Business Applications/Data Specialist

About this role:

Burlington Hydro Inc. ("BHI") is currently seeking a Business Applications/Data Specialist to join our team. The successful incumbent is customer service oriented and possesses strong communication skills to foster positive relationships with internal IT staff, end users and external vendors. 

As the Business Applications Specialist, you will provide applications support and data analytics for the organization. In this role, you will work with the Project Manager on a variety of enterprise applications to gather information, formulate business requirements and translate them into technical project deployments.  You will coordinate with internal users and external vendors to support teams through implementation, maintenance and optimization of business applications to achieve successful project outcomes.  In addition, this position leverages data and reporting from multiple sources to create solutions that drive operational efficiency and innovation across the organization.

This role is expected to develop in-depth knowledge of business systems and applications for the purpose of data analytics, business intelligence reporting and application support. These software applications may include Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Outage Management System (OMS), Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Customer Information Systems (CIS), Asset Management Systems, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) applications.

This is an on-site position at 1340 Brant Street, Burlington. Burlington Hydro currently offers eligible employees to work remotely 1-day per week as part of the Work from Home Program.

Core Responsibilities:

• Maintain up-to-date expertise in the application(s) and support the team in translating product needs into enhancements and or fixes for the supported application


• Provide actionable recommendations based on data analysis to drive informed decision-making and strategic initiatives, emphasizing the interpretation of insights to guide organizational goals


• Facilitate data-driven discussions and workshops to empower stakeholders with insights and foster a culture of data literacy within the organization


• Leverages data science (statistics, NLP, ML, AI) to conduct broad and deep testing to identify data quality concerns or potential weaknesses in data governance


• Collect data from various digital sources and aggregate to create comprehensive datasets for analysis


• Utilize statistical techniques, machine learning algorithms, and data visualization tools to analyze digital data to identify trends, patterns, and correlations within the data to inform decision-making and drive strategic initiatives


• Collaborate with users to design and implement effective measurement strategies, ensuring that key performance indicators (KPIs) align with business objectives and provide actionable insight


• Design and develop analytic dashboards using reporting development tools, i.e. SSRS, SSIS, SSAS and Power BI


• Lead tasks and projects related to the modelling, analysis, and interpretation of divisional data and other external datasets, including those with a spatial component


• Use Predictive Analytics to create best-in-class commercial reporting, ensure standardization across the organization on tracking the right KPI’s and ensure consistency


• Create comprehensive documentation for data/reporting processes, including step-by-step guides and best practices, regularly update documentation to reflect changes and improvements in processes


• Foster successful relationships with divisional staff and partners through consultation, mediation, and communication


• Adopts hands-on approach in the detailed analysis of new and existing business processes, including preparation of work specifications/design, testing, debugging, and end-user training


• Oversee cross-departmental ‘Integration Team’ discussions for strategic integrated solutions between various software applications as well as with external system environments


• Perform data analysis, develop performance measures, and create decision-support information from operational systems, surveys, and third-party data sources


• All other duties as assigned

What we are looking for:

• An undergraduate degree in Computer Science or related discipline or an equivalent combination of education and work experience


• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in business intelligence, business analytics or data analysis, solutions analyst, or a similar technical role


• Hands-on programming, Business Intelligence Reporting and technical experience


• Solid understanding of and demonstrated working knowledge in the construction of quality, performance-based SQL


• Experience with Report Writers (IBM COGNOS Business Intelligence would be an asset)

What you'll need to be successful:

• Significant and demonstrable experience in writing SQL queries (T SQL, P/L SQL, SAS) and Python with a minimum of 3+ years of experience


• Hands-on coding skills using a variety of programming languages


• Strong hands-on experience with data analysis and ETL (SQL, Python, Java, XML, and JSON), Power BI, Power Query, advanced knowledge of DAX, M languages Advanced proficiency in MS Excel (advanced functions, pivot tables, AI add-ons)


• Knowledge of software development life cycle, including functional and technical specification, documentation, QA processes, source control, maintenance, and deployments


• Proven experience in a related role in providing scheduled and ad-hoc analytics or reporting


• Expertise with relational databases and ability to navigate through relational data structure and experience working with SQL


• Ability to be flexible when needed, take initiative and demonstrate accountability

Who we are:

Established in 1945, Burlington Hydro is a local distribution company (LDC) serving the City of Burlington, with a total licensed service area of 188 square kilometres and a customer base of 69,500 customers (consisting of Residential, General Service, Street Light, and Unmetered Scattered Load customers/connections).

At Burlington Hydro, we strive to exemplify excellence in every aspect of our business. From the rigorous work of our engineers and the professionalism of our customer service representatives to our resilient operations crews and all those in between, we work together to deliver value at every level of the organization. It is a value proposition that lies at the very core of our company – caring for people, community, stewardship, and sustainability – all with a commitment to continuous improvement in everything we do.

We rely on the skills and abilities of all our employees to assist us in reaching our mission, goals, and objectives. We emphasize our core values and expect all employees to act consistently in accordance with those Values. 

We care about our team, work, customers, and our business. Our commitment to delivering quality service and providing a safe work environment governs our daily activities. Each team member has a responsibility to help one another achieve success and satisfaction on the job. Vision and strategy are vital, but it is our people who create value.

We promote a performance-driven, values-centric, diverse, and inclusive culture. We’re always looking for good people who share the same values and want to combine their professional talents with a commitment to our goals.

To be part of our team, we look for candidates who:

• Thrive in a dynamic team environment and resilient in the face of challenges or uncertainty


• Are committed to safety and working as part of a team to ensure the highest standards of safety are upheld


• Take initiative, lead by example, demonstrate a positive attitude and are respectful of diverse perspectives


• Have a strong track record of excellence in all that they do

In exchange, we offer the following:

• Competitive compensation


• Safe working conditions


• Comprehensive health and dental benefits for you and your family


• Defined benefits pension plan


• Work that makes an impact and exciting career challenges


• Learning and development opportunities


• An open and inclusive work environment

To be part of our team, we look for candidates who exemplify the following competencies:

1. Drive for Results – Achieving goals, striving for excellence, and managing work deliverables and processes effectively.


2. Accountability – Understanding your role responsibilities and following through on those commitments without directing blame onto others when faced with challenges.


3. Managing Risk – Understanding your role in helping to manage risks or liability to BHI’s reputation, financial, organization, health and safety or human capital risk.


4. Lead by Example - Demonstrating a positive attitude, motivating others through your behaviour and actions with an intention to inspire others by modelling the way by ‘walking the talk’.


5. Teamwork & Relationship Management - Developing collaborative relationships within and beyond the team with internal stakeholders across the company and with external stakeholders.


6. Critical Thinking – Developing informed decisions by evaluating different sources of information, identifying patterns, and determining underlying issues across situations of varying complexity.


7. Innovative Change Leader – Creating new or innovative solutions, generating enthusiasm, and readily adapting to change. Being innovative can be both small and large scale.


8. Strategic Thinking & Execution – Developing clearly defined business strategies into actionable steps to implement those plans.

Diversity & Inclusion: Burlington Hydro Inc. is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences and those needing accommodation to apply to join our team. Our commitment to excellence in diversity goes beyond promoting equity. By incorporating a variety of experiences and perspectives, we create opportunities for innovative solutions and maximize the impact of our work. In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Burlington Hydro Inc. will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities during the recruitment process. If you require accommodation, please email our Human Resources team at BHI_Human_Resources@burlingtonhydro.com. Please note that this email is for accommodation requests only; resumes sent to this email address will not be considered.

Application Process: All applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada. Burlington Hydro will be using email to communicate with you for all job opportunities. You are responsible for including an updated email address that is checked daily and accepts emails from unknown users. We recommend that you check your email regularly, and if no response is received, we will assume you are no longer interested in pursuing the opportunity. Please be advised that the successful candidate will require a full background check, including a criminal record check. If it is determined that any background check information provided is misleading, inaccurate, or incorrect, Burlington Hydro reserves the right to discontinue the consideration of your application.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.