise discretion with confidential information.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate for the position of Strategic Analyst has the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, finance, psychology, communications, or another related field.

• Five or more years of experience in one or more of the following fields: human resources, higher education, or finance.

• Experience working in a strategic department, or on projects related to strategy.

• Experience creating complex data analyses and reports.

• Ability to translate meaning, identify issues, and make process improvement recommendations.

• Knowledge of continuous improvement processes or change management practices.

• Experience working in a program or project management structure or on project-based assignments.

• Ability to provide a proactive approach for solutions when next steps are ambiguous.

• Experience reporting and presenting findings after analyzing information or data.

• Ability to help define new projects and ideas while estimating a reasonable project timeline.

• Experience drafting outlines for strategic initiatives.

• Ability to assist in the development and modification of HR guidelines, procedures, policies, and documentation, for efficiency within the department and university.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building abilities.

• Ability to use sound judgment in making decisions with minimal supervision.

• Experience with project portfolio management (PPM) tools.

Job Responsibilities

The candidate for the position of Strategic Analyst will be responsible for:

• Demonstrating a synthesized understanding of the project, analysis needed and the desired impact and outcome. Adapting analytical strategies based on unique project and program requirements. Identifying sources for information and become familiar with systems and tools that enable analytical work.

• Identifying and coordinating cross-functional areas of strategic projects and initiatives. Analyzing roadmaps for possible challenges and creating mitigation paths. Understanding and managing expectations for outcomes, while adhering to and adjusting timelines and balancing priorities. Tracking progress of all initiatives and reporting on progress of an overall strategic roadmap and program plan.

• Seeking inputs and guidance on strategic initiatives from key stakeholders across the university. Serving as a reliable colleague, keeping managers informed and updated with data-driven information and accurate work outputs. Executing assignments with clients in mind, showcasing thoughtful attention to detail. Leveraging design-thinking principles when addressing complex challenges.

• Maintaining an attentive and responsive line of communication with the strategic initiatives and program management team. Collaborating with program and project leads to understand current and future initiatives and providing tailored approaches. Demonstrating politeness and professionalism in communications to all, serving as a great USC brand ambassador.

• Adapting quickly to shifting requests of the team and department as needed based on resources and timing. Soliciting constructive feedback and insights from managers and proactively incorporating suggestions into continuous improvement of work. Showcasing flexibility by learning new systems or approaches to project work.

• Demonstrating sound judgment in ranking competing priorities. Utilizing creativity to present solutions to challenges. Escalating roadblocks or issues to appropriate colleagues. Demonstrating root-cause analysis to uncover the source of issues.

• Embodying the culture and values of the university and the division. Promoting an environment that fosters inclusive relationships and creates unbiased opportunities for contributions through ideas, words, and actions that uphold principles of the USC Code of Ethics.

• Identifying goals aligned to overall vision. Provide strategic guidance and become an advisor to business leaders in matters related to initiatives and project management. Supporting strategic goals set by the team, department and university. Demonstrating, through words, actions, and ideas, alignment to USC’s strategic plan and the HR division’s strategic plan.

• Performing other related responsibilities as requested and when necessary. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

The University of Southern California is an Equal Opportunity Employer