Business Analyst
Idealist
Background
Discover Tulsa For You and Me: a collection of talent and economic development programs building a vibrant and inclusive city through a thriving economic landscape for Tulsa. We are forging strategic connections between talented professionals and innovative companies in future-focused industries, while also developing a robust talent engine for Tulsa that expands opportunity and economic mobility for Tulsans.
Operated under the stewardship of the George Kaiser Family Foundation® (GKFF®), affiliated programs include nationally recognized and innovative organizations like Tulsa Remote, Tulsa Innovation Labs, inTulsa, Build In Tulsa, Atlas School, Campus Tulsa, and Tulsa Service Year, among others.
The Integrated Strategies group includes specialized teams—Technology, Research & Analytics (RAD), Marketing, and Business Operations—working together to foster cross-program collaboration, drive operational excellence, and equip Tulsa For You programs with the tools, insights, and best practices to accelerate impact.
Primary Purpose and Functions
As the Business Analyst on the Research, Analysis & Data (RAD) team, you will play a critical role in connecting business needs with data and technology solutions. This hybrid role blends elements of business front door, product ownership, and analytics—helping programs clarify what they need, why it matters, and how data can guide their path forward.
You’ll serve as a trusted partner to program leaders, guiding the full lifecycle of analytics work—from discovery and prioritization to delivery and adoption. You’ll ensure solutions are both strategic and actionable, translating complex questions into practical dashboards, reports, and tools that drive learning and performance improvement.
You bring a strong understanding of how data flows through systems—from collection and transformation to visualization and use—and can collaborate seamlessly with technical partners on topics like ETL, data architecture, and system integration to ensure solutions are scalable, accurate, and aligned with organizational needs.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
Understand and Frame Business Needs
- Act as the primary liaison between assigned programs and the RAD/Technology teams, helping partners articulate business questions, decision points, and success measures.
- Facilitate discovery and requirements sessions to translate ambiguous or high-level needs into structured data or reporting projects.
- Prioritize and manage competing requests, balancing short-term needs with long-term data infrastructure goals.
- Partner with program and functional leaders to identify and define key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with organizational strategy.
Guide End-to-End Data Solutions
- Deliver dashboards, data tools, and automated reports that meet business needs, collaborating with internal technical teams as needed for business delivery.
- Manage the lifecycle of analytics initiatives—from scoping and testing through delivery and adoption—ensuring outputs are accurate, useful, and well-documented.
Understand and contribute to discussions about data architecture and pipeline design to ensure data consistency, usability, and traceability. - Support alignment of data definitions and standards across programs to promote shared understanding and comparability.
Build Data Fluency and Drive Continuous Improvement
- Deliver recurring analytical products such as quarterly program review dashboards (QPRs) and ongoing performance scorecards, as well as ad-hoc analyses that respond to emerging questions or opportunities.
- Present insights in accessible, compelling ways to help non-technical audiences act on the data.
- Train and coach program teams on data interpretation, tool usage, and performance storytelling.
- Create feedback loops to continuously refine metrics, dashboards, and systems based on user input.
Promote data-quality and governance practices that improve confidence in the data and its use for decision-making.
Knowledge, Experience, and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Data Analytics, Economics, or related field preferred.
- 5+ years of experience in a business analyst, product owner, or analytics role.
- Experience translating business needs into technical requirements and guiding end-to-end analytics projects.
- Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences; able to synthesize complex concepts into actionable insights.
- Broad understanding of data pipelines, ETL, and technical architecture, with the ability to collaborate effectively with engineers and architects.
- Proficiency with data visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms.
- Familiarity with SQL and at least one analytical programming language (e.g., Python, R) preferred.
- Understanding of data warehousing concepts (e.g., BigQuery, Azure, Snowflake) and workflow/project management tools (e.g., Asana, Jira).
- Strong project management and stakeholder management skills, balancing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Adaptability, curiosity, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the work.
Physical Requirements:
- Position continually requires the ability to talk and hear both in person and over the phone, visual acuity; ability to operate equipment, read, and use a keyboard.
- Position frequently requires the ability to sit, walk, and stand for extended periods of time.
- Position requires limited travel, predominantly for professional development and/or learning opportunities.
Hours & Location:
- You must live in or be able to relocate to Tulsa, OK or the surrounding area.
- This is not a fully remote position as we work in a hybrid office environment. In-Office and hybrid/flexible schedules are based on business need, staff readiness, and approved by one's supervisor.
- This is a full-time position with an expectation of working 40 hours per week.
- The typical hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with flexibility required for various events, meetings, and relevant business needs.
About our Benefits
As part of our overall compensation package, we offer work/life flexibility, comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, and generous retirement contributions designed to support you and your family.
Details:
- 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and long-term disability for full-time employees only. Option to add vision and dependents.
- 401(k) employee and employer contributions.
- Paid time off to support you while you are out of the office.
- Paid holidays so our employees can spend time with those they care about.
- Employer-paid AD&D life insurance, with employee option to add supplemental life insurance.