Junior Business Analyst

About the role

LightFeather is hiring a Junior Business Analyst to keep our internal data accurate, our reports on time, and our daily operations running smoothly. You will own recurring reports and trackers in Google Sheets, build project dashboards, serve as the key Business Analyst for internal meetings, follow our established processes, use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to automate repetitive work, maintain compliance and operational records, and support our recruiting process.

This role suits someone who is dependable, highly organized, highly data-driven, and exceptionally accurate, and who thrives on executing tasks and seeing them through to completion. You'll do best here if you follow established processes carefully, take compliance seriously, meet deadlines without reminders, deliver work that is complete and correct, and are eager to use AI to automate manual work. This is an internal position supporting LightFeather's own operations, not a role on a government contract. You will work closely with a small team and report to operations leadership.

• Location: Arlington, VA, Fully in-office to start. Potential partial telework schedule after a three-month training period.
• Job Type: Full-time
• Salary: $50,000-$60,000 annually, based on experience level.

Key Responsibilities

Data, reporting, and automation (about 40%)

• Build and maintain Google Sheets trackers and reports for compliance, business development (BD) pipeline, and contract data calls.
• Create project dashboards that show status, milestones, and key metrics at a glance.
• Use ChatGPT and Claude daily to write and debug formulas, clean and analyze data, summarize findings, and draft reports.
• Find manual, repetitive tasks and automate them by vibe coding scripts, sheet automations, and small tools with AI.
• Clean, reconcile, and validate data from multiple sources so numbers match across reports.
• Produce recurring weekly and biweekly reports and meeting decks that summarize metrics and trends.
• Spot gaps, errors, or unusual changes in the data and flag them before reports go out.
• Check AI-generated formulas, code, and summaries against the source data before anything is shared.
• Document report steps, data sources, prompts, and automations so processes are repeatable.

Operations, meetings, and compliance (about 35%)

• Track and reconcile employee timesheets.
• Maintain government-furnished equipment (GFE) inventory and end-of-day follow-ups.
• Keep state compliance records current and update company websites as needed.
• Follow documented procedures, company policies, and contract requirements precisely, and flag anything out of compliance.
• Serve as the key Business Analyst for internal meetings: coordinate calendars, schedule meetings, prepare and send agendas, and take minutes.
• Follow up with staff after meetings to make sure assigned tasks are completed, and keep task trackers and follow-up items up to date.
• Maintain the team collaboration tracker and software inventory, and organize documents in shared drives when needed.
• Partner with part-time staff on reports, training decks, and surveys.

Recruiting support (about 25%)

• Review resumes and shortlist qualified candidates for hiring managers.
• Conduct initial phone and video prescreens on qualifications, availability, and salary expectations.
• Schedule interviews across multiple stakeholders.
• Keep candidate records and statuses accurate in Greenhouse and communicate with candidates promptly.
• Report on recruiting pipeline metrics such as time to fill and candidate volume.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, economics, information systems, statistics, or a related analytical field. Other degrees with strong coursework or experience in data are welcome.
• Some experience in an analyst, operations, administrative, or reporting role (internships count).
• A track record of accurate, thorough work: you double-check your numbers and catch errors before they reach anyone else.
• Strong task execution: you follow established processes, policies, and compliance requirements step by step and see every task through to completion.
• Highly organized: you keep files, trackers, and task lists in order and always know where each piece of your work stands.
• Hands-on experience using AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude, and a strong interest in using AI to analyze data, write formulas, and automate work. You don't need to be an expert, but you should be eager to learn.
• Strong Google Sheets skills: formulas such as XLOOKUP or VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, FILTER, QUERY, and IMPORTRANGE; pivot tables; data validation dropdowns and conditional formatting; and basic charts.
• Working knowledge of Google Workspace, including sharing permissions, protected ranges, and version history in shared files.
• Clear, precise written communication and documentation.
• Proven ability to manage several recurring deadlines without dropping details.

Preferred Qualifications

• Google Apps Script experience, especially automating sheets, emails, and workflows.
• Vibe coding experience, ideally with an example you can share of a script, automation, or small tool you built with AI.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel in addition to Google Sheets.
• Familiarity with Jira, Greenhouse, or another tracking or applicant tracking system.
• Exposure to government contracting or compliance work.

You'll Thrive Here If You

How you work with information

• Are highly data-driven: you trust facts, records, and data over assumptions, and check the source before you report a number.
• Have sharp attention to detail and notice what others miss: a wrong date, a missing row, a total that doesn't add up, or an AI answer that doesn't match the source.
• Prefer practical, hands-on work with clear, concrete results.
• Are genuinely curious about AI and eager to keep learning new tools and prompts to work smarter.
• Think logically and work through problems step by step, from the facts to a clear answer.

How you organize your work

• Plan your week ahead and keep a running list of what's due and when.
• Thrive on task completion: you finish tasks fully before moving on and love closing things out.
• Thrive on automation: when you do the same manual task twice, you find a way to automate it.
• Meet deadlines reliably, and flag early when something might slip.
• Prefer clear expectations and set routines, and follow documented procedures consistently instead of taking shortcuts.
• Keep records and files organized so anyone can find what they need.
• Handle confidential information, such as timesheets and candidate details, with discretion, including what you share with AI tools.

How you show up

• Are dependable: people can count on you to do what you said you would, when you said you would.
• Take rules, policies, and compliance requirements seriously, and speak up when something isn't right.
• Own your work and its accuracy, and correct mistakes openly and quickly.
• Keep your work accurate and on schedule under deadline pressure, and work well on your own once you know the process.