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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Business Process Expert

💰 $80,000 - $140,000

OperationsProcess ImprovementBusiness AnalysisContinuous Improvement

🎯 Role Definition

The Business Process Expert is a senior practitioner responsible for analyzing, designing, optimizing, and governing end-to-end business processes to improve efficiency, reduce cost, increase quality, and enable digital transformation. This role combines process modeling (BPMN), data-driven analysis, process mining, change management, and stakeholder leadership to deliver measurable operational improvements across functions and systems (ERP, CRM, RPA). The Business Process Expert partners with IT, operations, finance, compliance and product teams to translate business requirements into scalable process solutions, automation opportunities, and governance frameworks.


📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Business Analyst, Process Analyst or Operational Excellence Analyst transitioning into a process-focused role.
  • Continuous Improvement/Lean Six Sigma practitioner moving from project-level improvement to enterprise process ownership.
  • Systems Analyst or ERP Functional Consultant evolving into process governance and transformation.

Advancement To:

  • Process Improvement Manager / Process Center of Excellence (CoE) Lead
  • Director of Process Excellence or Head of Business Transformation
  • VP of Operations, Head of Service Excellence or Chief Transformation Officer

Lateral Moves:

  • Project Manager or Program Manager on transformation initiatives
  • Product Owner or Business Architect in digital product teams

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Conduct comprehensive as‑is process analysis and end-to-end process mapping using BPMN and visual process modeling tools (Visio, ARIS, Signavio), identifying waste, handoffs, and bottlenecks with clear evidence and recommended TO‑BE process designs.
  • Lead multi‑stakeholder process discovery workshops and cross‑functional design sessions to capture requirements, align stakeholders, and co-create improved processes that meet business, compliance, and technical constraints.
  • Apply Lean, Six Sigma (DMAIC), and continuous improvement methodologies to design experiments, run Kaizen/PI events, and quantify the impact of process changes on cost, cycle time, quality and customer experience.
  • Use process mining and analytics tools (Celonis, ProcessGold, Disco) plus SQL/Excel/Python-based data analysis to validate process pain points, uncover root causes, and prioritize high‑impact automation opportunities.
  • Define measurable process KPIs and SLAs, establish dashboards and reporting, and monitor post‑implementation performance to ensure sustained benefits and drive continuous refinement.
  • Drive RPA and automation opportunity assessments with RPA architects and vendors (UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism), define business rules, and support the delivery lifecycle from bot design through UAT and production handover.
  • Collaborate with ERP (SAP, Oracle, Dynamics) and enterprise application teams to translate process requirements into functional specifications, integration points, configuration decisions and test scenarios.
  • Develop and maintain standardized process documentation, end‑user procedures, SOPs and process playbooks to enable repeatable execution and reduce operational risk.
  • Design and execute controlled pilots and phased rollouts for process changes or automation, including user acceptance testing, training plans, and success criteria to mitigate disruption to operations.
  • Serve as process owner or CoE lead for assigned domains, managing governance, change control, versioning, and stakeholder sign‑off across business units.
  • Facilitate root cause analyses (5 Whys, fishbone) and corrective action plans for process defects or compliance issues, ensuring closure and preventive measures are implemented.
  • Work with procurement, legal and vendor management to evaluate third‑party process and automation providers, manage contracts, and ensure SLAs align with process objectives.
  • Establish and run process governance forums, steering committees and continuous improvement reviews to prioritize initiatives, allocate resources and escalate risks.
  • Coach and mentor junior analysts, process owners and operational staff on process mapping, process improvement techniques, and data‑driven decision making to build internal capability.
  • Translate business strategy and regulatory requirements into process changes and operating model adjustments, ensuring compliance with policies, audit standards and internal controls.
  • Lead cost optimization and capacity planning initiatives by modeling process throughput, headcount implications and identifying low‑cost automation and outsourcing opportunities.
  • Coordinate cross‑functional change management activities, including stakeholder communication plans, training delivery, adoption tracking and mitigation of resistance to process changes.
  • Create business cases and ROI models for process improvement and automation projects, including benefits tracking, sensitivity analysis and post‑implementation benefit realization.
  • Support end‑to‑end testing cycles and manage defects related to process changes or system integrations, ensuring timely resolution and minimal business disruption.
  • Drive continuous improvement roadmaps, backlog prioritization and sprint planning when working with Agile teams to ensure process improvements are delivered iteratively and aligned to business priorities.
  • Conduct compliance and risk assessments for new or changed processes, implementing control points and automated controls where needed to reduce operational and regulatory risk.
  • Partner with customer experience, product and operations teams to redesign processes that improve customer touchpoints, reduce rework and drive higher NPS/CSAT scores.
  • Maintain an up‑to‑date repository of process artifacts, lessons learned and templates to standardize future process initiatives and accelerate delivery.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Provide periodic training sessions and create enablement materials for process owners and frontline staff.
  • Assist internal audit and compliance teams with process walkthroughs, documentation and remediation plans.
  • Evaluate and recommend process tooling and automation platforms based on business requirements and scalability.
  • Participate in vendor evaluations, proof of concepts (POCs), and pilot implementations for process and automation solutions.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced process modeling and documentation (BPMN, Visio, ARIS, Signavio) with ability to translate models into requirements and automation specs.
  • Process mining and analytics experience (Celonis, Disco, ProcessGold) to analyze event logs and uncover inefficiencies.
  • Strong data analysis skills including SQL, Excel (advanced), and familiarity with Python or R for data manipulation and statistical analysis.
  • Practical experience with Lean, Six Sigma (Green/Black Belt preferred) and structured problem solving (DMAIC).
  • RPA and automation lifecycle knowledge (UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism) including candidate identification, design, and governance.
  • ERP and enterprise system knowledge (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics) and experience defining functional requirements and integrations.
  • KPI definition and dashboarding experience using BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker) to measure process performance and outcomes.
  • Project and program management skills, including scoping, scheduling, risk management, and benefits tracking.
  • Understanding of change management frameworks and techniques (ADKAR, Prosci) and experience executing adoption plans.
  • Familiarity with compliance, internal controls and audit processes and ability to map controls to process steps.
  • Experience writing detailed SOPs, process playbooks, acceptance criteria and UAT test cases.
  • Knowledge of API integrations, basic system architecture and the ability to work with technical teams to specify integration requirements.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills with proven ability to lead cross‑functional teams without direct authority.
  • Strong facilitation and workshop leadership skills that drive decisions and consensus among diverse business stakeholders.
  • Analytical and critical thinking with a bias for data-driven recommendations and measurable outcomes.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to produce executive summaries, business cases and training materials.
  • Problem-solving mindset with persistence to follow issues through to root cause and sustainable resolution.
  • Change agent mentality with empathy for users and practical focus on adoption and operational sustainability.
  • Time management, prioritization and multi-tasking skills in fast-paced transformation environments.
  • Coaching and mentoring capabilities to build capability across teams and scale best practices.
  • Attention to detail combined with the ability to see the big picture and align process changes to strategic goals.
  • Collaborative teamwork orientation and high emotional intelligence for navigating complex organizational dynamics.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Information Systems, Operations Management, Finance, or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree (MBA, MSc in Industrial Engineering, Information Systems or equivalent) or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration / Management
  • Industrial & Systems Engineering
  • Information Systems / Computer Science
  • Operations Management / Supply Chain
  • Finance / Accounting

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–8 years in process analysis, continuous improvement, operations, or business systems roles; 5+ years preferred for senior/expert level.

Preferred:

  • Proven track record of leading enterprise process improvement programs, implementing automation (RPA) or ERP process changes, delivering measurable cost/time/quality outcomes, and working across global, cross‑functional teams.