Fast Facts

Join a passionate team as a Business Analyst focused on Emerging Technologies, where you'll leverage Microsoft's AI ecosystem to automate workflows and drive innovation across the organization.

Responsibilities: Translate business goals into AI and automation opportunities, manage project backlogs, evaluate use cases for ROI, document requirements, and coordinate user acceptance testing.

Skills: Experience with Microsoft Power Platform, proven business analysis skills, process mapping, ROI modeling, and excellent stakeholder engagement abilities.

Qualifications: 3-5+ years of business analysis experience, commitment to continuous learning, and proficiency in translating complex business needs into clear outcomes.

Location: This position is located in Vernon Hills, IL, and involves some hybrid work.

Compensation: $90000 - $130000 / Annually

About our family of companies:

We are on a mission to bring learning to life! At our family of companies, Learning Resources®, Educational Insights, and hand2mind, we create a unique range of toys, educational products, and supplemental curriculum trusted by teachers and loved by families alike. At Voted among the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces for five consecutive years, we are a 500+ person strong, family-owned global organization dedicated to helping kids succeed in school and develop a love of learning. In addition to high-quality, hands-on products like VersaTiles® and Cuisenaire® Rods, we make award-winning toys, including top sellers such as the Pretend & Play® Cash Register, the Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set and Toy of the Year winner Botley® the Coding Robot as well as Educational Insights top sellers Kanoodle®, GeoSafari® Jr. series, and Playfoam™. We pride ourselves on being committed to our employee’s personal and professional development, a thriving culture, and a diverse, creative atmosphere. Along with our culture and competitive benefits package, we offer a variety of opportunities for training and development. We are looking for professionals who are truly just kids at heart! We hope you will join our award-winning team today!

Team & Position Description:

We are currently seeking an Emerging Technologies Business Analyst to join our Emerging Technologies team! Here’s what makes this team awesome: This is your chance to work hands-on with Microsoft’s AI ecosystem building Copilot agents automating workflows with Power Platform. The fun doesn’t stop there, the Emerging technologies team will be constantly researching and trying out new tools, evaluating business fit, ROI, and tech stack integration. You’ll collaborate across the business to turn high-impact ideas into scalable solutions, make a visible enterprise-wide impact, and continuously grow your skills in a supportive, innovation-driven environment. If you’re passionate about learning new technologies and creating intelligent tools that transform how people work, this role offers the perfect runway to do just that.

What you’ll do day to day:

• Translate business goals into AI & automation opportunities. Meet with stakeholders across Sales, Marketing, Customer Experience, Finance, Supply Chain, and IT to uncover pain points, define problem statements, and identify high‑ROI Emerging Tech and AI use cases.
• Own discovery, solution request, and manage a transparent backlog. Run structured intake sessions, capture requirements, and triage opportunities, separating quick wins from longer‑term projects. Maintain the list of projects and priority in a transparent fashion for business visibility.
• Evaluate business use cases for ROI and business benefit (effort saved, revenue lift, quality improvements, risk reduction). Ensure solutions have measurable performance metrics before they’re accepted.
• Document “what good looks like.” Create requirement documents, process maps, mockups/wireframes, decision logs, and training materials that align cross‑functional teams and accelerate delivery. 
• Partner with the Emerging Technologies Developer to shape scope and non‑functional requirements (security, compliance, scalability, cost); contribute to prompt patterns, guardrails, and user experience considerations for AI‑powered workflows.
• Work with Emerging Technologies Developer to create an AI toolkit to be leveraged by Copilot agents.
• Ensure solution readiness by designing test plans, coordinating user acceptance testing, capturing defects and feedback, obtaining sign off on release readiness, and ensuring operational hand‑off is smooth and well‑documented.
• Be responsible for change management through plan communications, training sessions, and go‑live support, quick‑reference guides and FAQs. Drive adoption through demonstrations, workshops, and feedback loops.
• Track post‑launch performance, user sentiment, and operational KPIs. Propose enhancements and ensure continuous improvement of AI assistants, automations, and reports and work with Emerging Technologies Developer to implement.
• Help implement responsible‑AI practices (data privacy, security, bias awareness), run lightweight risk assessments, and document approvals within established governance frameworks.
• Coordinate with external vendors/partners on scopes of work, workshops, and deliverables ensuring timelines, assumptions, and dependencies are visible and on track.
• Use Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, Power Automate, Power Apps, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI tooling to analyze processes, visualize insights, and operationalize improvements escalating technical items to development when needed.

What we’re looking for (Key Performance Objectives):

• Accelerate ROI on AI investments by providing implementation support for approved use cases and delivering working proof-of-concept solutions within 90 days of project initiation.
• Use your experience in business process analysis to shorten the runway for AI deployments by managing timelines and delivering meaningful, cost-effective solutions that reduce cost of external vendors within the first six months.
• Collaborate with Emerging Technologies Developer to build internal AI and automation capabilities by enabling pilot programs and creating repeatable, scalable models for deploying custom Copilot agents that lower maintenance costs by at least 20% within the first year.
• Work with Emerging Technologies Developer to establish Copilot Agent release process including a UAT and Production environment, setting companywide standards for super users to adhere to.
• Continuously improve implemented AI and automation solutions by monitoring performance, incorporating new features and enhanced tools on a quarterly basis.
• Act as a strategic partner to business leaders by aligning AI solutions with OKRs, driving user adoption through training and engagement, and achieving a minimum 80% adoption rate within 60 days of go-live. 

Requirements/Ideal Attributes:

• Hands-on experience with Microsoft ecosystem including Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI), Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, and Copilot Studio or similar AI enablement tools.
• Proven business analysis experience (3-5+ years) with a track record of translating complex business needs into clear requirements, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong process mapping and modeling skills, including current/future-state workflows, data flows, and process diagrams; ability to identify automation opportunities and control points.
• Demonstrated ability to build ROI models and business cases, including cost-benefit analysis, efficiency gains, and alignment to organizational OKRs.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning by actively pursuing certifications and staying current with Microsoft best practices. 
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills, with experience running workshops, intake sessions, and cross-functional meetings to gather requirements and drive consensus.
• Creative thinker who can identify opportunities for automation and AI adoption that deliver measurable impact.

We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer.

Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.

Compensation Range: $90,000 – $130,000 annual salary – Actual compensation may vary due to other factors such as: years of experience, skill set and location. Total compensation includes profit sharing bonus potential, 401k matching, and a variety of other benefits (details can be found here). 

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