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What does a senior functional analyst do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

The senior functional analyst develops systems that the company or business will use. This position is responsible for continually monitoring existing systems in the company, interviewing people using the system, and determining problematic areas. Through the senior functional analyst, the company improves its services and ensures efficiency and productivity. The senior functional analyst works with other employees in the analysis department and creates better collating information and feedback methods for better assessments and evaluations.

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Senior functional analyst responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior functional analyst resumes:

  • Schedule, lead and manage UAT sessions with customers to finalize software acceptance.
  • Manage vendors and supervise campus project initiatives to provide infrastructure upgrades.
  • Provide production support to ECC 6.0 and CRM 4.0 systems.
  • Provide program control support for multimillion dollar DOD depot maintenance contract.
  • Participate in SDLC stages of projects, from analysis through post go-live support.
  • Function as scrum master in encouraging teams and the enterprise to mitigate problems.
  • Review and assess DoD network security packages on local and wide area network environments.
  • Prepare UAT scripts and work instructions as part of user training, train user on closing process.
  • Provide support and guidance to other members of the team for all SDLC phases of the project.
  • Facilitate scrum ceremonies (daily stand-ups, backlog grooming, sprint planning, retrospectives, sprint review/ demo etc . )
  • Develop company training decks for CRM end-user and administration training.
  • Provide knowledge and guidance to business partners regarding ERP functionality, focusing on warehousing and manufacturing operations.
  • Lead cross-functional meetings to develop and document functional requirements and technical specifications for desire ERP configuration and functionality.
  • Work with pharmacy staff to develop discharge medication application for nursing and pharmacy staff to provide patients with clearer medication instructions.
  • Define functional requirements & feasibility study using UML and use-cases; develop traceability matrix to monitor.

Senior functional analyst skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Senior Functional Analysts are proficient in Business Process, Architecture, and Functional Specifications. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Senior Functional Analysts that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Business Process, 8%

    Worked independently with Business Partners documenting and translating existing business processes that were vague and varying into functional requirements.

  • Architecture, 5%

    Directed testing system architecture, upgrades and enhancements.

  • Functional Specifications, 4%

    Document functional specifications for developers, configure application, and setup data as required to realize solution.

  • ERP, 4%

    Worked Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Integration issues involving retail, wholesale and joint levels to insure a seamless operation.

  • Sap Functional, 4%

    Involved in customizing and enhancing the built-in SAP functionality for API in accordance with client requirements.

  • Logistics, 3%

    Develop documentation and correspondence addressing all logistics elements in direct support of program events and Milestone decisions.

"business process," "architecture," and "functional specifications" are among the most common skills that senior functional analysts use at work. You can find even more senior functional analyst responsibilities below, including:

Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior functional analyst to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "because analysts are tasked with finding innovative solutions to computer problems, an ability to “think outside the box” is important." Senior functional analysts often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "worked on making test scripts and performed testing procedures for various oracle application modules like inventory & order management. "

Analytical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior functional analyst duties is analytical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "analysts must interpret complex information from various sources and decide the best way to move forward on a project." According to a senior functional analyst resume, here's how senior functional analysts can utilize analytical skills in their job responsibilities: "worked globally across master data teams to gather system definitions for data standardization. "

Communication skills. This is an important skill for senior functional analysts to perform their duties. For an example of how senior functional analyst responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "analysts work as a go-between with management and the it department and must explain complex issues in a way that both will understand." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior functional analyst: "supported hr, it, legal, finance, and corporate communications areas. ".

All senior functional analyst skills

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Compare different senior functional analysts

Senior functional analyst vs. Analyst lead

The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials. Through the results, an analyst lead can provide advice, devise strategies for business optimization, spearhead the development of processes, identify strengths and weaknesses, and offer recommendations on areas in need of improvement. All of this is done while in adherence to the company's vision and mission.

We looked at the average senior functional analyst salary and compared it with the wages of an analyst lead. Generally speaking, analyst leads are paid $14,867 lower than senior functional analysts per year.Even though senior functional analysts and analyst leads are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require business process, functional specifications, and hr in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior functional analyst responsibilities require skills like "architecture," "strong problem-solving," "erp," and "sap functional." Meanwhile a typical analyst lead has skills in areas such as "analytics," "project management," "customer service," and "excellent interpersonal." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Analyst leads tend to reach similar levels of education than senior functional analysts. In fact, analyst leads are 3.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Senior functional analyst vs. Software analyst

A software analyst is responsible for creating and designing software programs and applications, as well as modifying existing ones for optimization according to business requirements. Software analysts work with the technical team to draw system codes, analyze programming languages, and ensure the stability and efficiency of software navigation by running multiple quality checks to the system. They inspect the application's performance, configure servers, and improve software infrastructure according to quality findings. A software analyst records resolution reports and provides progress updates, ensuring that the project adheres to budget limitations and set timetables.

A career as a software analyst brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a senior functional analyst. In fact, software analysts salary is $31,731 lower than the salary of senior functional analysts per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Senior functional analysts and software analysts both require similar skills like "business process," "functional specifications," and "erp" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior functional analyst resumes. While senior functional analyst responsibilities can utilize skills like "architecture," "strong problem-solving," "sap functional," and "logistics," software analysts use skills like "c++," "software development," "troubleshoot," and "test data."

In general, software analysts achieve lower levels of education than senior functional analysts. They're 8.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior functional analyst vs. Business systems senior analyst

Business systems senior analysts are responsible for resolving problems and requirements related to organizational information. They perform various duties that include determining operational objectives, designing computer programs, and improving business systems by designing modifications and studying current practices. Additionally, they are responsible for defining project requirements, maintaining user confidence and information confidentiality, and preparing technical reports. These professionals are also expected to maintain their knowledge by participating in professional associations or attending educational workshops. The skills and qualifications required for this position include previous work experience, software design and development, and problem-solving skills.

On average scale, business systems senior analysts bring in lower salaries than senior functional analysts. In fact, they earn a $7,033 lower salary per year.By looking over several senior functional analysts and business systems senior analysts resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "business process," "strong problem-solving," and "functional specifications." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior functional analyst is likely to be skilled in "architecture," "logistics," "fi," and "technical support," while a typical business systems senior analyst is skilled in "project management," "business analysis," "scrum," and "business stakeholders."

When it comes to education, business systems senior analysts tend to earn similar degree levels compared to senior functional analysts. In fact, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Senior functional analyst vs. Contractor-business analyst

A contractor-business analyst is responsible for analyzing business processes and strategizing on efficient project management techniques to enhance productivity goals and achieve maximum performance. Contractor-business analysts conduct data and statistical analysis to determine areas of improvement and identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase profits. They also review client accounts, measure sales performance, and design solutions by utilizing various software applications and system tools. A contractor-business analyst advises the management of necessary training for the staff to enhance services and close more business partnerships.

Contractor-business analysts average a lower salary than the annual salary of senior functional analysts. The difference is about $22,729 per year.While both senior functional analysts and contractor-business analysts complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like business process, functional specifications, and erp, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A senior functional analyst uses "architecture," "strong problem-solving," "sap functional," and "logistics." Contractor-business analysts are more likely to have duties that require skills in "project management," "data entry," "financial analysis," and "business analysis. "The average resume of contractor-business analysts showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to senior functional analysts. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 4.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.3%.

Types of senior functional analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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