Technical Analyst Commercial Channels & Products

Perimeter

As NMBS- SNCB’s IT company, YPTO is part of the Belgian Railway family making sure that the Belgian railways continue to move forward and that train passengers can travel in a modern and sustainable way.

The recently approved NMBS-SNCB « Spoor Vision 2040 » has the ambitious goal to make sure that more people, companies & organizations choose the train as their preferred mobility option. Not to forget, after all, rail being the most climate-friendly mode of transport compared to other modes of transport today.

Next to that, in a world of modern and sustainable mobility, new services and applications using digital technology are being implemented. Leading to increased and better information and communication to rail passengers and rail crew. Setting up diverse channels for purchasing tickets, a better monitoring of assets and further increase automating operational processes. Ultimately improving efficiency and service offering.

An ambitious goal that we’re building and realizing: further digitalising SNCB – NMBS, offering innovative solutions and enabling flexible services with a key focus on the end user.

A lot of work and many exciting challenges still ahead ! And you get to play your part in it. That’s a lot of impact!

Furthermore we empower our people in today’s changing world by giving trust and ownership, we instigate entrepreneurship creating a dynamic professional working environment constantly moving forward.

And that’s exactly where you and your prime analytical skills come in, join us in building that sustainable future and have a tangible impact on thousands of SNCB-NMBS workers and millions of train passengers.

About the job

Domain

As a technical Analyst, you will be joining the dynamic and talented team of analysts and solution designers (AnalySD) within YPTO's Business Area "Commercial Channels & Products." This team plays a crucial role in shaping the future of our commercial channels and product offerings, driving innovation, and enhancing the overall customer experience.

The Business Area “Commercial Channels & Products” is the IT partner of SNCB-NMBS’s Directorate for Marketing & Sales. This directorate manages all sales channels (front-end as well as back-end) and aftersales solutions of NMBS-SNCB.  These include NMBS-SNCB’s website, mobile app, cash-desk, ticket vending machines, sales on board and the B2B sales channels.

Content

As a member of the AnalySD team, you will be involved in the entire project lifecycle.  This goes from gathering requirements and conducting feasibility studies to offering technical specifications, writing API documentation and participating in user acceptance testing.

In your role, you will also be evaluating the needs and objectives of our customer and offering guidance. You dare to challenge the customer to produce the best solution to accomplish intended goals.  Your attention to detail and analytical skills will be vital in ensuring the successful delivery of projects that deliver real value to our customers.

Your responsibilities

1. API Design and Development: Collaborating with solution architects and developers to design, implement, and maintain APIs that meet business requirements and adhere to best practices and industry standards

2. Requirement Analysis: Working closely with stakeholders to gather requirements, understand business needs, and translate them into technical specifications for API development

3. Documentation: Creating comprehensive documentation for APIs, including API specifications, usage guides, and sample code, to facilitate integration by internal and external developers

4. Collaboration: Work closely with development teams to ensure that the technical solutions align with business needs

5. Testing: Assist in the development/creation of test plans, test cases, and user acceptance testing

6. Problem Solver:

   • Troubleshoot and resolve functional issues or defects, working closely with developers and support teams

   • Pro-actively identify bottlenecks and propose potential solutions/alternatives

7. Support: Providing guidance and support to developers and project teams

8. Architectural runway: Safeguard existing business and solution architecture and ask for advice to/align with the enterprise, system and/or solution architects

9. Delivery: Present the designed end products (process analysis, functional test scenario’s, API documentation…) to the internal & external stakeholders

Hard skills

• Proficiency in Dutch and/or French (one of the two are a mandate) and English (compulsory) , written and spoken is required

• Proficiency or profound knowledge in programming languages and technologies commonly used for API development, such as REST, JSON, XML, GraphQL, and Swagger/OpenAPI specifications.

• Proficiency in analysis techniques, such as requirements gathering, process modeling, and use case development.

• A minimum of 5 years working experience as a technical analyst

• Knowledge of software development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies, such as Agile or Waterfall.

• Understanding of system design principles and ability to create technical specifications.

• Good knowledge of information technology packages like MS Office, Teams, Sparx EA, …

• Good knowledge of business process modeling tools, such as BPMN or UML.

• Good knowledge of API design

• Experience in writing User Stories

• Experience in writing API documentation

• Experience with SAFE/Agile/Scrum

• Any experience in the travel industry and/or e-commerce is a bonus

• Knowledge of CMS technologies is a plus

Soft skills

• Critical thinking and decision-making abilities to evaluate options and make informed choices.

• Empathy and active listening skills to understand user perspectives and provide appropriate solutions.

• Leadership and influence skills to drive consensus and facilitate productive discussions.

• Collaborative mindset to work effectively with cross-functional teams and build positive relationships.

• Customer-focused mindset to understand and address user needs.

• Resilience and the ability to handle pressure and navigate through ambiguity.

• Excellent communication skills to interact with stakeholders

• Detail-oriented approach to ensure accuracy and completeness of documentation.

• Cultural awareness and sensitivity when working with diverse teams and stakeholders.

• Adaptability to quickly learn new technologies and adapt to changing business needs.

• Strong presentation skills to convey ideas and findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Extra

• The contractor needs to live in Belgium and be able to come on premise up to 5 days a week. Standard homeworking policy

• 5+ years’ experience in technical analysis/solution design.

• 5+ years of experience with creating and documenting APIs is mandatory

• 5+ years experience with Jira, Confluence

• Demonstrable experience with UML and BPMN

• Demonstrable knowledge in programming languages and technologies commonly used for API development, such as REST, JSON, XML, GraphQL, and Swagger/OpenAPI specifications.

• Proficiency in English

• Proficiency in Dutch or French

Our offer

Within our open corporate culture, you contribute to the digital transformation of SNCB. You will have a job with social impact and ample opportunity to make your own contribution. In addition to a good work-life balance and a competitive salary, you will receive the following benefits:

• the possibility to work remotely + flexible working hours;

• 35 days of leave;

• a company car + a public transport season ticket;

• a target bonus;

• a comprehensive insurance package (affiliation without own contribution, excl. outpatient costs for family members);

  • hospitalisation and dental care for the whole family;

  • outpatient costs (= medical costs separate from hospitalisation);

  • group insurance: supplementary pension, work disability and death (cafeteria plan);

  • accidents at work (extralegal);

• meal vouchers and eco-vouchers;

• net allowances for remote working and carwash + internet budget.