Business Systems Analyst II

About Our Company We’re a diversified financial services leader with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management, administration and advisement as of year-end 2024. Our team of 22,000 people across 19 countries, serves more than 3.5 million individual, small business and institutional clients. We are a longstanding leader in financial planning and advice, a global asset manager and an insurer. Our unwavering focus on our clients and strong financial foundation connects each of our unique businesses – Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Investments and RiverSource Insurance and Annuities. Here, we foster meaningful careers, invest in the future, and make a difference for clients, institutions and communities around the world. Job Description We are seeking a high-performing Business Systems Analyst (BSA) with a passion for business transformation, process improvement, and innovation. This role is ideal for a professional who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys solving complex business challenges, and excels at partnering with business leaders to identify opportunities for operational improvement through automation, AI, and process redesign. The BSA will lead discovery efforts, facilitate stakeholder workshops, analyze business processes and data, shape future-state solutions, and support implementation of strategic initiatives. This role requires a strong ability to connect business needs with actionable recommendations and communicate outcomes clearly to both business and senior leadership. This role partners closely with business, technology, and analytics teams to deliver scalable, high-impact solutions that improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance client and associate experiences. Key Responsibilities AI & Automation Discovery • Lead structured discovery efforts to identify AI and automation opportunities across business processes. • Partner with business stakeholders to understand pain points, inefficiencies, risk areas, and growth opportunities. • Translate business problems into clear problem statements, hypotheses, and solution concepts. • Evaluate feasibility across data availability, technology readiness, risk, and scalability. Business Analysis & Solution Delivery • Lead detailed business analysis activities, including requirements elicitation, current-state assessments, process mapping, gap analysis, and future-state design. • Develop comprehensive business and functional requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, and supporting documentation to enable successful solution delivery. • Own testing activities, including test strategy, test case development, UAT coordination, defect management, and solution validation. • Partner with business and technology stakeholders to ensure solutions align to business objectives, operational needs, and regulatory requirements. • Support end-to-end delivery from discovery through implementation, including change readiness, go-live support, and outcome measurement. Data Analytics & Storytelling • Analyze data to size opportunities, quantify benefits, and support prioritization decisions. • Develop insights using structured analysis, dashboards, and exploratory data techniques. • Translate complex data and technical concepts into clear, executive-level narratives. • Build compelling stories that connect insights to business outcomes and strategic priorities. • Develop data-driven recommendations that support transformation, automation, and operational improvement initiatives. Senior Leader Engagement • Present recommendations, trade-offs, and outcomes with clarity and confidence. • Influence without authority and navigate ambiguity using structured thinking and strong communication. • Serve as a trusted advisor on AI, automation, process optimization, business transformation, and operational excellence initiatives. Required Qualifications • Education: Associate degree or equivalent. • Experience: 3-5 years of experience as a Business Systems Analyst, Business Analyst, Business Transformation Analyst or similar role. • Post-secondary education and relevant work experience may be interchanged to meet the combined total years of minimum required qualifications for education and experience. • Demonstrated success leading discovery and solutioning for complex, cross-functional initiatives. • Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate opportunities using data and insights. • Experience facilitating workshops and partnering with business stakeholders to identify process improvement, transformation, or automation opportunities. • Proven ability to work effectively with senior leaders and executive stakeholders. • Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills. • Strong business process mapping, process improvement, and stakeholder management skills. Preferred Qualifications • Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, Technology, Analytics, or a related field. • Experience leading business transformation, process improvement, continuous improvement, or operational excellence initiatives. • Experience identifying, evaluating, and delivering AI, intelligent automation, or workflow automation solutions. • Experience translating business needs into technical designs and requirements. • Experience working within the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). • Financial services, operations, or regulated industry experience. • Familiarity with AI-enabled development or workflow tools such as Kiro or similar technologies. In-Office Collaboration We are a client-centric, relationship-based business. Working together, in-person, is foundational to how we achieve results. By fostering a culture of face-to-face collaboration, idea sharing, productivity and personal connection, we deliver for our stakeholders — clients, advisors, employees and shareholders. Our employees work in the office at least four (4) days per week, with flexibility to work from home one (1) day per week. Some roles may require a