Business Applications Specialist

The Business Applications Specialist, reporting to the Associate Director of Systems and Business Applications, will share responsibility with the Systems team in supporting these solutions, fostering a tenant experience befitting the Ivy League.
Job-Specific Responsibilities
Application Management & Support
Administer and support systems and applications used for daily property management operations, including overseeing related projects, upgrades and software/hardware maintenance and installations.
Oversee application support and serve as a level-2 point of contact for application-related issues, troubleshooting, and escalation.
Manage system configurations, user access, roles, and security settings.
Business Process Optimization
Analyze current workflows across leasing, maintenance, accounting, and tenant services and identify opportunities to improve efficiencies through system enhancements and automation.
Partner with stakeholders to define business requirements, design processes and implement best practices.
System Integration & Data Management
Oversee integrations between property management systems and third-party tools.
Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity across systems.
Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, and data extracts for business insights.
Project Leadership
Assume a supporting role in system implementation / upgrade / migration projects, and a leading role in small projects.
Collaborate with vendors and internal teams to deliver projects on time and within scope.
Document requirements, test solutions, and manage change control processes.
Training & Documentation
Develop and maintain user guides, SOPs, and training materials.
Conduct training sessions for staff on new features, systems, and best practices.
Act as a subject matter expert for business applications.
Vendor & Stakeholder Management
Liaise with software vendors to resolve issues and evaluate new features.
Work closely with property managers, finance teams, leasing, community programming team, and other Harvard teams to align systems with business needs.
Working Conditions:
Candidate will need to travel periodically to HUHRE properties and management offices, and possibly navigate stairs in order to monitor and test technical building components.
Candidate may occasionally need to lift/carry/transport a hardware component weighing as much as 20 pounds.
Candidate may occasionally need to perform work in confined spaces which may be not be climate-controlled.
Basic Qualifications:
The successful candidate will possess a systems mindset and at least several of the following:
Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field
5+ years of experience supporting business applications, preferably in property management or real estate
Hands-on experience with property management software (e.g., Yardi, MRI, RealPage OneSite, Entrata, AppFolio)
Experience managing project tasks and deliverables within established project management frameworks
Experience with system integrations (APIs, middleware platforms)
Knowledge of data governance and compliance practices
Solid understanding of accounting principles related to property management
Experience with reporting tools (e.g., SQL, Power BI, Excel advanced functions)
Additional Qualifications and Skills:
Experience providing tech support and performing user acceptance testing.
Experience managing a technical support team.
Strong communications skills, verbal and written, across all media: phone, email, in-person, and documentation.
Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external customers, vendors and other stakeholders.
Ability to liaise between technical and non-technical personalities.
Ability to meet deadlines and maintain a positive attitude while balancing competing priorities
Ability to effectively multi-task and triage support requests arising from multiple fronts.
Teamwork mentality, service mindset approach, and the ability to act as a trusted advisor.
Experience with Yardi property management software highly desirable.
Experience utilizing project management methodologies and tools.
Key Skills
Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions
Certificates and Licenses
Completion of Harvard IT Academy specified foundational courses (or external equivalent) preferred

Employment type
Full-time

Work arrangement
Hybrid