Business Analyst

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Business Analyst for a CONTRACT assignment with one of our premier Regulatory clients in Tysons, VA .
The Business Analyst analyzes automated surveillance systems that detect potential violations of regulatory rules - understanding, validating, enhancing, and supporting surveillance patterns across multiple asset classes and regulatory domains.
The analyst bridges regulatory requirements and the technical implementation of surveillance logic, ensuring patterns produce accurate, complete, and defensible results. This requires explaining technical concepts in layman terms to non-technical stakeholders, prototyping solutions iteratively, and managing them into production. The analyst is the domain expert accountable for regulatory accuracy, and is expected to use generative AI to accelerate analysis, documentation, and automation while validating all output.
Responsibilities :
Pattern Analysis & Knowledge Management

• Reverse-engineers pattern source code into documentation covering data pipelines, business rules, exception logic, and output schemas
• Maintains a pattern knowledge base and performs requirements-vs-code gap analysis, flagging risks to surveillance coverage

Prototyping & Implementation

• Prototypes solutions to complex business problems iteratively, validating with stakeholders, then manages implementation into production
• Applies statistical, data mining, and ML techniques to surface signal from large datasets

UAT & Release Validation

• Validates releases by comparing production vs. UAT outputs - exception counts, volumes, firm-level impacts
• Builds local test environments and edge-case test scenarios for independent verification before deployment
• Packages release artifacts (scripts, QC results, requirements) to standardized structures

Ad-Hoc Analysis & Investigation Support

• Writes complex queries supporting investigations into surveillance exceptions
• Performs firm-level statistical analysis and reporting for management
• Maintains reference data sets and assesses data incident impacts against the pattern dependency map

Automation, Tooling & AI Integration

• Develops automation for ticket management, release documentation, and workflow optimization
• Creates interactive visualizations and comparison reports to present findings
• Directs AI coding assistants to reverse-engineer code, build documentation, and generate test frameworks, reducing turnaround from days to hours, and validates all output for regulatory accuracy

Project Management Support

• Manages enhancement tickets, bug fixes, and new pattern development across tracking boards
• Drafts BRDs and coordinates release documentation, QC, and UAT sign-off

Other Responsibilities

• Participates on special projects as assigned. Mentors less experienced analysts. Keeps management updated on industry practices, regulatory changes, and emerging technology including AI tooling.

Required Skills :

• Bachelor's degree with 5+ years, or advanced degree with 2+ years, in financial regulatory technology, surveillance systems, or capital markets data analysis
• Proficiency in SQL on distributed platforms and at least one scripting language (Python preferred) for analysis, automation, and tooling
• Proficiency with data mining, statistics, and applying ML to large datasets
• Experience reading complex data pipelines and business logic in source code
• Strong analytical skills - independently investigates discrepancies and validates system outputs
• Excellent documentation skills - translates technical work into business-facing documents and BRDs
• Proficient communicator; experience visualizing data to present findings; advanced spreadsheet proficiency

Preferred Skills :

• Major in Business Administration, Finance, Computer Science, or related field; advanced degree preferred
• Knowledge of SEC/FINRA rules and reporting requirements, or strong interest in US market structure and the regulatory landscape
• Familiarity with surveillance pattern architectures (exception generation, scoring, aggregation, reconciliation)
• Experience with distributed query engines and big data platforms
• Experience using generative AI (LLMs, AI coding assistants) and validating AI output for analysis, prototyping, code comprehension, and documentation
• Experience with source code management and release branch workflows

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SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer service, employee development, and quality and integrity in everything we do. Be yourself, love what you do and find your passion at work. Please find us at .
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